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S**N
A Great Dose of Escapist Fantasy
The Books of the Raksura is a fantastical fantasy series where nothing is normal and everything is strange and new. I fell in love with the first book and eagerly devoured the next two. When author Martha Wells announced that her next two Raksura books would be short story collections, I was trepidatious. Could my thirst for new Raksura adventures be quenched by anything less than a full novel? The answer is yes.Stories of the Raksura: Volume One is a collection of two novellas and two short stories all set in the strange realm of the Three Worlds. Fans of the series will find plenty to love in this collection as it revisits familiar characters and sheds light on new ones that helped form their past. The stories recapture that recipe for escapism. These are tales that plummet readers into bizarre worlds with rich settings and characters. There are no humans to be found in the Three Worlds. Instead, it’s a place of exotic imagination and relaxing escape.The first story in the book is a 92 page novella entitled “The Falling World”. In it, Moon explores a mysterious city in search of Jade who has gone missing. There are monsters, wizards and lots of exploration. Plus Moon is not alone in his journey. He’s joined by Stone as well as a host of other Raksura who all play various parts. Slipping into the story, it felt just like old times with the same level of unusual, fascinating environments and peculiar characters. It’s a great way to start the book.Following that is another novella, “The Tale of Indigo and Cloud”, which runs 58 pages. Unlike the first novella and, for that matter, the three books that preceded this one, this story is set in the past and revolves around a new cast. The main character is Cerise, the queen of Umber Shadow. In it, she must deal with a delicate political situation. While on a diplomatic mission to another court, Cerise’s youngest sister queen Indigo up and decided to steal a consort. Unravelling the truth of what happened, and dealing with the retaliations from the Emerald Twilight court, Cerise must walk a twisting line to prevent all out war. The backdrop for the whole tale is how the Indigo Cloud court came to be. There is also a glimpse of Stone as a mere fledgling, a deeper look into Raksura court politics, and a wider view of Raksuran culture. With the tension, the romantic plotline, and the historical context, it makes for a very fun story. The end even ties it all back to the present, bringing in Moon and the current Indigo Cloud court.“The Forest Boy” is the first of two short stories included in this collection. Like the previous story, it takes a look back at the past and uses a new character as the central figure. Tren is a twelve year old Mirani living on the edge of a settlement with a foster family. He and his close friend Lua explore a nearby trash heap as they look for salvage. There they find a very young Moon stuck in a hunter’s trap. The tale explores the children’s interactions with each other, how they become friends and then become distant and disgruntled. It takes a look at groundlings and Moon’s childhood while telling a story of how jealousy can tear friendships apart.“Adaptation” wraps the book up yet another prequel story. This one stars Chime and covers his transformation into a warrior. It highlights his initial struggle with the change and the turmoil in instilled in the rest of the court. Both of the short stories go by pretty quick with them being only 15 and 16 pages long. Still, they’re fun stories and reveal some interesting parts of the character’s past. Adding to the book is an updated 10 page appendix of terms and court hierarchy.Overall, if you’re a fan of the previous books in the series, you’ll definitely want to pick up Stories of the Raksura: Volume One. For those who have not read any of the books in the series, this might be a good opportunity to get acquainted with the characters and the world within. Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to Stories of the Raksura: Volume Two. I give this one a five out of five.
A**R
Good Addition to the Series
I really loved the other Raksura novels (which begins with The Cloud Roads). The world-building in this series is top notch, unique and fascinating. The Raksura are wonderful creatures and I can't get enough of their social interactions, their hierarchies, the gender roles. Wells has created a unique and beautiful society and I highly recommend this series.That said, I would NOT recommend starting with this book. If you're interested in the Raksura please go back and start with The Cloud Roads because this collection of stories doesn't necessarily stand alone well. There are too many nuances and too much backstory that I think a new reader would miss. That said, I think anyone who is a fan of the series already will greatly enjoy the volume. Both novellas are enjoyable (The Indigo/Cloud story was my favorite) and the two short stories provide some fun background on favorite characters. Also, after reading this volume, I had to go back and reread my favorite parts of the original trilogy because I just couldn't get enough of the Raksura.
A**N
Loved this return to the world of the Raksura!
First of all, for those of you who already know these gems that are the Raksura and love them, I found both novellas to be complex and surprisingly satisfying for their shorter length. They sucked me right back into the world, and I really loved them. There are also two short stories included, which were a fun bonus when I wasn't ready to let go yet, but they were too short for me. I just can't be satisfied with such tiny snippets, but the novellas did feel complete enough to be filling little bites.Now, if you are a Fantasy fan at all and you haven't read the original trilogy yet, go do that right away! It starts with The Cloud Roads (The Books of the Raksura Book 1).I highly recommend the whole series. It is unlike anything else I've read, one of the most imaginative worlds I've experienced, and deserves so much more attention. If there's one series that I believe more people need at least to try, it's this one. It's so different from any typical Fantasy that I have a hard time describing it. It's truly a breath of fresh air.I really love the world of the Raksura - the individuals, their culture and even their mannerisms. When the trilogy ended, I was so sad to leave them all behind. But Wells apparently agrees with me that there is plenty of room for more, and delivered these new novellas to read. I'm desperately hoping there will be many more, including - dare I? - more full length novels. But for now, I am happy.The first novella, The Falling World, takes place about six months after the end of the trilogy, so we get to see all of our old friends again. The scrape they get into has plenty of danger and suspense packed into it, as well as details of a more settled court life and politics between courts.The second novella, The Tale of Indigo and Cloud, is a prequel that takes us back to the story of what happened when Indigo stole Cloud. This one focuses more on tense court politics, and we get to see the Reaches back when they were more populated and the courts were stronger. I was afraid I wouldn't be as interested because it was all new characters (except for one surprise cameo appearance), but I loved it just as much.So, if you haven't read the original trilogy yet, start there, and then be thankful that you have some more crumbs to eat when you're finished because these novellas are fantastic as well. I wanted to read slower so I could stay in the world for a while, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next lot.
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