Jinian Footseer by Sheri S. Tepper

~The Quick Take~

If you like a strong protagonist not wrapped up in her feelings meandering through strange encounters in a detailed world and meeting enigmatic and fascinating people/creatures/animals with the stolid support of a bunch of delightful and supportive old(er) women, and are comfortable with those meanderings not leading to a strong conclusion (at least in book one of the series) go forth and purchase this novel.

~The Real Review~

I really liked Jinian Footseer, book one of Return to the Land of the One True Game, but I find myself in a curious predicament because I cannot tell you why. This is not a snarky way of saying "it was terrible, but I still liked it for some reason," but a simple statement of fact. I really liked the book, the characters, the world, the storytelling, all of it, but I'm struggling to articulate why in a manner that might help you figure out if you'd enjoy it, too.

In search of inspiration, I went a-reading other reviews. They tend to be short declarations of "I liked this book," which isn't helpful but makes me feel like I'm not alone.

So where does that leave me, other than grasping for words?

I guess we can start with Jinian. She's the unloved daughter of, essentially, nobility. Ignored by her parents and abused by her brother, she finds solace among a group of six older women who live within her mother's estate. Jinian's childhood, however, is cut short when her brother's dishonorable politicking backfires. For various reasons, she must leave her family's demesne.

At times, Jinian must make her way on her own. At others, her older friends assist her. And sometimes she communes with mysterious and timeless creatures—some might call them the 'old gods.'

Throughout all of this, Jinian is pragmatic and vulnerable and likable. She fails at tasks and finds problems she cannot surmount without help. She also sticks in where she can get a foothold, regardless of whether or not she has a clear path to her goal.

This storytelling is captivating and fascinating, but there is some distance between the reader and the action. As Jinian Footseer is told as if written by Jinian after the fact, this distance feels natural, but it's worth noting that at no point do we spend much time in her head, settling in with her thoughts or feelings. The book isn't meant to read that way.

The world itself is engrossing. It's clearly much larger than this one book, this one series, and is packed with mythology and interesting asides and so much lore. It came as no surprise that Return to the Land of the True Game is a standalone series set in a world already explored in a different series.

I think this made me appreciate the novel even more. There was something about the world being so big and packed full of ideas that Tepper didn't feel compelled to keep explaining that made it fascinatingly immersive. There were so many things I wanted to dive deeper into, that I couldn't wait to get back to, that slowly grew into meaning as I kept reading. I wasn't halfway through the book before I eagerly thought about rereading it to understand better the earlier scenes for what I'd learned along the way.

There also was a lilting adventure-ness to it that I find tantalizing. Perhaps the best-known example I can compare it to is The Hobbit. Like, there's a plot, but all the asides along the way are just as important, and the book wouldn't be the same without them.

... which is another way to say that Jinian Footseer doesn't follow a traditional plot structure. Sometimes it'll feel like you're about to get into it, only to boomerang back to a topic you thought was closed several chapters ago. But that topic was one you were sad to leave and wanted to know more about, so you couldn't be more thrilled to revisit it.

The only negative I can come up with about Jinian Footseer is that the conclusion is rushed to the point of worthlessness. It's so worthless that, multiple times, I forgot it existed entirely and wondered why I hadn't finished reading that book I was enjoying so much. Then I'd recall that I did ... the ending was just worthless. It's a serious negative, but one I can't fault Tepper for too much. See, the end of Jinian Footseer is apparently told in detail in this world's first series: The Land of the True Game. It would be a bit absurd to re-tell it from Jinian's POV. And since Jinian Footseer isn't the sort of book you read for the conclusion—it's a story you savor every step along the way—it didn't depreciate any of my previous enjoyment.

Honestly, the fact that I don't "get" the ending will only make it all the more delicious to start at the beginning in The Land of the True Game and read both series through.

I feel like this review is lacking and that I've not done a proper job of conveying how much I liked it and reasons why you might like it, too. Perhaps I'll figure out some more words later. Until then, I hope you'll take my word for it that Jinian Footseer is a good read.

Cover art by James Christensen