Stories of the Raksura: Volume One: The Falling World & The Tale of Indigo and Cloud (Books of the Raksura)

I love the Raksura. I will happily read everything Martha Wells writes about them, and I’ve even considered donating to her patron to get story snippets about them every month. For those who are unaware, the Raksura are a species of shapeshifters created by Martha Wells. The world they inhabit is beautifully strange and doesn’t contain a human in sight. There’s an entire series of books following a young consort named Moon who was unaware he was a Raksura for most of his life until he found the Raksuran court of Indigo Cloud. The series starts with The Cloud Roads, and I highly recommend it.

Stories of the Raksura contains a couple of novellas and short stories all set in the world of the Raksura. I’m so glad I finally got a show more chance to read it!

The Falling World is a short novella where Jade, Chime and some other members of the court travel on a trading mission to another Raksuran Court… and don’t come back. Obviously, Moon convinces Pearl that he should be going on a rescue mission. This story shows off Martha Well’s uncanny affinity for world building, plus I get Stone snarking at people. I love that.

The other novella, Tale of Indigo and Cloud, tells the story of the court’s namesakes. Cerise is reigning queen and she has one heck of a problem on her hands. Her daughter Indigo has come back from a trading mission with a consort. A consort that she stole. Cloud says that he wanted to come with Indigo, but his queen is determined to get him back and threatening war to make it happen. Can Cerise salvage the catastrophe this young queen and consort have made?

In “The Forest Boy” a pair of orphans find a strange child injured in the town dump. They take him back home with them, but the child seems to be hiding a secret. I don’t think it’s giving too much away to say that this short story is about Moon in his childhood.

“Adaption” tells of the first time Chime shifts and suddenly finds himself a warrior. Poor Chime! But at least now he gets to fly.

My favorite of the collection was Tale of Indigo and Cloud. I loved Cerise’s frantic efforts at diplomacy, and it was wonderful to get a slice of the world’s past and a time when the Reaches was filled with Raksura. I think it expanded the world more than any collection in the story. Plus, it was a lot of fun!

If you’re a fan of Martha Wells Raksura stories, you won’t find this collection a disappointment.

Originally posted on The Illustrated Page. show less

This contains a couple of novellas and a couple of short stories. The longest novella, The Fallen World, is set after The Siren Depths. A group from Indigo Cloud disappear en route to another court, and so a team set out to find them.

This is exactly what I expect from Raksura stories. Moon is understandably emotional; Stone is supportive in his own, mostly practical, way. Moon has to navigate the way usual expectations of consorts do not apply to him, due to his atypical upbringing. The characters explore a place which is mysterious and vividly imaginative, and solve their problems with teamwork. I love it.

The other three stories are all prequels. The Tale of Indigo and Cloud is about the Raksura after whom the court is now named, and show more how Indigo stole Cloud from another queen. Stone gives a very brief outline of this event in The Serpent Sea, and I wasn’t expecting to like this story as much as I did.

It is told from the point of view of Indigo’s mother and the current reigning queen, Cerise. Until now, all the the Raksura stories have been about Moon, who has a unique perspective because of his aforementioned atypical upbringing. Moreover, the reigning queens he’s had the most to do with are both a little unusual - they’re deeply affected by the loss of their respective consorts and by other disasters, and can be extra difficult to deal with. So it’s fascinating to get an insider’s view of a, well, more normal reigning queen and her court.
I liked how level-headed and understanding Cerise is - she’s frustrated by the decisions of certain young people, yet is determined to find a way to avert war which accommodates their emotional needs.
Also, Stone makes a brief appearance as a fledgling.

“The Forest Boy” is about a groundling kid who meets fledgling-Moon, and “Adaptation” is about what happens to Chime not long before The Cloud Roads - yet another, different perspective on the Raksura, specifically, that of an Arbora, rather than an Aeriat.

“It’s not like anyone at Indigo Cloud will do anything rash,” Bramble added. “We brought most of the rash people with us.” show less

Stories of the Raksura is a delightful romp into Martha Wells’ world of the Raksura – even if you have not read the main series. I have been meaning to get to her Books of the Raksura for a long time now but still haven’t found the opportunity yet, so I was very happy to get my hands on this collection.

Of course, I had the usual concerns: How much do I need to know before jumping in? Am I going to be able to follow along with the short stories in here without getting lost? I shouldn’t have worried. As it turns out, this collection actually serves pretty well as an introduction to Wells’ wildly imaginative universe and the fantastical beings that live in it.

The Falling World

“The Falling World” is the first novella found show more in this anthology. For those like me who were unfamiliar with the race of fantasy creatures called the Raksura, you get a quick and intense crash course in this tale. Raksura are shapeshifters that look a bit to me like a form of bird-people, though their societies more closely resemble those of hive insects. A ruling queen is at the top, followed by lesser queens. Queens mate with fertile males called Consorts to produce royal clutches composed of Queens, Consorts and Warriors (infertile males and females that defend the colony). Together, these three types make up the Aeriat. They are winged and capable of flight.

Then there are the Arbora, who have no wings but are capable climbers. They are made up of Teachers that oversee the nurseries and train the young, Hunters who provide food for the colony, Soldiers who guard the colony, and Mentors who are seers with magical abilities enabling them to perform tasks such as foreseeing the future or healing the sick and wounded.

It can be a bit daunting at first, but all this information is adequately provided and easy to pick up as the story progresses. In “The Falling World”, a sister Queen called Jade travels with her entourage to another colony to negotiate trade, leaving her consort Moon behind at court. But then the diplomatic convoy fails to reach their destination, and an expedition is launched by Moon along with a party of warriors and hunters to try to discover what happened to them. However, what the rescuers find in the end might prove too dangerous and difficult for them to handle.

The story is simple and straightforward: one group sets out to find another. What amazed me though, was the amount of lore and world building Wells managed to inject into this novella. I was blown away by the information here about Raksuran culture, physiology, and social hierarchy. And the great thing is, none of it was really forced. I never once felt like I was taken aside and given and info dump; instead, all the information flowed naturally just from the normal course of storytelling. I’m sure as a new reader there’s lots I’m missing still, but the amount of knowledge I gleaned here of the Raksura and their world was just superb.

Perhaps it is also a good thing that the story itself is not overly complicated. On top of the information about Raksuran culture, there are a lot of characters to meet, many names to learn. The naming convention might take some getting used to, and you probably won’t remember who’s who all the time, but this particular story for me was mostly about getting to know this fantasy world and the Raksura, and I had a good time with it.

The Tale of Indigo and Cloud

“The Tale of Indigo and Cloud” is the second novella found in this collection. It is more of a historical narrative, exploring the legend behind the origins of Indigo Cloud court. A long time ago, a sister Queen called Indigo stole a consort named Cloud away from another Raksuran court, angering the hot-tempered queen who was Cloud’s mate, leading to a conflict that could mean all-out war between the two colonies.

This was an interesting story, which read a bit like a mythological scenario. That’s not too surprising, given its unique nature. It is a tale about the Indigo Cloud court’s queens of old, long before the key character Moon joined the colony’s ranks. It reveals more information about the way Raksuran society works, or rather how easily it could also fall apart. There’s a bit of politics and a bit of romance, the kind of perfect mix you’d want to find in an ancient legend.

There’s not much else I can think to say about this novella, but it’s probably my favorite of the two in this book. I really enjoyed the story and the lesson it imparted, as well as the overall vibe.

The Forest Boy

Next comes this short story, which tells of Moon as an injured fledgling taken in by a kind-hearted family in a nearby village, who are all unaware of his Raksuran background and shapeshifting abilities.

“The Forest Boy” is a nice bonus, giving the reader more insight into this central character.

Adaptation

The final short story tells of Chime, one of the warriors who accompanied Jade on her diplomatic mission back in the first novella in this collection, “The Falling World”. Chime’s situation is interesting in that he didn’t actually start off as a warrior. He was born a mentor, who then changed forms. That’s huge.

A switch from mentor to warrior, as you recall, also means a switch from Arbora to Aeriat. Wingless to winged. Fertile to infertile. Quite the life-changing event. “Adaptation” is exactly what it sounds like: Chime’s struggle to come to terms with this drastic transformation.

Despite being so short, this is probably my second favorite piece in this collection. It’s a powerful tale in its own right, not only because of the emotional and physical obstacles that Chime has to overcome, but also because of what his transformation might ultimately mean for the colony. It’s a great read, and in the end I am left to wonder what fate might hold in store for the entire Indigo Cloud court. It’s a bit ominous and unsettling.

Concluding thoughts:

The Raksura are one of the most original fantasy races I’ve ever encountered in fantasy fiction. I was genuinely compelled by everything about them. Despite them being so different biologically and culturally, the depth of their personalities and motivations make them feel very human. The novellas and short stories in this collection show that they have to deal with the same complex emotions we do, such as love, hate, guilt, etc. Their issues and conflicts like politics, gender and societal roles are also realistic and relatable.

All told, this is a great collection filled with all kinds of goodness like magic, rich worlds, and fascinating characters. I can’t believe how invested I am, as someone who hasn’t even read the Books of the Raksura main series. After reading this, I’m going to have to try hitting them sooner rather than later. Hopefully there will also be more of these short tales collected in future anthologies, because I would definitely be interested in reading them. show less

This book contains two novellas, "The Falling World" and "The Tale of Indigo and Cloud", and two short stories, "The Forest Boy" and "Adaptation."

"The Falling World" is set after the end of The Siren Depths. Jade, Chime, and some of the other Indigo Cloud warriors go missing while traveling to another Raksuran court, and Moon and Stone lead a search party to rescue them. This novella contains many of the things that I have come to expect and enjoy from the Books of the Raksura: ancient abandoned cities, dangerous magics, Moon trying to fit into normal Raksuran life, and fraught relations between Raksuran courts. This was my favourite story of the collection, and it was also the longest.

"The Tale of Indigo and Cloud" is set generations show more earlier, and tells how the queen Indigo stole her consort Cloud from the Emerald Twilight court. I enjoyed this, but did not find it particularly compelling, perhaps because it was told from the point of view of Cerise, Indigo's birthqueen, who seemed to be just irritated by the whole thing. A bonus in this story was the brief appearance of a fledgling Stone! The epilogue at the end (set in Moon's time) seemed unnecessary and distracting.

"The Forest Boy" is a tale of Moon's childhood. It was a bit sad, and my least favourite story.

"Adaptation" is the story of Chime's transformation from an Arbora mentor to an Aeriat warrior. Chime is one of my favourite characters of the series, so I enjoyed this. It was nice to get a different perspective on Raksuran life.

Overall, this collection provides some interesting prequels to the main series and is a nice complement to the novels of the Books of the Raksura. I'd recommend both this book and the series as a whole. show less

A Raksuran anthology consisting of 2 novellas and 2 short stories.

The Falling World: Another story in which a Raksuran is trapped/captured in an magical, ancient eldritch abomination, and the other Raksura must go find them. While the abomination was unique, this feels like a re-tread of the same plot elements of the last few books.

The Tale of Indigo and Cloud: I think the bulk of my rating for this anthology was on the basis of this story. It was great to see the Indigo Cloud court's beginning, with a new cast with different interpersonal relationships. It was nice to see a relationship between two queens that was not fraught with animosity and consorts besides Moon with a bit of backbone and personality. While I knew the solution to show more the conundrum almost right away, that didn't make the execution of the ending any less satisfying. The epilogue was a bit tacked on - I didn't need Moon to tell me that what I just read was the Raksuran version of romance.

The Forest Boy: Moon's brief adoption by a family of groundlings during his childhood years. Well-written, but beat for beat the same as earlier books. Nothing new here. Definitely the weakest story of the four.

Adaptation: This story describes Chime's transition into a warrior. Short, but remarkably effective, and has a lot of heart. show less

Another great installment in the Raksura series, this one two novellas and two short stories.

The Falling World is a novella that comes after the events of The Siren Depths. We see beloved characters continuing to be their bad-ass selves and Moon growing into his role within the Indigo Cloud court. This one met my need for MOAR of the Raksuran storyline.

The Tale of Indigo and Cloud is a novella that tells the story of the beginning of their relationship. I really loved this story because of the fierce and clever Raksuran queens, and how it is a deeper dive into Raksuran culture and society.

The Forest Boy is about a part of Moon's history before we meet him in The Cloud Roads, and also a bit about groundling life. Nice to have a different show more POV.

Adaptation is another prequel to the full series, about the Indigo Cloud Court before Moon arrives. It adds depth and background to parts of the tale we've only heard about after the fact. show less

As the title indicates, this is a book with stories about the Raksura. Two large stories, and two small ones. My rating was a bit difficult: I didn't like the first story, I did like the second one. In the second, we learn more about Raksuran society, which I love. The first, however, is mostly a vehicle for the author to come up with a weird phenomenon. I'm sort of tired of all the weird phenomena, especially since they're one of a kind and not really relevant to the world. The story is flimsy and character interactions minimal. Since I did really like the second story, I come up with 3 stars (the short stories were unimpressive).