The Killing Moon

[sawyl]

Set in a fantasy world that owes more than a slight debt to Ancient Egypt, NK Jemisin's The Killing Moon imagines the state of Gujaareh where a group of priests are able use dream humours to enact magic. Each of the four humours must be obtained in its own way but only dreamblood, obtained by the Gathers, results in the death of the individual — either someone who has sought to be euthenised or someone who has been judged corrupt by the temple. The book focuses on Gatherer Ehiru and his apprentice Nijiri as they find themselves caught up in a conspiracy at the heart of their society.

The story begins with a routine gathering. Ehiru is collecting the dreamblood of a barbarian who has been found guilty by the temple. Something goes wrong and instead of helping the dreamer into the afterlife, the soul is destroyed. His confidence damaged by this event, Ehiru retreats from his duties and avoids starting the training of his new apprentice Nijiri. After being given some time to recover by his two fellow Gatherers, Ehiru is tasked with helping the to escort the soul of Sunandi Jeh Kalawe, the ambassador from the neighbouring nation of Kisua. But Sunandi's explanation that she has been chosen as part of a political plot by the Prince sounds worryingly plausible to Ehiru and he decides to declare an abeyance until he can be sure.

For Sunandi knows whereof she speaks. With the help of factions within Gujaareen society, she has discovered a number of unexplained deaths, including those of prisoners, in way that suggest that they might have been killed by a rogue gatherer. Convinced by the Prince's political maneuverings that her homeland may be threatened, Sunandi hitches up with a caravan and rushes across the desert to raise the alert. Unexpected she finds herself accompanied by Ehiru and Nijiri, who have been tasked by their fellow Gatherers to undercover the truth about the collusion between the Prince and the temple.

So much for the story, but a short precis doesn't really do justice to the subtlety of Jemisin's world. Gujaareh is wonderfully convincing, especially the way that its various castes — conservative & liberal factions of the upper class, hereditary warrior castes, the temple of the Hetawa, and the power of the Prince — balance to create a society that combines inward and outward elements to create a nation whose powerful presence feels deeply authentic.

The strange religion of the goddess Hanajan — a mix of ancient Egyptian and Jungian symbolism — is also beautifully. From Ehiru and Nijiri on the inside, it is shown to be a compassionate faith that minimises the suffering of the terminally ill and thins out those who have been found dangerous to society by releasing their souls in to the paradise of the afterlife. But from Sunandi's external view, the Hetawa appears to be a dangerously powerful force and Hanajan's Law looks like arbitrary state-sanctioned execution. It is particularly telling that Sunandi calls the Gatherers killers and murderers, whereas the priests themselves can't even begin to imagine why anyone would think this of them.

The rest of the book — the relationship between Ehiru and Nijiri, the Prince's great plan, the notion of the rogue gatherer — is equally well done and builds to a satisfying climax that resolves the story in away that leaves room for the events of The Shadowed Sun, which takes place a decade later.

Very highly recommended — I'm not at all surprised that The Killing Moon is on this year's Nebula shortlist.