I'm not sure what I read. At some level, this is a story of the tension and attraction between yin and yang (or man and woman) across time periods and states of existence. At another level, the book is a collection of semi philosophical musings about the state of being and the relevance of time. At yet one more level, it's a series of loosely connected fragments describing a potential future of our world, and how it's inexorably embedded in conflict, whether it's the one in Sri Lanka, or the one in an unaccountably distant future.

I liked the writing and the imagination. It also made me think quite a bit, though I wasn't always sure what I was supposed to take away from all this. I did keep going, so there was something quite alluring in the text and the words, despite the cryptic nature of it all.

I did struggle with the book. While I understand that some might argue that a book doesn't have to have a point, and the reader (or the one subject to the aesthetic experience of the book) is free to take whatever they want and need from it, I found the whole to be too abstract. I recognise that I might not have grasped all I should have grasped from this, and others might enjoy it more than I. However, I don't see myself as a shallow reader only enjoying frivolous books, and therefore I would have wanted this book to be made more accessible. As it is, it came across as the raving musings of someone very high on acid (think - Vandermeer, but with more drugs and more philosophy), or the conscious attempt by an author to make the reader feel lost and stupid.

I struggle to see anyone truly enjoying it. I might be wrong, but those individuals are likely to be particularly smart and/or philosophically minded. If you're looking for a plot driven experience - this is not the book for you.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I nearly DNF this, but I persevered although I wish I hadn't, I must have missed something, I had no clue what was going on, it felt like a fever dream, 1 star purely for the vocabulary

Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera is an ambitious, haunting, and poetic exploration of reincarnation, resistance, and the power of storytelling. Blending dark science fiction with lyrical prose, it follows two souls—Annelid and Leveret—across countless lifetimes as they navigate war, oppression, and the shifting tides of history.

Their journey begins in the ruins of a torn-up nation, where they see through propaganda to grasp deeper truths. But one act of violence in a demon-haunted wood binds them together beyond death, propelling their souls through time. No world can hold them, no single life can contain them, and in each incarnation, they find each other again. Yet, as they push against the forces that shape reality, the witches of the Red Web whisper promises of revolution—of tearing down every throne.

With a mesmerising mix of narrative forms and experimental storytelling, Rakesfall is a bold and immersive read, weaving elements of mythology, history, and speculative fiction into something entirely unique. It is surreal, beautiful, and deeply unsettling—a book that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I picked this one up after someone recommended the author's first book to me. However, I do not think that I am the target audience for this. I like my books to have defined plots and a conclusive ending, but this book is the very definition of all vibes no plot. I will say that despite not really following what was going on the writing itself is very lyrical and immersive. and I found some of the individual segments quite enjoyable. I would recommend this for those who enjoy immersive abstract experiences.

I include a star-rating here only because it is required for netgalley. Its actual star-count is meaningless. This book defies something as simple as numerical ratings.. I don't know what I think. I don't know if I liked it. This is not a book for mere mortals like myself to subject to something as vulgar and profane as reviewing. I will say, however, that there's a bit on pg 245 that sums up the entire reading experience. I just about thought I was getting a handle on what was going on, and then the narrator helpfully articulates my thoughts, and then grandmother says, 'You say you get it, but then you talk like you don't get it.' Kind of a slap in the face.

No! No comprehension for you!

Maybe I'm not intelligent enough to truly understand the vision that was Rakesfall, but to me this is a very disjointed and difficult to understand story of two souls meeting and intertwining throughout time. The writing is breathtaking at times, utterly beautiful but that doesn't make the plot any easier to wade through or the overall story any more comprehensible. I don't think it helped that it's really a series of interlinking moments that transcend time. I'm very much a logical, one timeline kind of reader and this didn't really work for me because of that.

Some magical writing, but the story was far too complex for me to understand and enjoy.

What a surreal, beautiful novel. It have this sense of feaver dream I can really appreciate when done well, full of symbolisms, messages and hints, some easy to grasps, othe slipping out of your fingers.

In this novel, the feaver dream quality is helped by a use of various storytelling forms, a mix of codes and genres helping to create a very specific and strange atmosphere (in a good way). 'Rakesfall' is a love story, a reincarnation story, an epic poem, a sci-fi and a fantasy story. The plot shift and spill, made of little stories feeding a greater one, a coherent narrative you need to put together rather than following it.

Full of History and stories, across times and spaces, through various incarnation, 'Rakesfall' articulate itself around the akashic records. Is it easy to understand and follow ? No. I can't say I understood all of it, but I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure and the sense of mysticism, grounded and yet otherwordly. It draws on a cultural background I don't share, which meant I lost some of the impact, and yet, it also means I expanded my horizon in a way I ache for.

It is a challenging novel, and I know it will be a big miss for a lot of people But for the other, who likes to be challenged in a masterful way, with great prose and a story working on atmosphere and a plot coming together tendrils by tendrils, this book might be a bif hit.

Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera is such a good book. Loved story. I rated it 5 stars because it's really a masterpiece! The author is a genious!

Vajra Chandrasekera es un autor natural de Sri Lanka que tiene ideas muy interesantes y una prosa muy cuidada, pero que me abruma con la complejidad de las estructuras que utilizar para sus narraciones y al final me parece que no llega a ninguna parte. Algo así me pasó con la novela ganadora del Nebula, The Saint of Bright Doors. Pero es que con Rakesfall la sensación se ha acentuado. Me parece una mejor novela que su debut, pero aún así me frustra ver que lo que podría ser un libro cautivador se queda a medio camino.

Rakesfall es una novela épica, en el sentido de narrar una epopeya que se extiende a través de la historia de la humanidad, siguiendo los pasos de Annelid y Leveret, dos almas destinadas a reencarnarse y encontrarse a lo largo del tiempo. Esta es la premisa principal del libro, que cambia de estilo, de escenario y de personajes en cada una de estas reencarnaciones, a modo de collage que debería servirnos para comprender una imagen completa, aunque me temo que en mi caso no lo he conseguido del todo.

Además de esta estructura de vidas enhebradas pero que se separan y se vuelven a unir, quizá la apuesta más arriesgada de Chandrasekera es variar tanto el estilo en cada una de las iteraciones, aunque hay que admitir que dominio de la prosa no le falta. Me refiero a frases como "Any non-obvious computer problem is magic, quantum bogo-dynamics in effect" o "a burning microscopic quantum of will at the heart of a fossilized leaf in the centre of a great igneous smear buried deep in the crust", por poner solo dos ejemplos. Nos encontramos ante un libro que requiere una lectura muy pausada, alejada del acelerado ritmo de vida actual. El autor incluso se atreve a rizar el rizo introduciendo relatos cortos dentro de algunas de las partes que componen la novela, en una búsqueda fractal de la belleza literaria.

La narración del audiolibro por parte de Shiromi Arserio es quizá demasiado aséptica para el mensaje transcendental que Chandrasekera aspira a hacernos llegar. Entiendo que es un libro muy complejo tanto en la forma como en el uso de algunas palabras pero también creo que se le podría haber insuflado algo más de vida al texto. Por supuesto, los intérpretes de los audiolibros varían entre obras, pero hay algunos que realmente parece que "viven" lo que están contando, como Joe Jameson en Play of Shadows, lo que dota a las novelas de otro nivel de disfrute.

Acabé la lectura de Rakesfall con sentimientos encontrados, pero esto