Asunder, by Kerstin Hall (UK Release)
22 Jan 2026The Book
Synopsis:
We choose our own gods here.
Karys Eska is a deathspeaker, locked into an irrevocable compact with Sabaster, a terrifying eldritch entity—three-faced, hundred-winged, unforgiving—who has granted her the ability to communicate with the newly departed. She pays the rent by using her abilities to investigate suspicious deaths around the troubled city she calls home. When a job goes sideways and connects her to a dying stranger with dangerous secrets, her entire world is upended
.Ferain is willing to pay a ludicrous sum of money for her help. To save him, Karys inadvertently binds him to her shadow, an act that may doom them both. If they want to survive, they will need to learn to trust one another. Together, they journey to the heart of a faded empire, all the while haunted by arcane horrors and the unquiet ghosts of their pasts.
And all too soon, Karys knows her debts will come due.
My Review
Asunder is a dark fantasy novel written by Kerstin Hall, published in the UK by Solaris. As it ended up being one of my favourite titles of the year it was released, this was the perfect excuse to re-read it and maybe take a new look at it, living again Karys Eska's adventure through this world, enjoying its richness and weirdness, while also hoping we eventually get the sequel this novel deserves.
Karys Eska is a deathspeaker, able to summon and hear the last words of the recently deceased because of her contract with Sabaster, a terrifying Eldritch entity that might decide to finally honour her and recall his part of the compact. In one of the tasks that she performs for smugglers, Karys meets Ferain, a seriously injured man who offers her a substantial amount of money if she saves her; Karys' solution is binding the man in a trapped time within her body to escape. An easy to perform task that becomes more complicated as she discovers she's unable to undo the bind, and that there's a group persecuting Ferain; the start of a journey to Ferain's country that will also be the perfect excuse to learn more about this richly crafted world.
I was gladly impressed by the characterization in the first read, and that hasn't changed on this re-read: not only Karys' character mixes excellently the resourceful and strong woman, trying to escape from her compact with all the medium possible, but I also appreciated how she's vulnerable when she's overwhelmed by the circumstances; but also the secondary characters are part of the fun, from the fascinated scholar Winola to Haeki, an old friend from Karys' childhood, all of them are excellently fleshed and add the salt this stew needed to taste complete.
The episodic nature of the plot serves as the perfect device to let us take a glimpse at the different parts of this world; I can totally see how people might compare this with an Eldritch meets Ghibli style world, as it is an apt comparison. It is true that the pacing can be a bit weird because of the dissonance between the urge Karys is experiencing, and how sometimes the quest diverges from the main path, losing some valuable time, but overall, I think it's something you can overlook.
Asunder is a novel more people need to read; an excellent dark fantasy proposal that nails to balance the equilibrium between an interesting worldbuilding and a character-driven novel. Seriously, I can't wait (and hope enough) that we get a sequel!
