Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
London ; New York : Saga Press, [2018]
Pages
287
Description
While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinaetah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters. Maggie Hoskie is a Dinaetah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last best hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much more terrifying than anything she could imagine. Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel the rez, unraveling clues from ancient legends, trading favors with tricksters, and battling dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology. As Maggie discovers the truth behind the killings, she will have to confront her past if she wants to survive.… (more)
Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 2019)
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novel — 2018)
Locus Award (Finalist — First Novel — 2019)
World Fantasy Award (Nominee — Novel — 2019)
RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — Fantasy — 2019)
Compton Crook Award (Nominee — 2019)
IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (Finalist — 2019)
NPR: Books We Love (2018)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Fiction — 2018)
Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List (Selection — 2019)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2018-06-26
Physical description
287 p.; 9.5 inches
ISBN
9781534413504
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member elenaj
Roanhorse is best known for her multi-awardwinning exceptional short story, "Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience" (which I heartily recommend). This first novel is equally engaging, but doesn't pack quite the same visceral punch as that short story.
It reminded me of nothing so much as Ilona
The worldbuilding is immersive and rich, and the story moves along at a good clip. The horror elements are significant and at times gruesome. I will also warn that this is the first in a series, and the ending contains a significant relationship cliffhanger, although the major plot threads are resolved.
It reminded me of nothing so much as Ilona
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Andrews' Kate Daniels novels - a badass mercenary with a haunted past fights evil in a post-apocalpytic magic-infused setting, with the help and hindrance of ambiguous characters who may be foes or allies (or a little of both, depending on context). Of course, in this case the setting is a magically walled-off Navajo/Dine reservation, and most of the characters are Native American, which sets this novel apart in the world of speculative fiction.The worldbuilding is immersive and rich, and the story moves along at a good clip. The horror elements are significant and at times gruesome. I will also warn that this is the first in a series, and the ending contains a significant relationship cliffhanger, although the major plot threads are resolved.
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LibraryThing member greeniezona
This premise was so interesting and its cover so arresting that I had this book on pre-order almost the second I'd heard of it despite my aversion to series. I was so delighted when it arrived and devoured it over two days.
So many things to love about this book. The desert southwest.
Neil Gaiman feels. Thunderdome feels. Backroad adventure feels. Thunderstorms in the desert feels.
Something riding that perfect edge of totally new and favorite jacket familiar.
I can't wait for the next one.
So many things to love about this book. The desert southwest.
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Half-familiar/half-unfamiliar mythology. A protagonist who is a killing machine but has feelings about it. The secret maybe-powers of the sidekick/love interest. The hard-baked with scattered vestiges of post-apocalyptic civilization Mad Max landscape. Old Chevy pick-ups, dirt roads, mountains, tiny dusty towns and bars in the middle of nowhere.Neil Gaiman feels. Thunderdome feels. Backroad adventure feels. Thunderstorms in the desert feels.
Something riding that perfect edge of totally new and favorite jacket familiar.
I can't wait for the next one.
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LibraryThing member jshillingford
I found this book because it was mentioned in a blog post on Tor.com. I’ve read a ton of urban fantasy over the years, so it’s difficult to find something fresh in the genre. And while Roanhorse’s debut does have many of the usual tropes, such as the typical badass heroine, the world building
Maggie hunts the monsters that arose from legend after the Big Water wiped out most of the world. She is of the Diné, and her clan powers make her deadly, but also isolate her. People fear her, and she fears her own power. When she is hired to find a girl stolen by a monster, she discovers the monster is something she hasn’t seen before. So, she takes the head to (her only friend) Tah for identification. It is his grandson Kai who suggests this is the work of a witch, and the two will need to work together to stop it. Like Maggie, Kai is more than he appears. Can they learn to trust each other enough to get to the truth?
I’ve read urban fantasy books with Native influence before; Hearne’s Iron Druid series has an installment that revolves around the trickster god Coyote. But this is the first I’ve read that was written by a Native American - and the difference is apparent. There is a reverence here, and attention to detail, that underlies the worldbuilding. The author doesn’t just tell us Maggie has clan powers, she shows how they are important to this world and its people. There are some excellent action sequences in the book, but also a lot of investigation and exploration. We get to know Dinétah (once a Native reservation), and Maggie. She is a fully developed and complex character. She’s powerful, but also has vulnerabilities. And Kai is a perfect foil for her.
Overall, this was so good I immediately preordered the sequel. I can’t wait for more from this exciting new author. (My only very minor complaint is that I would have liked a pronunciation guide included at the end for all the Navajo words included.)
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takes it to a new and wonderful level.Maggie hunts the monsters that arose from legend after the Big Water wiped out most of the world. She is of the Diné, and her clan powers make her deadly, but also isolate her. People fear her, and she fears her own power. When she is hired to find a girl stolen by a monster, she discovers the monster is something she hasn’t seen before. So, she takes the head to (her only friend) Tah for identification. It is his grandson Kai who suggests this is the work of a witch, and the two will need to work together to stop it. Like Maggie, Kai is more than he appears. Can they learn to trust each other enough to get to the truth?
I’ve read urban fantasy books with Native influence before; Hearne’s Iron Druid series has an installment that revolves around the trickster god Coyote. But this is the first I’ve read that was written by a Native American - and the difference is apparent. There is a reverence here, and attention to detail, that underlies the worldbuilding. The author doesn’t just tell us Maggie has clan powers, she shows how they are important to this world and its people. There are some excellent action sequences in the book, but also a lot of investigation and exploration. We get to know Dinétah (once a Native reservation), and Maggie. She is a fully developed and complex character. She’s powerful, but also has vulnerabilities. And Kai is a perfect foil for her.
Overall, this was so good I immediately preordered the sequel. I can’t wait for more from this exciting new author. (My only very minor complaint is that I would have liked a pronunciation guide included at the end for all the Navajo words included.)
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LibraryThing member flying_monkeys
Maggie Hoskie, a Dinétah monster slayer, is your typical UF* hardass -- tragic backstory (though, not all that fictional since Native women are among the most raped and murdered population in America), preternatural fighting skills, and borderline anti-social. Maggie falls in (what she believes is
There are several gruesome fight scenes and deaths. Maggie is not shy about killing.
The culture, clan powers and gods of Dinétah are the best parts of Trail of Lightning.
3.5 stars
*I know this is classified as Urban Fantasy, but since most of it takes place in the desert and mountains I have a hard time calling it UF. But, it does follow that UF formula we're all familiar with and one I burnt myself out on years back. So I only allow myself a couple UF novels each year, more out of fairness to the book because, again, I read WAY too much UF for years straight.
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unrequited) love, is abandoned by her mentor, is an unwilling hero, and when she trusts a new man in her life, he ends up not being who she thought he was.There are several gruesome fight scenes and deaths. Maggie is not shy about killing.
The culture, clan powers and gods of Dinétah are the best parts of Trail of Lightning.
3.5 stars
*I know this is classified as Urban Fantasy, but since most of it takes place in the desert and mountains I have a hard time calling it UF. But, it does follow that UF formula we're all familiar with and one I burnt myself out on years back. So I only allow myself a couple UF novels each year, more out of fairness to the book because, again, I read WAY too much UF for years straight.
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LibraryThing member ElleGato
This was such a good, fun book! It was perfectly paced and perfectly balanced--enough action, enough introspection; enough crackling dialogue, enough genuine character moments. Maggie is a great main character; she's edgy, sad, quick to anger, and she makes sense. Everything about her, even her
Speaking of plot! It's a fascinating world Roanhorse has built! Climatic disasters have wiped away much of the US as we know it but in the ruins of one order, another rises--or rather, rises again. Roanhorse's use of familiar apocalyptic tropes sets a really fascinating and powerful backdrop for the Navajo/Diné nation at the heart of the story. In the ruins of the settlers' US, the Diné and their gods have risen, building a wall to protect their homeland and surviving despite the apocalyspe because, as Roanhorse's characters point out, indigenous people in the Americas have already experienced many apocalypses through the genocidal machinations of white European settlers. The end of one world can allow for the birth of another.
And this exploration of how the apocalypse might seem to a marginalized community is why this book is so important. Not just because it's a good story with good characters and a fun, interesting plot; ownvoices book like Trail of Lightning remind us that when diverse authors tell diverse stories from diverse points of view the genre as a whole is enriched and we're all given the gift of stories we would never have dreamed of. A Diné hero, fighting Diné monsters on Diné land is a triumph of a book and I cannot wait for the sequel!
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flaws, make sense within the narrative. She reacts to things the way you'd expect an actual human being to react and I love it so much. She's achingly real but still a kick-ass heroine and her choices--while not always made under the best circumstances or in the best frame of mind--feel organic and natural instead of Mandated by Plot.Speaking of plot! It's a fascinating world Roanhorse has built! Climatic disasters have wiped away much of the US as we know it but in the ruins of one order, another rises--or rather, rises again. Roanhorse's use of familiar apocalyptic tropes sets a really fascinating and powerful backdrop for the Navajo/Diné nation at the heart of the story. In the ruins of the settlers' US, the Diné and their gods have risen, building a wall to protect their homeland and surviving despite the apocalyspe because, as Roanhorse's characters point out, indigenous people in the Americas have already experienced many apocalypses through the genocidal machinations of white European settlers. The end of one world can allow for the birth of another.
And this exploration of how the apocalypse might seem to a marginalized community is why this book is so important. Not just because it's a good story with good characters and a fun, interesting plot; ownvoices book like Trail of Lightning remind us that when diverse authors tell diverse stories from diverse points of view the genre as a whole is enriched and we're all given the gift of stories we would never have dreamed of. A Diné hero, fighting Diné monsters on Diné land is a triumph of a book and I cannot wait for the sequel!
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LibraryThing member Catz314
Totally different from most of the other books in this genre. I really, really enjoyed it and can't wait until the next book comes out!
LibraryThing member ladycato
I love when a book lives up to the hype! Trail of Lightning has a strong urban fantasy vibe despite a very rural setting: the former Navajo Nation, after the apocalypse. The action is constant as Maggie Hoskie, a Dinétah monster hunter, is dragged into the machinations of Coyote and numerous other
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powerful figures. My one criticism is that it does rely so heavily on urban fantasy tropes, with a brittle and magically-gifted protagonist who had largely shut out the world, but at the same time, Roanhorse made the story feel fresh and original because she so beautifully portrayed the setting and culture. The book is a fast read, too; thanks to several appointments, I managed to read the whole thing in a matter of hours. Show Less
LibraryThing member rivkat
Maggie is a monsterslayer in the Sixth World of the Diné, which returned after most of the world drowned. Abandoned by her immortal mentor for being too violent, she struggles to survive when she’s alienated almost everyone around her. Then a medicine man who’s been kind to her tells her to
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work with his grandson Kai, who’s too handsome for his own good (and maybe has powers of his own), and she’s sent on an errand by Coyote, but her trauma may keep her from being able to see who’s really on her side. It’s a great new series and I look forward to more. Show Less
LibraryThing member 2wonderY
I had a hard time visualizing the set-up for this end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it story. That handicapped my enjoyment.
Maggie was just an okay heroine; her co-stars and supporting actors were much more interesting.
The set-up with Coyote seemed too contrived.
I doubt I'll pursue the series.
Maggie was just an okay heroine; her co-stars and supporting actors were much more interesting.
The set-up with Coyote seemed too contrived.
I doubt I'll pursue the series.
LibraryThing member kmartin802
This post-apocalyptic novel in set on the former Navajo reservation which is one of the few parts of the United States that are still above water. Magic also came back with the rising waters enabling the Dine to build magical walls around the reservation. Of course the magic brought back all kinds
Maggie Hoskie became a monster hunter after the home she shared with her grandmother was invaded, her grandmother killed, and she was rescued just before the invaders could kill her too. The trauma caused her Clan powers to manifest. Maggie has two - super speed and the ability to kill. Her talents are honed by her rescuer Neizghani who is an immortal warrior. She spent a few years with him hunting the monsters.
When the story begins, Neizghani has abandoned her and she fears it is because of her ability to kill. She has to reinvent her life but she doesn't know anything else but monster hunting. She is heartbroken because she has fallen in love with Neizghani. She is also really isolated. Her only friend is an elderly medicine man whom she hasn't seen for almost a year. When she goes to see him, he wants to introduce her to his grandson Kai who has come to learn from him. Maggie doesn't want a partner but both the grandfather and Coyote, who pops in and out of Maggie's life sowing confusion, want Kai and Maggie to work together.
They have a problem to solve. A witch is creating monsters and the witch needs to be found and stopped. Both Maggie and Kai have secrets which are gradually revealed as they begin to work together.
This was a story about a young woman deciding what way her life was going to go. She faces betrayal and finds friendship. I loved the emphasis on Navajo mythology but found the Navajo names with so many double vowels and accent marks something of a challenge even without trying to read it aloud.
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of monsters too.Maggie Hoskie became a monster hunter after the home she shared with her grandmother was invaded, her grandmother killed, and she was rescued just before the invaders could kill her too. The trauma caused her Clan powers to manifest. Maggie has two - super speed and the ability to kill. Her talents are honed by her rescuer Neizghani who is an immortal warrior. She spent a few years with him hunting the monsters.
When the story begins, Neizghani has abandoned her and she fears it is because of her ability to kill. She has to reinvent her life but she doesn't know anything else but monster hunting. She is heartbroken because she has fallen in love with Neizghani. She is also really isolated. Her only friend is an elderly medicine man whom she hasn't seen for almost a year. When she goes to see him, he wants to introduce her to his grandson Kai who has come to learn from him. Maggie doesn't want a partner but both the grandfather and Coyote, who pops in and out of Maggie's life sowing confusion, want Kai and Maggie to work together.
They have a problem to solve. A witch is creating monsters and the witch needs to be found and stopped. Both Maggie and Kai have secrets which are gradually revealed as they begin to work together.
This was a story about a young woman deciding what way her life was going to go. She faces betrayal and finds friendship. I loved the emphasis on Navajo mythology but found the Navajo names with so many double vowels and accent marks something of a challenge even without trying to read it aloud.
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LibraryThing member gypsysmom
I hope to see lots more writng by Rebecca Roanhorse but this is her first novel and it's a doozy. The short bio at the back of the book says Rebecca is an Ohkay Owingeh Publo/African American writer who graduated from Yale and is a lawyer. She lives in Northern New Mexico with her daughter and
The Dinetah people of southwest US live behind a wall that protected them from the flood waters that engulfed the eastern half of the country. This gave rise to the Sixth World where mythical beings are real and some people have superpowers. Maggie Hoskie is a monster slayer. Her skill set relies on superpowers associated with her Navajo heritage but also on her training by Neizghani, the monster slayer of myth. But Neizghani left Maggie a year ago and she hasn't heard from him since. Now a girl has been taken from a small town and her relatives want to hire Maggie to find her. Maggie does so, killing the monster who took the girl but since the monster had started to eat the girl she has to kill her as well. Maggie takes the head of the monster to her friend and wise man Tah. Tah tells her that the monster was created by a witch and there are probably more around. Tah has a grandson, Kai Arviso, staying with him and he proposes that Kai's powers as a healer would be a valuable asset to Maggie. So, reluctantly, Maggie agrees to team up with Kai. The partnership works out better than Maggie could have ever thought and there might even be the hopes of a romantic relationship. First they have to deal with the trickster Coyote and the manufactured monsters and find the witch who made them. And Maggie has to confront her own internal demons.
According to Wikipedia Roanhorse has been criticized by Navajo writers for twisting Navajo teachings and spirituality. She responded to this criticisms by saying "I think a lot of Native characters that we see are stuck in the past. So it was important for me to do that, to show Native American readers and non-Native American readers that we're alive and we're thriving in our cultures". Not being indigenous I can't judge which side to believe but I personally enjoyed the references to the culture and teachings and think all points of view are valuable.
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husband. Many people would have been satisfied with that background but now she has written a really gripping post-apocalyptic fantasy novel set in New Mexico and there is one more on the way. She also won the Hugo and Nebula awards for best short story in 2018 and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.The Dinetah people of southwest US live behind a wall that protected them from the flood waters that engulfed the eastern half of the country. This gave rise to the Sixth World where mythical beings are real and some people have superpowers. Maggie Hoskie is a monster slayer. Her skill set relies on superpowers associated with her Navajo heritage but also on her training by Neizghani, the monster slayer of myth. But Neizghani left Maggie a year ago and she hasn't heard from him since. Now a girl has been taken from a small town and her relatives want to hire Maggie to find her. Maggie does so, killing the monster who took the girl but since the monster had started to eat the girl she has to kill her as well. Maggie takes the head of the monster to her friend and wise man Tah. Tah tells her that the monster was created by a witch and there are probably more around. Tah has a grandson, Kai Arviso, staying with him and he proposes that Kai's powers as a healer would be a valuable asset to Maggie. So, reluctantly, Maggie agrees to team up with Kai. The partnership works out better than Maggie could have ever thought and there might even be the hopes of a romantic relationship. First they have to deal with the trickster Coyote and the manufactured monsters and find the witch who made them. And Maggie has to confront her own internal demons.
According to Wikipedia Roanhorse has been criticized by Navajo writers for twisting Navajo teachings and spirituality. She responded to this criticisms by saying "I think a lot of Native characters that we see are stuck in the past. So it was important for me to do that, to show Native American readers and non-Native American readers that we're alive and we're thriving in our cultures". Not being indigenous I can't judge which side to believe but I personally enjoyed the references to the culture and teachings and think all points of view are valuable.
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LibraryThing member empress8411
As others have remarked, there is no shortage of Urban Fantasies featuring Native American heroines – but this is the first I know of actually written by a First Nations author. And it shows. While the other authors treat the subject with respect, Roanhorse creates a tone and world unlike
The main character, Maggie, is a brilliant mix of strength and vulnerability, with a sense of completeness and depth that isn’t normal in UF books. And the secondary characters add more than just pillion for her to interact with, but come complete with their own richness and complexity.
Add in the post-apocalyptic nature and the First Nation mythology, and you have one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I’ve already read it twice (a big deal for me) and it was perfect the second time too.
If you read no other book this year, read this one!
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anything I’ve read before. The main character, Maggie, is a brilliant mix of strength and vulnerability, with a sense of completeness and depth that isn’t normal in UF books. And the secondary characters add more than just pillion for her to interact with, but come complete with their own richness and complexity.
Add in the post-apocalyptic nature and the First Nation mythology, and you have one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I’ve already read it twice (a big deal for me) and it was perfect the second time too.
If you read no other book this year, read this one!
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LibraryThing member lavaturtle
I loved the badass main character, and her growth and changing understanding of her past. There were so many other amazing characters too -- Kai and Grace and Tah are my favorites. The setting is intriguing. The thing about Kai's powers of persuasion that surprised Maggie at the end of the book Kai lives!
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seemed pretty obvious to me the whole time, but it worked anyway. I wish the ending was a little less ambiguous about whether Show Less
LibraryThing member rgruberhighschool
RGG: Amazing adventure. Maggie and Kai are well-developed. The Native American mythology is incorporate beautifully. A great read. References to adult behaviors make a questionable 8th Grade read. Reading Interest: YA
LibraryThing member dcoward
A great, inventive start to a new urban fantasy series. Maggie is a fantastic, conflicted character, and many of the supporting characters are strong as well.
LibraryThing member g33kgrrl
I love the story, I love Maggie, and I can't wait for the next book.
LibraryThing member ladypembroke
Despite my being burned out on post-apocalyptic lit, I really enjoyed this book. Interesting world building, plausible apocalypse, and characters who both frustrate and fascinate. Plus they grow as people. Mostly. I think my one complaint is the lack of pronunciation guide. I want to respect the
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native language by reading it properly, even in my own head. Definitely looking forward to the next book. Show Less
LibraryThing member cindywho
Excellent post-apocalypic YA adventure with monsters and gods of the Diné. Maggie has a violent clan gift for fighting and killing monsters, but she needs help with the machinations of supernatural beings and with repairing her own heart.
LibraryThing member LisCarey
Earthquakes, global warming, and rising waters--the Big Water--have done a job on most of the world, but Dinétah, formerly the Navaho reservation, has been reborn. It's not paradise, but behind walls both built by humans and remade by Diné gods, Diné culture lives.
This includes Diné gods and
Maggie Hoskie is a Diné monsterhunter, taught by Neizghάni, one of the Diné immortals, now abandoned by him, and struggling along on her own. When a village sends for her to kill a monster and recover a little girl the monster stole, because Neizghάni seems to have abandoned everyone, she goes. She can't save the girl, but she does kill the monster, and take its head.
Deeply disturbed by this particular monster, she takes the head to Tah, an old medicine man who, unlike most people, likes her. This is the real start of her troubles. Or her real troubles started years ago, when Neizghάni rescued her from the monsters that killed her grandmother.
What follows is an epic struggle, in a damaged world, where some "modern" technology survives and some doesn't, and gods and monsters walk the Earth, and it's not always clear which is which. Even among humans, Maggie can't always tell who her friends or her enemies are. Unlikely friends, unlikely enemies, and serious doubts about the moral character of her own abilities and actions mean Maggie is often in doubt about whether she's one of the good guys or one of the bad guys.
It's absorbing, complex, and compelling.
Recommended.
I received this book as part of the 2019 Hugo Voters Packet.
This includes Diné gods and
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monsters once again walking the land.Maggie Hoskie is a Diné monsterhunter, taught by Neizghάni, one of the Diné immortals, now abandoned by him, and struggling along on her own. When a village sends for her to kill a monster and recover a little girl the monster stole, because Neizghάni seems to have abandoned everyone, she goes. She can't save the girl, but she does kill the monster, and take its head.
Deeply disturbed by this particular monster, she takes the head to Tah, an old medicine man who, unlike most people, likes her. This is the real start of her troubles. Or her real troubles started years ago, when Neizghάni rescued her from the monsters that killed her grandmother.
What follows is an epic struggle, in a damaged world, where some "modern" technology survives and some doesn't, and gods and monsters walk the Earth, and it's not always clear which is which. Even among humans, Maggie can't always tell who her friends or her enemies are. Unlikely friends, unlikely enemies, and serious doubts about the moral character of her own abilities and actions mean Maggie is often in doubt about whether she's one of the good guys or one of the bad guys.
It's absorbing, complex, and compelling.
Recommended.
I received this book as part of the 2019 Hugo Voters Packet.
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LibraryThing member Stevil2001
I enjoyed this book at first, but as it went on, I cared less and less. But I don't think it's the book's fault. It's essentially urban fantasy except there are no cities because it takes place on a reservation. It has all the other trappings, though: badass woman with attitude who wears leather
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fighting monsters, a will-they-won't-they love interest. Anyway, all this is to say that urban fantasy is a genre that just doesn't interest me, no matter how well written, and we can't blame Rebecca Roanhorse for that, but by the time I got to the end, I was bored. Show Less
LibraryThing member jimrgill
Blending elements of popular dystopian fiction with features of the heroic monomyth, Rebecca Roanhorse creates an entertaining if somewhat uneven tale of monsters, magic, and Native American folklore.
Maggie Hoskins, the agonized hero, is a monsterslayer and the erstwhile apprentice of Neizghání,
While the novel is entertaining enough—and Roanhorse surely adds some interesting twists to her blend of genres—the narrative never truly soars. It’s a quick, fun read, but I have no plans to read the remaining books in the series.
Maggie Hoskins, the agonized hero, is a monsterslayer and the erstwhile apprentice of Neizghání,
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an immortal who rescued her from certain death when she was a child. After learning impressive monsterslaying skills from her savior, they become estranged, and Maggie is left to survive as a mercenary monsterslayer among the Diné, who live behind a massive wall that protected them from the great flood that destroyed much of the US. The tale unfolds in a series of exciting episodes that hew quite closely to the monomyth paradigm—Maggie initially resists the call to adventure (hunting golem-like monsters that cannibalize children and tracking down the witch that created them), she receives supernatural aid in the form of a healer named Kai, who becomes something of a love interest for Maggie (thus subverting the damsel-in-distress aspect of the hero’s tale while transposing gender roles), and journeys to the underworld (represented here by a mysterious nightclub/fight club called Shalimar), where she must battle her former mentor to…well, you get the picture.While the novel is entertaining enough—and Roanhorse surely adds some interesting twists to her blend of genres—the narrative never truly soars. It’s a quick, fun read, but I have no plans to read the remaining books in the series.
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LibraryThing member Kanarthi
This is a dystopian fantasy set in an alternate near future with strong influences from Navajo mythology and culture. The plot is episodic in nature, as Maggie and Kai roam around killing monsters and navigating different factions in Dinétah, protected from a natural disaster which wiped out much
I read some people classify this as YA, and I really disagree. The themes and character concerns peg this as adult for me. In particular, the main character Maggie is digesting the fallout from an abusive relationship with her former mentor and is processing it in a way that definitely screams 20's, not teens. However, the writing is in first person present, which might be why some people peg it as YA.
The biggest flaw in the book for me stems from this first person writing. Maggie is so caught up in her own damage and misconceptions that writing from her perspective makes it challenging to accurately depict the weight of how she is feeling and to simultaneously depict the fantastic setting in a way that the reader can absorb information and foreshadowing. I think that this balance was uneven, and it made some of the final climax unexciting, because Maggie is taken aback and wounded by a realization that the reader has long ago become very comfortable with. On the other hand, this failure of realism means that Trail of Lightning is lighter and easier to read, almost more like watching a TV series.
Highly recommend for anyone interested in dystopian spec fic or mythologically inspired fantasy.
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of the US by Diné (Navajo) magic. This episodic structure made it a quick and addictive read and made the setting feel very fleshed-out and realistic. The use of myth was brilliant. There are multiple characters who are gods. They are depicted as quarrelsome, imperfect beings ... AND as possessing levels of power, savvy, and immortal perspective that are way beyond the human characters. I read some people classify this as YA, and I really disagree. The themes and character concerns peg this as adult for me. In particular, the main character Maggie is digesting the fallout from an abusive relationship with her former mentor and is processing it in a way that definitely screams 20's, not teens. However, the writing is in first person present, which might be why some people peg it as YA.
The biggest flaw in the book for me stems from this first person writing. Maggie is so caught up in her own damage and misconceptions that writing from her perspective makes it challenging to accurately depict the weight of how she is feeling and to simultaneously depict the fantastic setting in a way that the reader can absorb information and foreshadowing. I think that this balance was uneven, and it made some of the final climax unexciting, because Maggie is taken aback and wounded by a realization that the reader has long ago become very comfortable with. On the other hand, this failure of realism means that Trail of Lightning is lighter and easier to read, almost more like watching a TV series.
Highly recommend for anyone interested in dystopian spec fic or mythologically inspired fantasy.
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LibraryThing member renbedell
An urban fantasy-like story set in the near future with Navajo mythology elements. The story follows a woman battling creatures with weapons and magic in a post-apocalyptic world. The book is fun at times, but the main character is not too enjoyable to read, which is a first person POV. If you like
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urban fantasy and mythology then you will probably like this book though. Show Less
LibraryThing member MontzaleeW
Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse is an amazing book! Set in the future after multiple Earth changing disasters and population decimating events, this has terrific world building! It's a fantasy with monsters, and people with "clan" given gifts born into them. Our main
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Gal of the story is good at monster killing. The native Indian lore of the Coyote is in here as a character, the trickster. This book has a lot of Indian legend and lore to it. Fascinating and exciting, many unexpected plot line that kept me guessing! Would love to see this as a movie! Show Less
LibraryThing member Gwendydd
The world has been devastated by climate change, and a huge flood has wiped out vast swathes of North America. The floods broke the barrier between the spirit world and our world, and Native American gods and monsters roam the world.
The main character is a monster hunter, who worries that she has
I don't mean to be dismissive when I say that this is a fairly predictable fantasy story of tracking down the big bad monster and simultaneously confronting the demons within and coming to peace with the trauma of the past. The storyline is predictable, but it's refreshing to see this storyline built on Native American mythology with a woman warrior as the lead character. I would certainly like to see more books like this out there.
The main character is a monster hunter, who worries that she has
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taken on some of the monstrous characteristics of the monsters she has killed. She is hired to kill a monster, and decides to track down whatever created the monster to make sure there won't be any more of them.I don't mean to be dismissive when I say that this is a fairly predictable fantasy story of tracking down the big bad monster and simultaneously confronting the demons within and coming to peace with the trauma of the past. The storyline is predictable, but it's refreshing to see this storyline built on Native American mythology with a woman warrior as the lead character. I would certainly like to see more books like this out there.
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