“Without the moon we would have been swallowed up long ago.”
Mark Lawrence’s The Girl and the Moon is a hopeful, solid conclusion to the Book of the Ice. Unlike Lawrence’s previous trilogies, such as The Broken Empire, Yaz’s story offers up an ending that is far more optimistic than his darker trilogies.
Yaz and her friends find themselves being persecuted by Euler for crimes the Abbes deemed appropriate, and are to be thrown in the Glasswater sinkhole, secured in irons. All while powerful, ancient forces, like Seus, seek the ark of Veritas; a device capable of threatening the world. Yaz and Quina are disguised as novices and are taught to follow the teachings of the Church, while Thurin and Erris go after Eular, an ancient entity that threatens to destroy Yaz’s world by bringing down the moon.
Throughout the book, I found myself enjoying Yaz and her friend’s awkwardness in the new, green world they find themselves in. From the beds, new clothes, and the fact that the two could stuff themselves until they were full. It provides a stark contrast to the previous books, where the girl of the Ictha went from struggling across the ice and scavenging for food in harsh conditions, to comical scenes of Yaz and Quina getting excited about the large banquets the Church provides every day. More than once throughout reading The Girl and the Moon I was laughing.
Granted, this is starkly juxtaposed by the latter half of the novel, where Lawrence excels as a dark fantasy writer by writing graphic scenes of Yaz and her friends struggling to survive against Eular. There’s plenty of action throughout the novel and certain scenes could be pulled straight out of a science fiction novel which, I must admit, was what I really loved the most about The Girl and the Moon. It reminded me of reading a C. J. Cherryh novel or, if I may take some liberties, of a fictionalized Hawking’s lecture on space and time.
Throughout reading The Girl and the Moon, I felt I would have had a stronger connection to the convent and sisters if I had read The Book of the Ancestor, and I would strongly encourage you to have read that trilogy before reading Lawrence’s latest one.
My only gripe about the conclusion to the girl of the Ithca’s story was I wanted a deeper connection with the characters. Sure, there were a few instances where I was concerned about Yaz’s survival, but certain relationships felt like afterthoughts in the grander scheme of the story. Of course, I must admit that Lawrence’s strength is in his worldbuilding and grim storytelling, and Lawrence’s is writing a dark fantasy novel here. Perhaps, certain characters relationships were meant to fall through the cracks and be left unresolved? This is a dark fantasy after all.
In conclusion, Yaz’s ending is a little non-typical of a Mark Lawrence novel, leaving me feeling more hopeful for the characters in this story than in his The Broken Empire trilogy. And I applaud Lawrence for flexing his scientific knowledge throughout the series. I assure you that you will not be disappointed in Yaz’s story, where time itself can be manipulated and her fate changed forever.
REVIEWER’S NOTE: This pandemic has been tough for everyone. But for me it meant being unable to produce any writing, until I wrote this review. I want to thank Fantasy-Faction for welcoming me back to the writing scene and reviving me as a writer. These stories that I, we, read are a lifeline in a crazy, chaotic world and I want to thank Mr. Lawrence, and all the other writers, who continue to save us. Day in and day out. Thank you. – S. H. Paulus
Jennie Ivins
JC Kang