Reactor: I had no idea what to expect when I opened to the first page of Asunder. Kerstin Hall has cemented herself as a brilliantly unpredictable writer. Her surrealist concepts are unlike any other, and she’s unafraid to go to the darkest, weirdest places. Asunder shines as a uniquely ambitious accomplishment among her stellar catalog, and I need you to know that the description I’m about to give pales in comparison to the vibrancy of the actual text. In a world of many gods and demons, we meet Karys, a death speaker, an ability which allows her to peer beyond the veil and recall the whispers of those that have passed. She uses this in a sort of freelance detective capacity, and is on a gig when the Constructs—translucent monsters that eat humans whole—find her. While running from the Constructs she collides with Ferain Taliade, a dying man who has managed to stay just slightly out of reach of the monsters and desperately needs her help. She agrees to magically bind him to her so he’ll stay alive, but he’s sort of living inside her now, which is inconvenient in a lot of ways. Especially considering she’s secretly the vassal for a very powerful eldritch being, not to mention the type of person who keeps getting pulled into dangerous situations. This is a complex, emotional rollercoaster from Hall that grabs you from the first page and never lets go. Oh and also, in this one they use big dogs like taxis.
Jul 262024