With vivid imagery, subtle menace, and a deeply human message, The Weaver is a deep and twisting tale of lasting power that will reward multiple readings.
The Weaver / The City of Woven Streets
Later I learned that creatures captured in amber cannot be freed. They are images of the past, fallen outside of time, and it is their only existence. When I turn the past before my eyes, I think of the mayfly. I think of the translucent brightness guarding it and distorting it. Its wings will not vibrate, it will never turn its antennae. Yet, when light pierces the stone from a new angle, the mayfly seems to morph into another. And in the posture stalled long ago is already written what will come later.
Likewise, this present already grows in my past that first night, when I see her.
She is lying on the smooth stones, face down, and it takes me a moment to understand she is not dead.
The tapestry of life may be more fragile than it seems: pull one thread, and all will unravel.
In The City of Woven Streets, human life has little value. You practice a craft to keep you alive, or you are an outcast, unwanted and tainted. Eliana is a young weaver in the House of Webs, but secretly knows she doesn’t really belong there. She is hiding a shameful birth defect that would, if anyone knew about it, land her in the House of the Tainted, a prison for those whose very existence is considered a curse.
When an unknown woman with her tongue cut off and Eliana’s name tattooed on her skin arrives at the House of Webs, Eliana discovers an invisible network of power behind the city’s facade. All the while, the sea is clawing the shores and the streets are slowly drowning.
Emmi Itäranta’s second novel was published as The City of Woven Streets on June 2nd 2016 in the UK by by Harper Voyager. The US version, titled The Weaver, was released November 1st the same year.
Buy The City of Woven Streets Online
Buy The City of Woven Streets Online
Reviews
Itäranta’s refined prose centers the story on the growing love between the two women while also touching on the unspoken, horrific violence against women and other oppressed groups.
Itäranta delivers another lyrical dystopian novel. Those willing to put in the time will get a nuanced heroine, a tender love story, and lovely prose.
Itäranta writes engagingly, displaying her setting and atypical characters in full color. Both seasoned readers of fantasy and newcomers to the genre will savor Itäranta’s captivating fiction.
The City of Woven Streets is a thoroughly beautiful novel, enchanting and dreamlike. The world of the book is rich, full of vivid details and secrets dormant under the surface. It keeps revealing new sides without fully exposing itself.
Awards
Kuvastaja Award
Kudottujen kujien kaupunki
The jury described the novel as follows: “A fine and solid piece of work, beautiful language.” “Original fantasy without cliches, also suitable for those who aren’t into fantasy as a genre, but who still wish to read good literature.” “The story carries elements of conservation of nature and environment while dealing with exploitation and the depletion of resources.” “A captivating and cleverly created world, for instance how nightmares are thought to be caused by creatures called night-maeres.”
The Finnish Tolkien Society Kontu
Translations
English (UK)
- Title
- The City of Woven Streets
- Translator
- Emmi Itäranta
- Publisher
- Harper Voyager
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Harper Collins
English (US)
- Title
- The Weaver
- Translator
- Emmi Itäranta
- Publisher
- Harper Voyager
Buy From
Harper Collins
French
- Title
- La Cité Des Méduses
- Translator
- Martin Carayol
- Publisher
- Place des Editeurs
Georgian
- Title
- ნაქსოვი ქუჩების ქალაქი
- Translator
- Dimitri Gogolashvili
- Publisher
- Palitra
German
- Title
- Die Stadt der verbotenen Träume
- Translator
- Gabriele Schrey-Vasara
- Publisher
- Arctis
Hungarian
- Title
- A tiltott álmok városa
- Translator
- Csilla Varjasi
- Publisher
- Metropolis Media
Japanese
- Title
- 織られた町の罠
- Translator
- Hiroko Suenobu
- Publisher
- Nishimura Shoten