Untethered Sky

By: Fonda Lee

Narrated by: Nikki Massoud

From World Fantasy Award-winning author Fonda Lee comes an epic fantasy fable about the pursuit of obsession at all costs.

Ester’s family was torn apart when a manticore killed her mother and baby brother, leaving her with nothing but her father’s painful silence and a single overwhelming need to kill the monsters that took her family.

Ester’s path leads her to the king’s Royal Mews, where the giant rocs of legend are flown to hunt manticores by their brave and dedicated ruhkers. Paired with a fledgling roc named Zahra, Ester finds purpose and acclaim by devoting herself to a calling that demands absolute sacrifice and a creature that will never return her love. The terrifying partnership between woman and roc leads Ester not only on the empire’s most dangerous manticore hunt, but on a journey of perseverance and acceptance.

©2023 Fonda Lee (P)2023 Recorded Books

Great for falconers.

It is an easy read. Great for actual falconers. Or those who appreciate the art/sport.

A must read for falconers or those who wish they were

The writer clearly has intimate falconry experience or knowledge and it shows! sure, it's a fantastical read, but the elements and emotions are all there and so true to my falconry experience. loved it!

Not as exciting as I hoped

There was potential but ultimately the story lacked much action or excitement. The narrator may have made it lacking by never changing her tone.

Wonderful Performance, Fantastic Worldbuilding

Everything about this book hit the mark for me. Loved the story, the writing style, the characters, the performance, and the world itself. My one criticism is that it wasn't long enough. I ended up listening to it another three times just to sate my fill.

About as Good as a Novella can get

Too often novellas feel unfinished, or too short to really engage me, but this story ticked all the boxes a full novel would for me. Interesting characters, interesting world, full story arc, and leaves me wanting more. There’s not much more you can ask for in such an abbreviated format.

The narrator was solid, enjoyable, and most importantly, unobtrusive.

If I had one criticism, it would be that the world building was not as fully fleshed out as I'd prefer, but considering the page count, it was impressive. Hopefully a sequel is on the way and we can see some more of this world.

Kudos to Fonda Lee for showing once again that she is one of the freshest new writers in the genre.