The Four Profound Weaves
The Four Profound Weaves by R. B. Lemberg is an illustrated edition published by Tachyon Publications in September 2020, comprising 192 pages in English. This debut full-length work is set in Lemberg’s acclaimed Birdverse universe and follows two transgender elders who must learn to weave from Death to confront an oppressive ruler. The narrative intertwines themes of identity and courage against a backdrop of rich cultural diversity and LGBTQ+ representation.
Readers will encounter the journey of Uiziya, who seeks her aunt to master the final weave, and a nameless man grappling with his past and the expectations of masculinity within the Khana community. As they navigate their intertwined destinies, the story explores the complexities of personal transformation and the struggle against tyranny. The Four Profound Weaves presents a unique blend of fantasy, historical elements, and folklore, inviting readers into a world where the act of weaving becomes a powerful metaphor for reclaiming one’s identity.
Official synopsis Publisher
Otherwise Award Honor List
World Fantasy Award Finalist
Nebula, Locus, and Ignyte Awards Finalist
Two transgender elders must learn to weave from Death in order to defeat an evil ruler–in the debut full-length work set in R. B. Lemberg’s award-winning queer fantasy Birdverse universe
“The Four Profound Weaves is the anti-authoritarian, queer-mystical fairy tale we need right now.”
–Annalee Newitz, author of The Future of Another Timeline
“A beautiful, heartfelt story of change, family, identity, and courage.”
–Library Journal, starred review
The Surun’ nomads do not speak of the master weaver, Benesret, who creates the cloth of bone for assassins in the Great Burri Desert. But aged Uiziya must find her aunt in order to learn the final weave, although the price for knowledge may be far too dear to pay.
Among the Khana in the springflower city of Iyar, women travel in caravans to trade, while men remain in the inner quarter, as scholars. A nameless man struggles to embody Khana masculinity, after many years of performing the life of a woman, trader, wife, and grandmother.
As his past catches up, the nameless man must choose between the life he dreamed of and Uiziya–while Uiziya must discover how to challenge the evil Ruler of Iyar, and to weave from deaths that matter.
In this breathtaking debut set in R. B. Lemberg’s beloved Birdverse, The Four Profound Weaves offers a timeless chronicle of claiming one’s identity in a hostile world.
About the Birdverse The Birdverse is the creation of fantasy author R. B. Lemberg. It is a complex, culturally diverse world, with a range of LGBTQIA characters and different family configurations. Named after its deity, Bird, Birdverse shorter works have been nominated for the Nebula, Hugo, Tiptree award, and Rhysling awards. The Four Profound Weaves is the first full-length work set in the Birdverse.
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