Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan

Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan
UK Publication: 29^th Feb 2024
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: ★★★
Find it here: Fathomfolk

This ARC was provided by Little Brown Book Group UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

I want to be Part of Your World

Synopsis from Goodreads: From one of fantasy’s most exciting new voices Eliza Chan comes a modern, myth-inflected story of revolution and magic set against the glittering, semi-submerged city of Tiankawi, perfect for fans of Jade City and The Bone Shard Daughter . Welcome to Tiankawi – shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest. Or at least, that’s how it first appears.

But in the semi-flooded city, humans are, quite literally, on peering down from skyscrapers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk — sirens, seawitches, kelpies and kappas—who live in the polluted waters below.

For half-siren Mira, promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to reform. At last, she has the ear of the city council and a chance to lift the repressive laws that restrict fathomfolk at every turn. But if earning the trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn’t hard enough, everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy when a water dragon is exiled to the city.

New arrival Nami is an aristocratic water dragon with an opinion on everything. Frustrated by the lack of progress from Mira’s softly-softly approach in gaining equality, Nami throws her lot in with an anti-human extremist group, leaving Mira to find the headstrong youth before she makes everything worse.

And pulling strings behind everything is Cordelia, a second-generation sea-witch determined to do what she must to survive and see her family flourish, even if it means climbing over the bodies of her competitors. Her political game-playing and underground connections could disrupt everything Nami and Mira are fighting for.

When the extremists sabotage the annual boat race, violence erupts, as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights. Even Nami realises her new friends are not what they seem. Both she and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth it, or if Tiankawi should be left to drown.

My Thoughts: First of Kudos to the design for that beautiful cover let’s just take a moment to admire that, before we literally plunge into the story.

This is the first book set in the world of the Fathomfolk and as such there is a lot of world building going on here. Along with understanding the world we are also introduced to the different sort of characters who inhabit this world. We have the racially prejudiced humans and then we have the hierarchy of Fathomfolk. Fathomfolk are the people of various myths and legends from around the world and include the Scottish Selkie, Sea Dragons and the mythical Sirens throw in a Seawitch who is totally Ursula from The Little Mermaid and you have your starter kit.

Fathomfolk have powers humans don’t and that makes them a target for mistrust and leads to a curtailing of their rights. While most of them are only trying to survive the best way they can there is also an extremist hard-core movement who want change and change through violence.

This book uses the Fathomfolk to explore the idea of immigration, of how native people fear change and of how refugees are exploited in a black economy because they have no choice if they want to survive.

Who would like this? Read this if you want a fantasy take on the refugee situation, an exploration of political manipulation or if you have always wondered what a world populated by myths and legends would look like.

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