Geometries of Belonging

Le Guin Prize for Fiction shortlist

Locus Award finalist, Best Collection

Publishers Weekly, starred review

The Library Journal, starred review

“Readers have the opportunity to further explore Lemberg’s Birdverse (which they previously wrote about in The Unbalancing and The Four Profound Weaves) in this newly collected selection of stories and poems. Across 11 pieces, multiple cultures connect their lives through introspective personal journeys and intersecting trade and politics, under their mutual worship of Bird. The elegant magic system, influenced by geometry and internal names, is brought to life in the detailed worldbuilding and characters. Lemberg’s prose opens readers to issues of societal and gender roles and class, then proceeds to break down almost every barrier they present. All of the writings give views into the intricate world created across the other Birdverse works, exploring the emotion and actions of varied plots spanning greedy rulers, refugees, families, and scholars. Lemberg’s three novelettes are highlights of this collection, including the original “Where Your Quince Trees Grow,” which focuses on characters descended from those featured in The Unbalancing. VERDICT: Lemberg once again presents their complex, beautiful Birdverse world in a collection of mostly previously published short works. Fans will enjoy having them all in one volume, while new readers will be introduced to a delightful fantasy anthology.” 
     — Library Journal, starred review

“This engrossing, thoughtfully constructed volume collects 11 beautiful pieces of poetry and prose set in Lemberg’s fantastic Birdverse (last visited in The Four Profound Weaves). The poems and shorter stories, which vary in tone from angry to scholarly to lighthearted, masterfully contextualize and deepen other Birdverse tales. The stars of the collection, though, are its three novelettes: “Grandmother-nai-Leylit’s Cloth of Winds,” “The Book of How to Live,” and “Geometries of Belonging.” All three delve into Lemberg’s innovative “deepname”-based magic system, feature queer and neurodiverse characters, and probe the limitations of traditional social boundaries. Despite these commonalities, the facet of the expansive Birdverse that each novelette presents is strikingly original, and each has issues of crucial importance on its mind, including consent, class struggle, and gender identity. Original to this collection is “Where Your Quince Trees Grow,” which follows the descendants of the protagonists of Lemberg’s forthcoming novel, The Unbalancing. It’s easy to get sucked into this intricate, lyrically described world and this collection proves both an easy starting place for newcomers and a treat for longtime fans.”
     — Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A collection of stories and poems, R. B. Lemberg’s Geometries of Belonging compiles and expands on the immersive fantasy world of the Birdverse. The collection’s greatest strength is its balance–not a single note is wasted or misplaced in this fantastical symphony. Loss pairs with triumph, redemption clashes with betrayal, and searching (for belonging, purpose, answers, and love) is a unifying theme. Love is present in all its forms, depicted as both a saving grace and a destructive force; the unadorned, at times unflattering verisimilitude of these depictions brings resonant realism to the high-fantasy atmosphere. Some entries play on stories from within the Birdverse: ‘Grandmother-nai-Leylit’s Cloth of Winds’ draws on the novella The Four Profound Weaves; ‘Ranra’s Unbalancing’ and ‘Where Your Quince Trees Grow’ mine familiar territory for readers of The Unbalancing.  Whether drawing from established Birdverse lore or not, all entries are devoid of exposition, a hallmark of Lemberg’s prose; the world of the Birdverse reveals itself only as much as is necessary, and always in its own time. ‘The Desert Glassmaker and the Jeweler of Berevyar’ is a standout addition. The epistolary entry tracks years of correspondance between Vadrai, a jeweler who lives in the northern forests, and Maru, a desert glassmaker. Their tender vulnerability and fierce passion for their crafts and for each other is stirring. And ‘Geometries of Belonging’ is poignant in its close narration. Parét, a mind healer, is summoned to help gender-nonconforming Dedéi, whose family believes their nonbinary nature is due to sickness. Parét is determined to help Dedéi, but political machinations by Dedéi’s grandfather, a rival of Parét’s lord and lover, make assistance a risky endeavor. Human connection and resilience are the most powerful magic of all in the fantasy collection Geometries of Belonging.“
     — Foreword Reviews

“Stories (and poems) of a stunningly ornate fantasy world, whose societal constructs are a perfect backdrop for characters of underrepresented identities and their search for recognition and place and purpose. R.B. Lemberg’s honest portrayal of these endearing characters shares intimate complexities of such identities yet makes their experiences poignantly and profoundly universal.”
     — Scott H. Andrews, World Fantasy Award-winning Editor of Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine

“R. B. Lemberg’s words work miracles. Their stories and poems have sustained me through terrible times, through heartache, loss, and longing. Whether this is your first visit to the Birdverse or you are a frequent traveler there, this gorgeous, meticulously-crafted collection will work its magic on you, too. These are tales that transform us, that hold us with power, tenderness, and wisdom.” 
     — Izzy Wasserstein, author of All the Hometowns You Can’t Stay Away From

“Since they began, R.B. Lemberg’s Birdverse stories have shown what’s possible to do in second world fantasy. Brilliantly imagined and populated by compelling and complex characters, the stories collected here break rules and don’t apologize, blending romance and action in a meticulously realized setting that grows more vivid with each new tale, where human cruelty and grief feature heavily but are expertly balanced by acceptance, love, and joy. I have been waiting for this collection for years, and it does not disappoint. It’s a triumph of queer speculative fiction!
     — Charles Payseur, winner of the Locus Award, and Hugo and Ignyte Awards finalist 

“There’s always been a sense of care and empathy in Lemberg’s stories, in which characters (often queer and/or disabled) are exquisitely human, flawed and worth loving; social power dynamics are thoughtfully examined; magic itself is entangled with the need to consider the individuality and consent of all beings. But there’s an aliveness that emerges from the placement of all of these works together which is greater than the sum of its parts. Birdverse isn’t the home of one set of protagonist characters, or one important country whose history progresses through the ages. It’s a rich tapestry in which all sorts of wildly different characters, in wildly different circumstances, interconnect. A magical tapestry is woven, passes through many hands as it makes its way to the greedy ruler who will buy it, and those hands in turn have their own stories, which are less about the tapestry and more about family, gender, and belonging. A nation of refugees flee a disaster, find a new home, make and break magical agreements with the land, and a thousand years later a new set of refugees comes to them on uneasy terms. Magical characters have absurd, light-hearted adventures in the pursuit of their research; magical characters struggle greatly and seriously with the weight of their responsibilities, and save the land from disaster, and have PTSD from their attempts to save the land; meanwhile non-magical characters face discrimination, in the face of one country’s magical snobbery, and agitate for institutional change. There is no one story and that’s the point. Everyone is alive, everyone is connected, and everyone is human.”
     — Ada Hoffmann, author of The Outside

“Told in a multitude of styles, from missives to annotations to more structured tales, this collection offers an invitation to a world ruled by the magic of names and where the land responds to the human activity happening in its space. The thing that will stay with me most about these stories and this world is the profound respect Lemberg shows towards people who work in crafts, from weaving to glassmaking to other forms ‘practical artistry.’ Those characters carry the same weight as do the warlords and bureaucrats. There’s also an element of academia that comes into play which makes this such a refreshing world to read. War isn’t the primary plot driver, though it does inform backstories and linger in the background. That being said, Lemberg brings a unique voice and perspective to fantasy, and I’m glad that there are so many stories within the Birdverse.”
     — Jo Ladzinski, Jo Writes Fantasy
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“In the new short-fiction and poetry collection Geometries of Belonging we get a really impressive and beautiful piece of storytelling with stories to make you think and language to savour . . . I strongly recommend this collection to fantasy fans who enjoy intelligent and poetical tales, where the stakes are often personal but just as interesting as those where the fate of the world hangs. It definitely shows Lemberg is one of fantasy’s most accomplished writers and I am fascinated to see what else the Birdverse could have in store for us in the future. Go get it!”
     — Runalong the Shelves