The Tangled Lands by Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias S Buckell
The Tangled Lands
Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias S Buckell
Fantasy? Not a bit - this allegorical tale is so close to home it will frighten you. If using magic leads to ecological disaster, can you do without it? And if you are poor and power is corrupt, how can you survive and protect your family?
Extract
The majistra's words bubbled within him; he barely had to look at the parchment where the apothecary had written them. His lips knew the vowels and consonants, his tongue felt thick with the need to speak them. The words had their own urgency. Kalaia's voice, filling his chest, his lungs, turning his tongue, spilling from his lips. Words issued forth, sibilant. Building. Exultant. Rising. A spelling. A true spelling, full of ancient power.
