[Content warnings: heavy theme of trans rejection (misgendering, deadnaming, general transphobia), blood, death, bones, loss of spouse]

This story deserves a better rating for its theme and execution, but given that I was close to DNFing due to the heavy transphobia one of the main characters was going through, it was a very uncomfortable read that I simply couldn’t rate it higher.

“The Four Profound Weaves” is an adventure of Uiziya e Lali (63, trans) searching for her aunt Benesret to teach her the craft of weaving from death and the nameless man (64, trans, polyam?), nen-sasaïr, wanting Benesret to name him after his change.

Being transgender is one of the most important thing in this novella. While the word “trans” is never used in the fantasy setting, it is clear that both characters are binary transgender. Told in both first-person POV, neither character is particularly likable, and at times, reactions to events and dialogues were slightly abrupt, yet the narration was very slow. Though this is part of a series, reading it as a standalone, as I did, wasn’t confusing.

I admit that I reached my limit a little before the 50% mark and semi-skimmed the rest of the book. It also took me two more days than I had anticipated because I had trouble pushing through. The misgendering and trans rejection running throughout the whole story had made it painful and discomforting to read. The worst thing is that there is no found family, only the two mains who accept each other. It certainly doesn’t help that nen-sasaïr couldn’t/didn’t do much about that. He delayed his transition for a woman he loved, someone who couldn’t accept him for who he is, and I am still very angry about this.

The struggle of socially growing into who one is meant to be is very real and strong in “The Four Profound Weaves.” I love that this story with two trans main characters in a fantasy setting exists, but reading it was too upsetting for me to rate it as it deserves. I rate on the enjoyment and love I have for a book, and honestly, it probably should be lower. Yet this story is important, a depiction of trans struggle, that I do not want to rate it solely on rereadability. Read at your discretion.

“The Four Profound Weaves” is about finding one’s true self, Uiziya for her craft and the nameless man for his manhood, within oneself and not seeking validation from the outside. While the journey is difficult, everything is guaranteed to come full circle.

The story didn't flow the way I expected it to. And because of that, I wasn't really able to enjoy it. I really wish i could've but I couldn't

I really wanted to love this; instead, I just liked it. It's the second fantasy book in a row I've read where I felt like the world in general was much more engaging than the characters.

That being said, there were plenty of interesting aspects to the story; the fact that for our characters, both trans people in their late years, trauma goes deeper than the skin, and there are things that can't be run away from even if we get the one thing we think will solve all our problems. This is a slow, painful story set in a beautiful, fascinating, but sometimes brutal and frightening world.

This was a gorgeous opening to a world that I didn't know existed but will certainly be reading more of. That Lemberg is a poet is obvious--they let the story breathe and trust readers that the world does exist beyond these borders. Can't wait to dive in. Can't wait to recommend this to my Pride book club (and everyone else, too.)

I originally had this to review, but ended up buying a copy on release because I’m generally picking up physical books much more regularly at the moment, and I really did want to give this a try. I’m actually wondering if I’ve read one or two of the stories set in this world before, and somehow forgotten, because some things felt really familiar.

In any case, it took me a while to get into the story — partly because I didn’t properly take notice of the POV shift, and partly because I felt like I was assembling the world from pieces of a puzzle I’d briefly seen before. It was a bit weird, as a feeling, but I settled in and ended up racing through the novella all in one go. It begins with two older people, long known to each other but not of the same cultural group, deciding to go in search of what they feel they’re missing: a name, in the case of one of them, who has just completed his long-awaited transition after a life lived as a woman for the sake of his family; and the other, in search of her aunt, and the things her aunt promised to teach her.

The story is less important, I think, than the claiming (and re-claiming) of one’s voice, one’s identity, one’s true self. Both the main characters have to find that and learn to grasp it, in their own ways, and it is only through that that they can be whole and the neglected threads of their lives picked up and woven in.

I wasn’t always in love with the story: I felt thrown in at the deep end, though I suspect some of my confusion came from expecting something else (either from reading a previous story in this world, or just something with some similar elements… it’s hard to say, because I can’t put my finger on it). I didn’t feel the two voices were entirely distinct, despite what I said about the theme of the story, and there were at times some clumsy things — like the repeated reminders that Uiziya repeats questions until they’re answered. That felt like the ultimate “show, don’t tell” violation (even though sometimes telling can be very effective):

“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
A thin green snake slithered in the dusk between us, as if drawing a boundary I should not cross. I stepped right over it.
“So what is going on?” I had a habit of repeating a question until it was answered.

That really, really could’ve been shown — we didn’t even need to know at that exact moment that this is a habit, we could’ve just seen it throughout the scene, the story… Telling can be a powerful tool, especially with a first-person narrator like this, but this — and the repetitions of it later, to make sure the reader notices — didn’t quite work for me.

Overall I found it really enjoyable; I just had a few niggles, I think.

The Four Profound Weaves has two elderly trans characters at its heart, inspecting how culture impacts gender struggles with a beautiful writing style. Unfortunately, the book failed to make me care about the story it wanted to tell, and beyond initial excitement, it didn't leave the impact I wished it would.

Uiziya wants to be a master weaver, as her aunt Benesret was, but learning from her is made difficult due to her exile. A nameless man is struggling to embody his culture's masculinity after many years of performing life as a woman. He is also looking for Benesret, hoping she'll give him a name. The two friends set off into the desert to find her, and get caught up in a journey to challenge a tyrant, and weave from death itself.

The best feature of The Four Profound Weaves was what drew me to it in the first place, it tells the story of two elderly trans people. Older people are barely ever represented in fiction, especially not as the main characters. For trans people this depiction is so important, it gives our identity history, it reminds us that despite the violence we face growing old is a reality. Especially as one of the characters has only recently been able to transition, it shows us we don't have to have everything sorted out right away.

I loved how R.B. Lemberg described the nameless man's struggle with his identity. Unlike Uiziya whose culture allows for trans people to exist, his is heavily gender-segregated. He knows he's a man, but he finds it difficult to combine that with what is culturally expected of him. His development in this aspect is what I enjoyed most from the story, and why, despite struggling with this book, I'd recommend people give it a go.

The writing is beautiful. I struggle with books where plot and characters are overshadowed by lyrical prose. For people who enjoy this form of writing, you should have an eye on this book. The author has created a rich, vibrant world full of history and magic. I didn't fully engage with it, but I can appreciate it for what it was.

The Four Profound Weaves is set in the Birdverse, the author's setting that has featured other work in the past. Unfortunately, at times it felt as if we were expected to understand more about the world than we were given in the book. There wasn't enough detail to truly understand the worldbuilding, but the specific references to different places, people, and magic left me feeling like I'd missed something.

My biggest issue with the book was that it didn't have anything driving it forward. There's a quest, but I couldn't understand the character motivations. It felt like they were jumping from place to place, having conversations, and moving on. It didn't help that the two main character's voices were incredibly similar. I wouldn't have been able to tell whose perspective I was reading if asked. There was nothing that made me care, worry for them, or want them to succeed.

Overall, this book wasn't for me, but I don't want to dismiss its importance. I've never seen elderly trans rep before, and I'd recommend people give this book a go just because that's so unique and wonderful.

An absolutely beautiful story with great queer representation. The prose and setting was done so well. Very enjoyable, even to those who do not typically enjoy fantastical and/or sci-fi elements in books. Do not pass this one up!

A richly-woven, multi-faceted work of fantasy about time and hope

There is a structure that lends itself well to fantasy or a certain strain of it: a great evil descends and destroys the sheltered home of a young protagonist, sending them out into the world, on a journey where they will come into their own and defeat the evil. If you look hard enough, you can see the bones of that plot in R.B. Lemberg’s The Four Profound Weaves, but they twist that plot skillfully, introducing elements that change the story and make it very different from your typical Campbell-flavoured fantasy.

A lot of the differences come from the characters. Uiziya e Lali and the nameless man, the two narrators and protagonists, are not wide-eyed youths; they are both in their sixties, they have or had families, they loved and lost. At the same time, their personal development is stunted in various ways: the nameless man delayed his transitioned at the request of his partner, while Uiziya hasn’t completed her training in the art of magical weaving. Thus we still get a coming of age story, but one that shows that life isn’t over once you hit 35, there’s still room to grow and change, even if it’s harder. At the same time, it is a story that is enriched by the weight of everything they’ve been through, the vagaries of their life and the losses they suffered at the hands of the Collector.

Another aspect that contributes to the richness of the story is the worldbuilding. The Birdverse, of which The Four Profound Weaves is a part, is not the typical vaguely European, quasi-medieval setting and the story doesn’t focus on wealthy nobles, as the Western European-style fantasy all too frequently does. It focuses instead on ordinary people and the worldbuilding consists of their cultures and customs rather than fictional family trees. As a result, an archetypal story takes place in a world that feels very much lived-in, presenting interesting ways of conceptualising gender, family structures, etc. In terms of worldbuilding Birdverse seems to have a lot in common with domestic fantasy.

At the same time, though, The Four Profound Weaves, is essentially a heroic fantasy story, telling of a struggle against an evil ruler: the Collector, who steals valuable artifacts from the cultures he conquered and locks them away in the palace as a means of “protection” (in clear parallel to the looting that colonial powers undertook in real world) – but it’s more of Sam and Frodo’s walk to Mordor than armies and battles. The protagonists are no warriors, there is no prophecy that foretells their triumph. Their journey is filled with fear and doubt, dead ends and failures, which feels very relatable – and yet Uiziya and the nameless man push on because of their friendship with each other. The cost of resistance is paid with emotional and physical hurt as they are tortured and wounded in ways that cannot be completely cured (and Lemberg focuses a lot on the aids, like canes and wheelchairs, that they require during their journey). And in the end it's not military power that prevails against the Collector. If there is anything that can topple dictators, it’s helping those who were hurt by them and a collective struggle. There will be bodies, dead or wounded, but eventually they will reach such numbers that their weight will crush the oppressors – as long as we, the living, keep remembering, and giving them voice, and pushing onward.

It is a grim note of hope – with an awareness of the terrible cost of fighting for justice – but it’s hope nonetheless.

This book filled me with all sorts of "I don't know what to do with my hands" tension. I wanted so badly to love this. I went into it certain I would love it. I also went into unaware that there were other, earlier books in the Birdverse that likely should have been read first. Can it be enjoyed as a standalone novel (or novella, as it isn't terribly long)? Yes, sure, but I have a feeling that, like myself, you will find it lacking a certain something if you do.

The thing you are lacking being context.

To be clear, I generally work within the perimeters of the Goodreads rating system. I feel comfortable solidly classifying The Four Profound Weaves as an "okay" book—two and a half stars at least—though it might be more deserving of three stars, because I did like it. Just...not that much. Maybe my expectations were too high, and maybe I would have enjoyed it more having read the contextual Birdverse stories. But as a standalone, there are just too many things happening. It gets confusing quickly, which isn't helped by the dual perspectives that sound more or less the same.

In spite of all that, though, I still think this book is well worth reading, if for no other reason than that R.B. Lemberg is an astoundingly good writer. Their writing is just too pretty to be real, and I'm a sucker for really nice prose. I was delighted to find they have written poetry as well, and fully intend to seek that out next. There is much to be said for the care with which Lemberg selects their words. Outside of the writing, some things that stood out for me were the magic and atmosphere, and the fluidity of identity and gender that is just so awesomely and unapologetically queer. Honorable mention goes to the naming system and how names tie into all of it (something I really hope to see more of in the other stories).

I think I might come back to this one if I pick up the other Birdverse stories. I loved the magic and how it worked in this universe, the intricacy of magic meeting something as tactile as weaving was really intriguing. Plus the world itself was very richly developed, which made it a pleasure to sink into. Overall I would have had a better time with it if I didn't spend so much time wondering what was going on. There were just too many things happening that were connected to too many other things I felt in the dark about, and the characters were a bit too interchangeable.

Two and a half (maybe three when I sleep on it a bit) stars.

Thank you muchly to R.B. Lemberg, NetGalley, and Tachyon Publications for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think you will like this if you enjoy folklore fantasy, Amal El-Mohtar, characters in their 50s and 60s, and gender exploration in literature.

A dual perspective of Uiziya and the nameless man, both users of magic and seekers of deeper knowledge. As the two search for the master of the four profound weaves in the desert, they must face death in new ways of understanding.

I really liked this! I read an ARC of this from Netgalley, so I’m really interested in reading a finished copy to see if some things were more deeply explained (especially the concept of Deepnames which I didn’t ever see an explanation for and kind of confused me). Overall, I appreciated the characters and their maturity, but also their vulnerability. Especially with the nameless man who has just used the magic of weaving to transition into a man and must adjust to how he is seen by family and a vicious ruler.

TW: misgendering, transphobia, depictions of murder

CW: death, aging

One of the best books with trans protagonists that I've read this year.
The writing was beautiful and I loved the world building aspects. Especially since there were no info dumps and you had to figure it out as you went along.
The author did a really good job of capturing the difficult relationships with family and community.
It was a fast paced read that I found myself enjoying throughly. I can only hope for more books like this one.

I received a copy of this book via netgalley. Opinions expressed here are entirely my own

This is a moving, sad, and sweet piece of work and has served as my entry into the author's Birdverse world.

It's a relatively short novel and you are thrown into the world with little explanation, so it took me a few chapters to get my bearings.

I absolutely love the fact that the main characters are both middle-aged (in their 60's, if I remember correctly), and have lived lives and are still discovering themselves and adapting to the world around them. They set out on a quest together, and their friendship is as lovely as the prose.

The transgender experience is both real and magical in the Birdverse. As an outsider to the transgender experience, I hesitate to speak on the success of the experience as integrated into this imagined universe. However, I will say that as I read the novel, both characters and their experiences for themselves and within their respective societies, felt as complicated, nuanced, and personal as I expect it could be in this short, tightly-woven narrative.

And it is a tightly-woven narrative, a magical and profound weave of its own.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a tender book. It’s a story about people trying to figure out who they are. Stories of trans elders are rare in fiction, especially spec fic. The voices of Uiziya and the nameless man, nen-sasair, are woven together, moving back and forth as they set out on a journey together. Uiziya is searching for her aunt to teach her the the final weave of death. nen-sasair is searching for his name, after finally making the transformation into the man he knows he is, but had hidden for so long.

The Four Profound Weaves is a short book, probably more around novella length. I’m impressed with how much culture and worldbuilding Lemberg managed to fit in, but it never feels too much. As you follow Uiziya and nen-sasair, you get more understanding into the different cultures they’re from and their own relationships with gender. Among Uiziya’s people, transformation is not shameful and she chose to make her transformation at a young age. Among nen-sasair’s people, transformation is not commonly done publically, and he struggles with his new roles the cloistered world of men after having lived as a trader, wife, mother, and grandmother for so long.

This is also a story about death. Not in the sense of glorified violence, but of transformation and injustice. I don’t want to get too much into the details because of spoilers. But Lemberg has written a tender story about two people struggling with death, the death of others, the death of their past selves, and the injustice of violent death condonned by the powerful.

There’s also some really interesting magic in this book. Lemberg has written an intriguing system of magic involving magical geometry and deepnames, magical names that a person can call upon to cast magic. I’ve seen on their Twitter that there is more about this kind of magic in their next work and I’m looking forward to reading more in Birdverse.

Recommended for: People who love prose, interesting magic, slow stories, and weaving

Not recommended for: People who appreciate plot and mechanics over prose and characters

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
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3*
Pros: Transgender and PoC main characters. Showcases beautiful polyamorous relationships. Enchanting, vibrant and colourful narrative and description styles. Focuses on the beauty of weaving and its importance in several desert tribes. Stars elderly leads.
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Cons: Too short to form emotional attachment.

* Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc*
3.5/5 ✨

Let me be clear that this is a positive 3 stars

It took me 2 weeks to finish this simply cause I was very busy and it very much hindered my experience. I would pick this up and have to spend a while re-reading pages to figure out what was going on. I will admit I felt very confused at times but overall this novella reads like an episode of an action cartoon show.

I love following the nameless man’s struggle with identity as he deals with his transition and is still struggling with his identity. I love how both the protagonists were older ( I believe in the 50-60 age bracket) and it showed that sexuality and gender are struggles you have at all ages and it’s not uncommon for questioning these things at an older age.

I will say the magic system ( specifically the concept of deep names) was totally lost on me but I think that’s more because it’s a novella and had to be a rushed explanation.

I think it a very nuanced portrayal of gender struggles and is incredibly done so check it out if you have a chance

So to present me with a book proclaiming itself to be a queer fairy tale and expect me not to read it is pretty ridiculous. I haven't spent much time (yet) seeking out queer fiction, though the pieces I've found (or the books I've founds pieces in) have all been pretty good so far, and I came into this one with tempered high hopes. Tempered because I did note that this is marked as a debut, though it appears the author has done short fiction before and this is more of a debut of longer work.

I will say that to start, it does the one thing that frustrates me the most about writing: it drops the reader into the world with little to no context for what is happening. I know this is common and plenty of authors and readers enjoy it, but it is eternally a detriment to me. It means that I remember much less about the beginning of the book than the rest (and how long that "beginning" is depends on how quickly the author allows the reader to catch up) because I'm spending all my time trying to remember words and phrases, concepts which have no obvious (and sometimes none at all) correlation to the world we live in. However, since I learned from prior books I've read, I don't let this stop me from trying anymore--though there was definitely a time when it did.

Once into the flow of the book, when you have a feeling for who the unnamed man and Uiziya are, that's when the deeper concepts of the book start to hit. As someone on the trans* spectrum myself, I saw a lot of my own journey in nen-sasaïr's walk. To be born in one form and know deep in your heart it doesn't fit you...but to know that the change itself will be a struggle for those around you, and to be constantly greeted as the person you were before, no matter how much time has passed or how much you've changed...it hits hard. And Uiziya as well, deciding that where she is, is where she will always be, and having to fight to give herself purpose again.

As we get deeper into the story and we see how the magic begins to work around Uiziya, and how nen-sasaïr fights to reclaim himself, sometimes from himself, it grows both more poignant and a little more distant. It becomes very obvious as time goes on that while you don't need to have read Lemberg's other stories in the Birdverse to read this book, it really would have been incredibly helpful. I couldn't help but wonder if I was missing more of what was there, because it seemed like there was such depth...and I just couldn't see all of it. There is so much love and care gone into this world, and that shines through in spades. It just doesn't necessarily work fantastically as a stand-alone piece in the world.

All in all, I struggle between 3 and 4 stars for this, but for the purposes of the half-star-hating review system, I've rounded my 3.5 up to a 4, because of the excellent representation of gender identity and the struggles that can come along with it. We, as a society, absolutely need more writing like that to help educate the world about what's happening in our minds.

Rating: *** 1/2 - Definitely Worth a Look

Unfortunately - and I truly mean that - this just wasn't for me.

I want to say first that I truly and deeply appreciated and felt appreciated by the exploration of gender and its ties to magic in this universe. If anything kept me going throughout, it was that.

And I want to say second, that this is something that's more like a parable than a novel, and it's beautiful in that way and, forgive me, profound. The exploration of death as a form of creation spoke to me as deeply as the portrayal of gender.

But the way the prose was constructed, in a sort of historic, folktale way without much in the way of exposition or description, never let me get very deep into the universe. It always felt like it was something being told at arm's reach, like something ancient and yet shifting, like the sand that the carpets in the story are woven from. It never felt like a story that would pull you in. It almost felt like a story that pushed you away.

That's not to say that it's impenetrable or unrelatable, just that there was something about the mechanism, which felt very true and authentic to the story, that held it away, like a passage of scripture. And in the same way that it's distant, it is beautiful. But it just wasn't something that allowed me to get invested in it. It felt like a narrative that was removed, that was passing by. The sadness, the stakes, the love never hit me as deeply as they might of because they felt like mythos.

I liked it. I understood it. I felt gratitude. But it was just a little too cold to love.

I've never read a story set in The Birdverse by Lemberg before, but I found this novella quite enjoyable. A story about trans people in their 60's going on an adventure together, The Four Profound Weaves is a novella I would call simultaneously dreamy and fairy-tale like, while also feeling emotionally raw and real. It's definitely refreshing to read a trans fantasy story about people over the age of 30, and focused community, belonging, and weaving, and I would definitely recommend it.

This was so good! The poetic narrative was gorgeous and I loved how they explored identity throughout the book. I finished it a few weeks ago and it still sits with me.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

R. B. Lembergs wonderful short story ‘The Four Profound Weaves’ is a beautiful tale of magic and change and choice.

This story, for being quite short, holds a stunning expression of gender identiy, sexuality and fluidity.
It also allows the reader to feel with our two main characters who, even as older characters hold on to an incredible amount of life - something which I have not often seen explored in the genre.

Though I am normally would have liked a longer introduction to the world, and time to sink my feelings and my feet into the building and the magic, I still throughly enjoyed every second of this wonderful story.
I especially loved the queerness of it all and the acceptance of it (though the acceptance of trans individuels where not as accepting in every culture represented) at its core I still felt a well of acceptance.
And I still felt like the allowance and the sheer magintude of queer characters stands in a wonderful contrast to many older fantasy stories.
I also greatly enjoyed that both main characters where ‘older’ in every sense, old enough to have loved and lost, old enough to have granchildren, old enough to hurt - but not old enough to give up,

I would have liked to have certain aspects of the magic further expanded and would have greatly appriciated a further explanation of the world set up, but all in all I cannot fault this book for what it is.

Which is a wonderful piece of magic, wrapped in a voice we need to hear more from.