Simon Jimenez’s second novel, The Spear Cuts Through Water, is destined to become a cult classic. An adventure story, a fantasy epic, a sweeping myth and a poignant exploration of identity and legacy, the novel is an utterly spellbinding and genre-bending read. The multi-layered narrative follows two warrior shepherds and a dying goddess journeying across the Old Country to end a reign of royal tyranny. Evocative and ambitious, The Spear Cuts Through Water is a book that will definitely stay with you and leave you longing for more.
If you enjoyed Jimenez’s sophomore book and you’re craving that sense of wonder, magic and myth, we have some epic reads lined up just for you!
Black Leopard Red Wolf
The Spear Cuts Through Water is heavily concerned with themes of storytelling, history and godhood, and similar themes recur in Marlon James’s Black Leopard, Red Wolf that is inspired by African history and myth. The first entry in the Jamaican author’s Dark Star trilogy, this ambitiously plotted novel follows Tracker, a skilled hunter in search of a mysterious boy—and ends up joining a group hiding secrets of their own. Sharply brutal, and filled with a cast of eclectic characters and plenty of ghastly elements, Black Leopard, Red Wolf is a searing and memorable read.
The West Passage
If you’re looking for some whimsy, try Jared Pechačhek’s debut novel The West Passage. The work is an episodic, Alice in Wonderland-esque adventure for adults. The story unfolds in a fantastical, sprawling castle inhabited by giant ladies, strange beekeepers and other characters that seemed to have stepped out of the margins of a medieval manuscript.
A blend of dark fantasy, eldritch horror and light humor, The West Passage is a thoroughly enjoyable standalone novel that will transports readers to a decadent, labyrinthine world, accompanied by the author’s own evocative illustrations.
The Darkness That Comes Before
One of the best bits about The Spear Cuts Through Water is the gorgeous secondary fantasy world that Jimenez creates, filled with its own myths and folklore. So, if you’re in search of another world to immerse yourself in, R. Scott Bakker’s The Prince of Nothing series might be up your alley. The first book in the series, The Darkness That Comes Before is an intricately-plotted philosophical piece of fantasy fiction, somewhat similar to Steven Erikson’s grimdark Malazan series. With a vividly imagined apocalyptic world, R. Scott Bakker’s worldbuilding skills are stunning, keeping you engrossed till the last page.
The Once and Future Witches
If you’ve ever been fascinated by the history of witchcraft, Alix E. Harrow’s The Once and Future Witches is a sweeping feminist saga that will take you back to an alternate magical past. The narratives follow the three Eastwood sisters—suffragists of New Salem who must turn to witchcraft, forge new alliances and resist the patriarchal system in whatever ways they can. With lyrical prose and endearing characters, The Once and Future Witches promises to be an emotional and enchanting ride.
The Library at Mount Char
If horror and fantasy are your jam, Scott Hawkins’ The Library at Mount Char will certainly be a uniquely refreshing read. The narrative unfolds in fragmented flashbacks with a haunting poignancy, as we follow the unreliable narrator Carolyn and try to piece together what happened in her past. While it might take some time to adjust to the darkly bizarre world of this novel, the journey is absolutely riveting and rewarding.
The Starless Sea
If you loved the experimental structure and the story-within-a-story aspect of The Spear Cuts Through Water, Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea might be the book for you. It’s a beautiful book that delves into the power of the imagination, storytelling and fairytales in spellbinding prose and inter-connected meta-narratives.
While the main story follows graduate student Zachary Rawlins as he discovers a strange book that slowly leads him to a magical underworld, there are also folktales and vignettes interspersed throughout, adding to the sense of awe and wonder. Filled with literary allusions, a puzzle-box ending, and a queer romance at its heart, The Starless Sea is a remarkable and thought-provoking read.
The Fifth Season
If you liked how The Spear Cuts Through Water plays around with different points-of-view, especially second person, you could also check out N.K. Jemisin’s critically acclaimed Broken Earth trilogy that is told entirely in second person. The novels unfold in the supercontinent of Stillness, afflicted by frequent earthquakes and climate disasters, and where the population is divided into small, nomadic communities.
Grappling with intergenerational trauma and motherhood, The Fifth Season (the first novel in the trilogy) follows the life of Essun who will travel any lengths across a ravaged landscape to save her kidnapped daughter. Both a personal family story and a saga of epic proportions, the Broken Earth trilogy is an enthralling ride.
The House of Rust: A Novel
Khadija Abdalla Bajaber’s The House of Rust is a magic realist sea voyage wherein a young girl sets sail on a boat made of a skeleton to rescue her missing father. From talking cats to sea monsters, this is a delightfully weird coming-of-age story that will surely tug at your heartstrings. Inventive and mythic, Aisha’s life-changing journey is rendered in gorgeous prose, and blended masterfully with African folklore. Overall, it’s a strange and fascinating read.
The Vanished Birds
Finally, if something about The Spear Cuts Through Water really resonated with you, you can also check out Simon Jimenez’s debut novel, The Vanished Birds that was published to critical acclaim and shortlisted for a bunch of awards. This one is an epic space opera novel spanning millennia and follows an interconnected cast of characters. Beautifully written and tinged with melancholy, this is a book that readers will fall in love with—right from the opening chapter!
