April left me with a lot to think about regarding the importance of bonds. Between my wonderful trip to Las Vegas with my friends and the two books I finished, these past few weeks have been far more reflective than I had anticipated. And seeing as though I just dropped a blog recapping the former, I figure I’m due to write about the latter now as well. So, rather than ranting here in the intro, let’s jump right into the two books I checked out in April: Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee and The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl.
Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee
For the month of April, my writing friends book club voted on reading Fonda Lee’s novella, Untethered Sky. The book explores the mythology of rocs (think of giant falcons the size of dragons), the warriors who train and hunt with them, and the manticores they fight against. At its core, Untethered Sky is a story about obsession and the trappings of dangerous relationships. These ideas are indicative of the tale’s main character, Ester, a young and determined woman who loyally serves her kingdom alongside her regal roc, Zahra.
The attention to detail on display here is sometimes baffling, as Lee draws heavily from real-world falconry to interpret how rocs are trained, act, and hunt. They’re independent, territorial titans that are often best left to their own devices, especially when it comes to the hunt. However, the keen and dedicated ruhkers are well-versed in (at least somewhat) taming the graceful giants and utilizing their power for the betterment of the kingdom. Ester’s story is that of a ruhker’s rise to prominence and fall from grace, all told within the scope of just about 150 pages.
And while I certainly did enjoy this book, I think that limited page count was this story’s greatest weakness. There are interesting and sometimes powerful thematic concepts on display here, especially toward the end of the story when all of the established relationships are strained to their limits, but I there was room for so much more depth. To me, this ultimately felt like a proof-of-concept piece, like this was a test run for a much larger story based on similar subject matter.
What world building we get is interesting, but again, I wanted more. We don’t learn nearly enough about the kingdom Ester is from or the apparent war they have going on with a neighboring nation. That seems like it would be a relevant plot element to play with, but it’s mostly just used as background filler. Nothing really comes of it.
The same can be said for the characters; while there are some likeable qualities to the main cast, including the trio of Ester and her friends Nasmin and Darius, they all mostly boil down to simplistic archetypes without enough truly defining qualities. Furthermore, they just aren’t given enough time to grow organically. Ester and Darius are essentially just die-hard workaholics, and Nasmin is a bit more friendly and outgoing. I wouldn’t say the character work is reductive, but it’s not nearly as fleshed out as I think it could have been, which makes it hard to fully attach yourself to anyone in particular.
This, then, puts strain on the reader as they try to connect with the importance of the bonds between ruhkers and their rocs. Ester and Zahra are given plenty of shared screentime, and their victories and pitfalls do resonate in most cases, but it’s still somewhat challenging to fully engross yourself in their struggles. Again, I think if this whole thing were given more space to stretch its wings, it could have been a real banger.
Nonetheless, Lee’s craft is impeccable, and her pacing is very solid for the contained moments we have with these characters and this world. Even with its shortcomings, I still thought Untethered Sky was an enjoyable treat in the end. I was familiar with neither the author nor her work before reading, but I’m very interested in checking out more from Fonda Lee in the future. I’ve heard good things about her Green Bone Saga, so I’ll have to check that out at some point.
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl
I’ll admit up front that I am, by no definition, a die-hard Foo Fighters fan. I deeply enjoy much of their music, but I hardly have their discography memorized. That being said, from everything I’ve seen of him on social media, Dave Grohl seems like a genuinely amazing person with an instantly likeable personality. And, lo and behold, he has plenty of valuable stories and life lessons to share too.
So, I knew I had to listen to his memoir, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music, on Audible, especially when I saw he was the one narrating it. The audiobook version is actually an expanded edition, with a couple extra life stories and some deep-dives into several Foo Fighters songs, as well as some added production value for listeners to enjoy. For example, between each of the main parts of the book, musical interludes and transitions were added in for flair. So, up front, it’s easy for me to say this was a lovely listening experience.
Grohl shares his stories with great zeal, and he has plenty to offer his readers/listeners. Many of his stories revolve around shared experiences with his friends and family, ranging from his earliest days in high school, dreaming of becoming a thriving rock star, right up to the present, as he’s now juggling responsibilities between his band and his family. These are the kinds of stories that teach us that with passion, honesty, loyalty, and a little bit of luck, we can achieve our dreams.
At the heart of these oftentimes wild tales is, well, heart. Because it’s hard to imagine a man like Dave Grohl doing anything without putting his whole heart into it. The guy broke his leg at a show in Sweden after falling off the stage, but he still kept playing with his leg in a cast and a doctor on stage to help support him. He bought a house that was evidently haunted and just decided to put up with it. And, most impressively, he performed a show at one spot in Australia, flew home after to join his daughters for a father-daughter dance, and then flew right back to Australia for another show. The guy has led a truly crazy life. And, in a word, I think it’s inspiring.
That being said, I am very glad I decided to listen through this one via audiobook rather than sitting down and physically reading it. While Grohl’s stories are very entertaining and left me with lots to think about, I feel I mostly enjoyed listening to them because it was him telling the stories. His voice helped me get closer to his words. Detached from his voice and having to read at my own pace, I’m not sure how well all of this would have landed for me.
Part of that problems stems, I think, from the fact that Grohl’s prose didn’t feel as exciting as the stories he was telling. Judging as I could by listening, his craft is far from poor, but it doesn’t strike me as anything special either. It’s effective, if anything, but that’s about it. This could certainly just be a “me” thing; I’m sure plenty of others out there could easily enjoy sitting down with a physical copy of this book.
Regardless, I’m still very glad I checked this one out, and I’m glad the Foo Fighters frontman took the time to put together this carefully curated collection of life stories. I’m confident much of The Storyteller will stick with me for many years to come. And hey, that’s exactly what good stories are supposed to do.