When I was at World Fantasy this past October, I attended a couple of readings that blew me away. One was a reading by Saladin Ahmed, from his yet-to-be-agented-or-sold novel (I can’t recall the title, alas). The fact that I couldn’t look forward to a specific date on which I could pick up the book and continue in the fascinating world he created made me quite grumpy, and if he hasn’t hooked an agent with it by now, well then, there is simply no justice in the world.

The second reading was by N.K. Jemisin, from her forthcoming book “The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.” It presented me with a similar frustration—I would have to wait until March 2010 to get my hands on the book to find out what happened—a frustration only heightened by the fact that the scene she chose to read ended on a *huge* cliffhanger. Aaaigh!

Later, I was sitting around the bar with Rachel & Mike Swirsky when Naamen Tilahun came over and what did he have tucked under his arm that he had just finished reading? An ARC of “The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms!” And what did he think of it? He loved it! And what was he going to do with that ARC? Give it to Mike to read. I was so close, and yet so far.

But fortune, as we all know, favors the foolish, and these lovely people took pity on me. They let me get in line. After Mike read it, he passed it on to Rachel, and after Rachel read it she boxed it up and sent it to me. And that’s how, at the beginning of December, I finally got to read it. And the only reason I’m writing this whole story out in exhaustive detail is because this book was worth every single bit of hassle and every moment of waiting that preceded its arrival. It is a really cool book.

It’s the story of Yeine Darr, a wrong-side-of-the-sheets member of the ruling Arameri family. Having spent most of her life in the “barbarian” (read “matriarchal”) North, she is surprised when she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. She’s even more surprised when, on her arrival, she’s named as a candidate for the throne. This thrusts her into the center of a deadly power struggle with two cousins who are also rivals for the throne.

First of all, let me just say that this book just reinforces my desire NEVER to be named heir to anything. Even if it’s heir to a quarter someone picked up off the street. Because being an heir is just no damn fun, what with people siccing Gods on you and whatnot. Oh yeah, I should mention the Gods. In the city of Sky, ancient Gods live among the mortal rulers, bound within the city for henious ancient crimes. Jemisin’s Gods are, for want of a better word, rad. Especially Nahadoth, the Nightlord. But c’mon, you had to know that a character named Nahadoth, also called The Nightlord, would have to be totally rad. I don’t think you could go wrong with a character like that.

And Jemisin, who is a brilliant writer, certainly doesn’t. Her writing is thrilling, swift, and beautiful. Her pacing is top-notch. I loved the character of Yeine—she kicks ass, but not so much and/or so thoroughly that one has to roll one’s eyes and go, “seriously?” The word I’m looking for here is sympathetic. And also intelligent. When faced with Nightlords and scheming cousins and all of it, she didn’t respond with dumb-ass choices. (Well, maybe a few dumb-ass choices. But who among us hasn’t made one or two of those in our entire life. Really now.)

I think what I liked best about this book is that it’s the first work of what I’d call “high fantasy” that I’ve enjoyed in a very, very long time. I gave up on high fantasy untold aeons ago—after trying, and miserably failing to get into the Robert Jordan “Wheel of Time” series, if you really want to know, which you probably don’t. But after that debacle, I refused to read just about anything that featured castles, kings, keeps, swordplay, etc. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms has all of these, but it also has a really clean fresh modernity to it—dare I call it “New Weird”?—that makes it work. Hell, Jemisin could probably have put unicorns in here, and I would have been right there with her. And that, my friends, is saying a lot.

Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. This is a great book. Preorder it, go over to N.K.’s Website and read sample chapters, and above all, get your hands on a copy when it comes out in March. And don’t say I never did nothing for you.