"No hope without change, no change without sacrifice."

The world of Master of Poisons is at once both stunning and horrifying. Magic abounds from the sprites who can talk to animals and the griots who can travel through Smokeland, a land of spirits and visions, but it is also slowly dying as a climate catastrophe known as the poison desert consumes the world. Djola, the Master of Poisons (so named because he has an antidote for everything) is frustrated by his inability to solve the crisis that plagues the world. The other masters look for cheap and easily solutions but Djola knows the only way to save what he loves is through hardwork and sacrifice but the other masters exile him rather than follow his lead. Now without resources or friends, Djola must still find someway to save the world.

What I think I love most about the book is the worldbuilding. Everything feels so alive and diverse and unique in this world from the chaotic magics to the various peoples with their internecine conflicts (it's stated outright that the primary means of alleviating wars in this world is marital diplomacy, marrying the enemy) which produces temporary peace but then leads to harsher fights against brothers in the future. In particular, Smokeland was a fascinating spirit world that I never got tired of glimpsing pieces of. The characters too are quite fascinating. Though I obviously dwelt a lot on Djola in my summary, I think he is only the second best character to the sprite Awa who who spends much of the book learning the sacred arts of a griot (something of a storyteller, bard, shaman, and historian all in one). Her chapters have a much slower tragedy that mirror's Djola's while still remaining distinct due to her more spiritual connection to the land (she is often our primary viewpoint character for entering Smokeland for much of the book). I also think this is a thematically rich work with plenty to say about how those in power choose to protect their lifestyles over making hard choices to save everyone (a theme that is, to put it mildly, super fucking timely).

Chapters are extremely short which can make them hit or miss. Sometimes actions happen just a little too quickly or the plot jumps forward unexpectedly when a more traditional fantasy novel would dwell on the events a bit longer which did occasionally result in me having to reread a few passages to make sure I hadn't missed anything. However, in other circumstances the short chapters wind up feeling punchy instead of choppy and manage to go for the jugular in 2 pages in a way books with 83 page chapters never quite manage. The abruptness with which Djola is cast out of his city and loses his friends is a surprisingly effective way of what it must feel like to lose everything. Some of the minor characters also felt a little underdeveloped which did make sense for how quickly this book moves (not every author can tell a story of this scope in just 400ish pages) but it did sometimes make the world feel smaller than it should have

Quite simply, this book is a marvel and I admire a lot about it. I imagine anyone looking for a standalone epic that delivers a satisfying story in a unique world will find a lot to love about this book as well even if the novel demands more attention than you might be expecting from it's deceptively short length.

4.5 stars

Master of Poisons is as epic an adventure as Martin's "Game of Thrones," or Lynch's "The Lies of Locke Lamora," but set in a non-Western empire, clearly drawing on African cultures and concepts of magic.

Djola's world is in danger, and he and his family are threatened by political conflicts. His only hope of saving his wife and children, or his world, is to find the spell, Xhalan Xhala, much storied for its potential to heal the land, but lost -- potentially forever. Awa has been sold by her family into training with the Green Elders, in order for her to have a chance to become a griot, wielding story, and magic. She has been sold because she has the ability to enter the Smokeland - a realm of "vision and spirits," of "possibilities and maybe-nots," and hazardous in itself. Being sold into training is safer than risking growing up into a woman who knows too much, and is a threat. Both Awa and Djola have difficult journeys ahead of them, as Djola seeks Xhalan Xhala, and Awa seeks to develop her skill.

Hairston's writing and worldbuilding is richly detailed, lyrical, and at times dizzying, as when she switches between tenses to capture the urgency of a situation. Chapters switch point of views, mostly between Awa and Djola, and for each, readers are very much inside their heads, seeing and noticing what they see, failing to see what they do not. This choice allows Hairston to build intimate portraits -- grounded in her characters' perspectives, experiences, and bodies. If the precariousness of the land is central, so too is the fragility and urgency of being embodied -- whether hungry, yearning, ill, or broken. This makes Master of Poisons a particularly intense read, and sometimes I wished for the distance that an omniscient narrator might have provided -- but even so, I can't argue with the magnitude of what Hairston has accomplished, and I am glad to have this as an addition to the genre of high fantasy epics.