Review: The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin

"The city burned beneath the Dreaming Moon.

In the ancient city-state of Gujaareh, peace is the only law. Upon its rooftops and amongst the shadows of its cobbled streets wait the Gatherers - the keepers of this peace. Priests of the dream-goddess, their duty is to harvest the magic of the sleeping mind and use it to heal, soothe . . . and kill those judged corrupt.

But when a conspiracy blooms within Gujaareh's great temple, Ehiru - the most famous of the city's Gatherers - must question everything he knows. Someone, or something, is murdering dreamers in the goddess' name, stalking its prey both in Gujaareh's alleys and the realm of dreams. Ehiru must now protect the woman he was sent to kill - or watch the city be devoured by war and forbidden magic."

Format: 448 pages. Kindle version.
Published: May 3rd 2012 by Orbit.

The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin is somewhat of a detour from the typical fantasy norm, and that of her previous series, The Inheritance Trilogy. The world is almost entirely non-Eurocentric with a slight resemblance towards ancient Egypt.

Two of the three main viewpoint characters are Gatherers, a priest, Ehiru, who helps a person into the afterlife by giving them peace through favourable memories and dreams, and his young apprentice, Nijiri. Together, they act as a part of the religious order, but are only affiliated with a separate branch of that same organisation. There are also Sentinels, who guard the temple, and Sharers, who aid the sick. The Gatherer Ehiru travels through the city-state Gujaareh at night, collecting tithes of ‘dreamblood’ for the goddess Hananja from its dying or corrupt inhabitants. This dreamblood will then be used by his order’s Sharers to heal and help others. Dream offerings, and the specific content of these dreams aid in various ailments. Dominating this culture is the religious notion of a dream afterlife and goddess of sleeping peace. The third character is a spy from a neighbouring country who encounters some secrets that could threaten to delegitimize the order and its following. Going on a stretch, in some ways the Gatherers remind me of a more benevolent version of The Dark City, at least from first impressions, until one finds out that a Reaper is going around killing people in much the same manner as Gatherers use their arts.

Many of the themes draw on the moral uncertainty of what it means to be corrupt and the nature and impact of using such magical practices on society, and this is often exemplified in the struggles that the protagonists have to deal with as they unmask the conspiracy looming over the city of Gujaareh whilst overcoming the dangers to their own livelihoods.

Some might find the learning curve a little steep on the get-go as a fair section of the beginning is devoted to building up the story, but the glossary at the end provides a good overview of the more nuanced parts of the cultures that Jemisin has created here. Each chapter starts with a quote from the main culture’s religious text. Much of the later half is devoted to action oriented telling as the story winds down towards its climax, whilst leaving some threads left unanswered to be continued in its next instalment.

The book is well written and the plotting well thought out in setting the stage for later novels and exploring the timeless, often clichéd nature of power and responsibility in a slightly different manner.