3.5/4 out of 5 stars.

A very interesting story centring on identity, self discovery and acceptance.

Unfortunately for me, the writing style just didn't speak to me, so I really struggled through this. I found it hard to wade through. That's not to say that this isn't a good story, it just isn't the writing style for me.

I really loved the look into what it means to be one's truest self, and the different journeys that often takes.

I’m not sure what I was expecting from this book. Maybe the fact that it was set in an existing ‘verse coloured my experience of it - maybe I would’ve understood if I’d read some more of the Birdverse.

The discussion of gender in this book was interesting. One of the two main characters, nen-sasaïr, is a trans man who doesn’t fit in with the other men in his Khana society despite having ‘transitioned’. The other, Uiziya, is a weaver who’s seeking her aunt so she can teach her the fourth weave, the weave of death.

But I had trouble caring about the characters or their ultimate purpose. The writing, too, felt extremely stilted and purple: “of what we had wrought, my lover’s words within the ash, the nature of the weaves, the certainty of hope’s resilience, which is as strong as the certainty of death.”

At times, the worldbuilding was also hard for me to grasp. Why does the Collector want to preserve carpets, for instance? What is so important about the four profound weaves? Why would Uiziya sit in a tent for twenty years waiting for her aunt to return? There is also a child that appears rather abruptly to randomly give nen-Sasaïr an incomprehensible message and then leaves.

Moreover, a lot of the story is told through dialogue, especially at the beginning. Nen-sasaïr comes to visit Uiziya and they have a conversation. Then they both leave, and they have more conversation with the aunt, then they go somewhere else, then they confront a villain, then there’s more conversation. There was no sense of urgency. The quest and their reasons for undertaking it were never clear to me.

Gender issues: nen-sasaïr’s inability to fit in and the account of his transition were repeated several times. I found myself comparing this to Arundhati Roy’s character Anjum, in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. In six paragraphs, Roy captured the yearning ‘Aftab’ felt to be a woman, the exoticism and yet the familiarity of the world behind the kwagbah. I want to be like that.

Lemberg’s account of that was scattered over pages and brought up throughout. If it had been condensed it would have read far better.

Positives were great worldbuilding and the diversity of racial and gender identity.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3099712081?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

This took me a long time to read, it's dense and heavy for a short novella. It's also quite lovely. It's very different from anything I've read before, following the story of two older people (both trans) on a strange adventure. I'd say it's a story about discovery of yourself, of learning to own who you are fully. It's so rare to see a story about older self discovery and I think it's something that's very needed. The diversity of bodies, experience, and culture were expertly woven into the story along with the world building. I look forward to reading more in this setting.

I really enjoyed the writing and world building in this book, and it was really great to have a story from the point of view of two older trans protagonists, especially two are so different in terms of their personalities, priorities, and views on their transition. However, not having read the other stories in the 'Birdverse' left me at a severe disadvantage with regards to plot and character relationships, especially at the beginning. Overall, I would say that this is great if you've already read some of the other 'Birdverse' stories but not a good place to start if you haven't.

This is a book of great beauty and wit and imagination. In The Four Profound Weaves, R. B. Lemberg crafts a story about growing up and growing old, magic and art, learning and traveling, trusting and transforming. The weaver Uiziya sets out into the desert to to find her aunt, who weaves clothes for assassins from bone, in hopes that her aunt will teach her the last of the Four Profound Weaves: weaving with death. With her travels an unnamed man, who is also looking for a kind of final learning, a name. Lemberg introduces readers to several fascinating cultures and individuals from her Birdverse, whose histories and traditions come together to help a weaver find life and happiness, albeit through betrayal and pain. This is a fabulous, brutal, shimmering queer fairytale but also a story of great truth in terms of identity, gender, sexuality, and sense of self.

Review for publication elsewhere.
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I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

The four profound weaves is a very peculiar novella, set in a magical, culturally complex world. It grabs the attention as soon the reader starts to read, throwing him/her into a magnificent, evocative and weird world, with main characters that are interesting and you can't not love and cheer for them.
Two transgender elders are the main characters and they have to learn how to weave from Death, because they want to defeat a ruler, that kill women to use their bones and souls. Against this cruel and evil ruler, Uiziya and the nameless man try everything to challenge him, while confronting themselves with their problems and thoughts.

What I found fascinating, among other things, is the "oddity" of the main characters, because I rarely read books with elders, transgenders one, as protagonists, so I was attracted by this novella right away. The world R.B. Lemberg created is amazing and captivating and the reader is right away involved into the action and place. Among the Surun's nomads none wants to talk about Uiziya's aunt, Benesret, who was a master weaver, so the reader is right away curious about her and her fate. And he/she is interested in the conflict in the nameless man, who changed few months ago and he has to adapt to a new life, from being a woman, a wife, a trader in the city of Iyar, to being a man and so he struggles to be like the other men in the desert. His conflicts, his difficulties are acutely written and felt by the reader, in my opinion. Reading about the changers and how that society accepts them was interesting and enlightining.
It's a story about magic, fate, recognition, hope, death, love. Beautifully woven, like a carpet, the fantasy of Lamberg is truly rich and fascinating, the story full of twists and discoveries and the world hard to leave, once you reach the last page.

The Foute Profound Weaves is a breathtakingly beautiful story set in a lush world with wonderous magic and characters.
I loved the story and the settings a d how poignant and hopeful it was.

I would highly recommend this novela

I recieved a electronic copy of this book by the publisher Tachyon Publications via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about two elderly transgender friends embarking of a mission and magic woven into four carpets in order to bring down a tyrant. I did feel like some questions weren't answered though. What are deepnames, what do the configurations of the syllables mean, and how is it related to magic?

4.5 Stars

I received an advance reader copy from Tachyon Publications through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This story says so much more in 112 pages than some books can in 900. It follows two transgender elders in a fantastical world where magic and weaving must come together to fight evil and lead the protagonists on a journey through the desert to claim their true identities.

This is one of the most beautiful and touching fantasy stories I have read in a long time. The world build is so rich and culturally diverse and there is a range of family structures and LGBTIQA+ representation. It immediately drew me in and left me wanting more but in a good way. The story is incredibly satisfying from start to finish and makes you care for the characters so quickly. I would read a million more stories from the Birdverse.

This was my first introduction to the bird verse, and wow! Like most fantasies, this book throws you in fast, with the story told in alternating viewpoints: Uiziya and the nameless man. I read it all in one setting and would love to sit in this world a little longer, as brutal and harsh as it can be. There is a hopeful tone as these two characters seek to better understand their identities and discover freedom for themselves. I’m intentionally vague and I don’t want to give anything away, but suffice it to say that you should pick this up if you love fantasy!

This story is indeed profound. A hopeful tale of wanderlust told from the perspective of those who are tired of waiting for their lives to begin. I felt lucky to be able to explore this world and would love to return. This story of light also includes a rich darkness that talks of death and hope.

I struggled to read through this book. The writing style seemed...repetitive and childish at times. I was constantly confused on who was narrating the story, as it switched points of view often and at odd times in the story. Because of those issues, I struggled to figure out what the story line actually was.

I think the IDEA of the book is good, it's a world where gender dysphoria is rampant, but the characters have the ability to "transform" at some point. But the idea was not executed in a manner that allows the reader to really connect and understand.

Wow. This is my first foray into the Birdverse and what a wondrous strange and beautiful world it is. The poetic language seeps under your skin almost unnoticed until you realise you are grabbing every free second to be with it again, leaning against the kitchen work surface, in the back of the car, in line at the post office. It’s a true strength of the narrative that this is a perfect standalone story; I was made aware there was more background but not frustratingly so, more as a glimpse into a place, the richness of which is only scratched at and begs to be explored more.
The subject of gender, the alienation of one’s own body and the chosen changes therein were addressed with heartbreaking immediacy and intimacy. Having lived a life being several kinds of ‘other’, in many kinds of substrata of society and culture, I still came away feeling I understand these things more empathetically, being given a look as a person looking in from the outside.
And the fantastic, magical setting lends itself perfectly to addressing these subjects. What a beautiful world, so tactile, so brutal in some of the classical fairy tale-like subject matter: weaving from bone, capturing soul essence through song, pacts made and undone by betrayal, love lost and made peace with.
I absolutely loved it.

I thought this was a brutally beautiful tale, with some fantastical elements that enhanced the narrative but did not take away from the insightful messaging. Lemberg developed, powerfully transformative characters that give us the opportunity to explore pain, hope and acceptance. A truly lovely read.

Wow. This book was magnificent. The opposing views of the societies on how they accepted, or did not accept, "changers" as they were called in the book felt familiar. The internal struggle for the No Name Man as he journeyed through the change and his desire to feel as tho he fit but struggling with how he was raised.

Without giving away too much I loved the revelation by Uiziya as the book unfolds. I can't share too much without sharing too much of the book.

The way the book describes the world and the magic is inventive and created an incredibly gorgeous land of beauty but also pain in an interesting way.

Hands down recommend this book to everyone. Especially those not exactly family with transitioning and the struggle of transgender people. I loved that this book also included non-binary people.