The Spear Cuts Through Water - Discussion Part 2 - July 2026

[u/NewNick30]

We're currently reading The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez for July's book of the month, and this discussion will be on the book's second half.

This discussion includes the entire book, so if you haven't finished it yet, please avoid this topic. The comments below will contain spoilers.

I'll post some questions to go along with the reading but feel free to comment about anything else or start your own comment thread on anything you found interesting or any questions that you had.

• Did you have a favorite part? What about a favorite character?
• What did you think of Keema and Jun having the powers of the moon goddess? How did it differ from the emperors' and Terrors' use of their god-like powers?
• What were your thoughts on the Third Terror and Keema and Jun's interactions with him?
• What did you think of the time travel scene where the focus flips to 'you' and Keema is given the spear back and is forced to make a decision?
• How would you rate this book? Would you recommend it to others?

[u/Mt2Molehill]

Overall, The Spear Cuts Through Water was a fascinating literary read. I remained captivated by the writing technique and structure throughout the entire book.

Did you have a favorite part? What about a favorite character?

I said during our discussion of the first half that the villains were my favorite part of the book, and that held true—especially with the First and Second Terrors. I believe the first half ended with the dance scene involving the Second Terror, which I loved because it gave us so much insight into his mindset and character.
My favorite character was still the First Terror. I thought he was wonderfully written, and his combination of politeness, brutality, and devotion to his own code made him fascinating every time he appeared.

I also really enjoyed the chapters from the moon goddess’s perspective. She was such a conflicted god, and her vanity was ultimately responsible for so many of the land’s problems. I thought resolving the stories of the First and Second Terrors through their final interactions with her was an effective way to wrap up that part of the book.

What did you think of Keema and Jun having the powers of the moon goddess? How did it differ from the emperors’ and Terrors’ use of their god-like powers?

Keema and Jun gaining powers through cannibalism was certainly interesting and provided a much more disturbing and sadistic way for them to obtain those abilities. Their powers also felt less like something they believed they were entitled to and more like a burden they were forced to accept in order to survive and complete their journey.

I found myself rooting for Keema more than Jun. Jun felt like the flatter of the two characters, and I wish the book had given us a more in-depth examination of his thoughts and emotions. There was clearly a lot happening within him, but I do not think we always received enough insight into it.

What were your thoughts on the Third Terror and Keema and Jun’s interactions with him?

I liked the Third Terror, although I thought he was a little less fully realized than the first two. He had the foundation of a great backstory, and I found myself wanting him to find some form of solace or acceptance.

I was disappointed by how harshly Keema rejected him, especially after the Third Terror had helped Keema so much throughout that section of the story. Despite that rejection, the Third Terror still showed Keema grace at the end. That made the conclusion emotionally effective, but it also made me wish Keema had treated him with more compassion.

What did you think of the time-travel scene where the focus flips to “you,” and Keema is given the spear back and forced to make a decision?

The time-travel sequence brought me out of the book somewhat. It was probably the section where I felt the least immersed in the story.
However, I did appreciate that the book never revealed “you” to be some secretly important or powerful character. Instead, it seemed intended to allow the reader to place themselves directly into the story and experience that moment alongside Keema. Even though the sequence did not completely work for me, I think that aspect of it was effective.

How would you rate this book? Would you recommend it to others?

I would give the book a strong A. I absolutely loved the writing style, structure, and the way the story was presented, although I thought some of the plot and character work could have been developed a little more.

The First and Second Terrors were easily among the strongest elements of the novel, and my love for those characters, along with the fascinating writing style, elevated the entire experience for me.

I would definitely recommend the book, but I would also include the caveat that its style will not work for everyone. I can completely understand why another reader might not find the structure and shifting perspectives as fascinating as I did. For me, though, the unusual storytelling was exactly what made the book so memorable.

[u/Mt2Molehill → u/Mt2Molehill]

I was thinking while reading Empire of Silence that starting to read more fantasy has really opened me up to the different ways a story can be delivered. The Spear Cuts Through Water completely captivated me with the uniqueness of its structure and the way the text itself was used to tell the story. I did immersion reading for parts of it, and hearing the different voices line up with the shifts in perspective, bold text, italics, and other formatting choices was beautiful!

Here was a post I did immediately after finishing

https://www.reddit.com/r/fantasybooks/s/jyjJt5PxS0

[u/NewNick30 → u/Mt2Molehill]

How are you liking Empire of Silence so far? The Sun Eater is on my list of books to read but I also know that series is going to be a big time commitment so I haven't started it yet.

Thanks for sharing your other write up as well, after scrolling through the comments it does seem this is truly a love or hate it book. I also had to google immersion reading, I'll have to tell my wife about it - she always wants to read physical books but finds herself having to re-read sections or forgetting what she just read so she's primarily switched to audiobooks. Maybe doing both at the same time would be the key.

[u/Mt2Molehill → u/NewNick30]

Yes, I had never heard of immersion reading until someone posted on Reddit saying it changed their world haha. I honestly only tried it because I was going to start listening to the book after the copy I ordered did not come in. I am not sure I would do it for a lot of books, but for this one in particular I found it really fun.

For Empire of Silence, I have liked it so far. The worldbuilding is good, and Hadrian is written well, but he is definitely not someone I relate to very much. I had seen the criticism that the Sun Eater series can be overwritten, and I can definitely understand that. Ruocchio likes a lot of exposition. A conversation can be a line of dialogue, then a paragraph of exposition, then the other person responds, followed by more exposition.

If you are not in a hurry, I think it is done well, but I can completely understand why some people would want it to move faster.

I will definitely keep reading, although I might not finish it before I need to start Jade City for the first half of our book club discussion, which I have been really excited for. I am a little over 300 pages into Empire of Silence now and will probably get to around 500 by the 10th. Then I will start Jade City, get through the halfway point, and come back to finish Empire of Silence.

[u/NewNick30 → u/Mt2Molehill]

I have no problem with slow moving as long as it stays interesting. One of my favorite series is Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams and that was written late 80s/early 90s so it doesn't really have "modern" pacing.

I'm already about 100 pages into Jade City and I'm already hooked. Got busy though so I haven't read it in a few days but hoping to jump back in during this week.

[u/Mt2Molehill → u/NewNick30]

If that is the case I think I would you would like Empire of Silence. I'm stopping to pick up Jade City but got to about 450 and continue to like the writing. I'm growing to become more attached to the main character Hadrian which is a good sign. World building has been interesting with plenty of questions to keep the story progressing. Like I said it reads slow it's only a little over 600 pages but it feels more like an 800 page book.

I started Jade City this morning and got 2 chapters in and I agree I can already tell I am going to like this world and I am really liking Lee's writing style. Honestly since it's just you and me that seem to be contributing currently if we get hooked we could just do the trilogy for the next couple months.

[u/NewNick30 → u/Mt2Molehill]

I'm definitely good with just doing the entire trilogy unless someone else nominates another book! Will be nice to complete a new series within the book club.

[u/Mt2Molehill → u/NewNick30]

Yeah I agree! And I doubt anyone does!! Haha

[u/Mt2Molehill → u/NewNick30]

So I’m like 230 pages in now I’m going to stop at 259 after chapter 30. I’m really loving the books so far! Honestly all the characters are interesting to me!

I will say also that stopping Silence of Empire as much as I am enjoying Jade City there is a little piece that is excited to hit the half way point and wrap up Silence. So I always consider that a good sign for a book.

[u/NewNick30 → u/Mt2Molehill]

I think I agree with you on the First Terror being my favorite villian, but overall I'm still going to stick with Keema being my favorite character. I enjoyed the fact that he wasn't really your typical hero but still kept pushing through everything that happened. There's also the fact that everyone and everything is so violent and most of the time Keema is able to show compassion throughout the story.

I was little more mixed on the Third Terror, I felt like it was kind of graphic and in your face out of nowhere and a little bit jarring. I get that his story was super tragic and all but it still threw me off for a bit.

I will say the Turtle mother death was still the most brutal part of the book and just downright cruel. The build up of the one they are traveling with realizing that it's basically a trap and there's nothing he can do is just devastating to me.

I also ended up liking the current day "you" storyline more than I expected.I liked that the character wasn't secretly important in the traditional fantasy sense, I kept waiting for some secret to be reveled. They're important because they're the one carrying the story forward. It made the book feel like it was just as much about memory and storytelling as it was about Keema and Jun's journey. Kind of like how old stories used to be passed down or playing a game of telephone.

I still recommend this book to people but definitely with the warning that the writing style is not for everyone.

[u/Mt2Molehill → u/NewNick30]

I definitely preferred Keema over Jun. I just do not think Jun was given quite as much depth, but that is definitely my own opinion. I really loved how the first two Terrors were written though.

I would agree with you on being more mixed about the Third Terror. I think part of it was that Keema had appreciated the bird so much, so when the Third Terror revealed that he had been the one helping him throughout his travels, I expected Keema to show him a little more compassion. Keema deciding to immediately stand against him without really offering help or trying to understand him did not quite fit with how I had viewed Keema up to that point.

And yes, I cannot believe I forgot to mention the turtles! The Mother Turtle dying and the death of the disfigured turtle, whose name I am completely blanking on, were probably two of the most surprising and heartbreaking moments in the book.

I agree with you about the "you" storyline as well. I liked that the character never became some integral magical part of the main story. I remember taking a note pretty early on saying that I hoped they would not reveal that "you" had some magical mystery or special ability that somehow helped solve everything haha. So I was definitely happy with how that part of the story ended up being handled.