The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez is an epic fantasy novel set in an ancient country. The novel actually tells its story from several different timelines. Although I’ve read some people having a difficult time keeping track of them, I find it overly exaggerated. It wasn’t difficult at all. What may be more confusing at first is how you’re able to read the thoughts of random people and at seemingly random times. For example, the author gives us the inner thoughts of a servant prior to his unjustly execution. It confused me at first because it came out of nowhere and with no explanation, but you’ll eventually get the hang of it and those thoughts we get a sneak peek of are very short. It doesn’t disrupt the story in any way. However, I found that these snippets of thoughts from random people becoming less and less relevant as the story progressed. While it was awesome to read the last thoughts of a dying man, it was less so coming from a guard watching people pass through a gate.

“This road will likely end in my death, but there is no other road for me.”

Jun

The Spear Cuts Through Water is one of those long novels that I finished with not too many glaring complaints but at the same time, not much to talk about either. The adventure and lore captivated me in the beginning and kept the page turning. In regard to both Keema and Jun, I thought the author tried really hard to flesh them out, but I felt it missed the mark. Sure, Keema always has his missing arm and fierce loyalty to go on, but not much else. Jun is one of those characters that is hell-bent on revenge to atone for his previous history but with a softer edge. The three Terrors are interesting at first, but not enough time was dedicated to each of them. If anything, I found myself wanting to learn more about the tortoises than anything else.

They fought because it was the easiest language they spoke.

The novel was a decent read. The ending I felt was rushed, and it went to the way where I rolled my eyes as the author had to go “there” with the two characters. Not only did it feel a bit rushed, but it also felt like a cheap get-out-of-jail card for the author. Despite sounding more on the negative side than positive, I honestly can still say I’d recommend this novel for someone looking for their next standalone fantasy novel. The lore, magic, writing and pace more than makes up for the shortcomings I’ve written here.