Almond, Quartz, and Finch

Plays Out Like an Exquisite Game of Fantasy Chess
Although Almond, Quartz, and Finch starts out a bit slow, it’s ultimately a fascinating coming of age fantasy. It was initially pitched to me as being about a people who don’t gender their kids until they reach adulthood, and then the young human gets to choose.

That’s true, and it’s definitely an important part of the book. The main character, Nemtori (Almond in the Nezel tongue – all Nezel children are given the names of common objects until they choose their own name at maturity) doesn’t feel the pull of any gender. So vo uses non-gendered pronouns – vo, ven and veir. I’ve used non-gendered pronouns in one of my own books, and yes, it does take a while to get used to it. But just like any other grammatical convention, it soon disappears into the background, becoming just one more element in this well-drawn fantasy world.

Early on, we see a couple of the characters playing chess, and it’s an apt metaphor for the plot of the book, as the characters are set up and moved around the board in anticipation of the second half of the story.

Almond lives with veir best friend and almost-brother Quartz in the kingdom of Irzem, a desert fiefdom that’s sweltering under the summer heat. The Nezel are refugees from their own country and servants in Irzem, looked down upon by the decidedly binary Irzemi.

It’s a time of political uncertainty, as the ancient Lady Omdyun is nearing her death. Almond is gifted at finding places to hide and passing unnoticed, and one day he hears of a plot against the Lady’s grandson, the heir Zilumek. As the hot, languid summer days stretch on, so does the life of the beloved monarch, and Almond and Quartz try to figure out what to do with the dangerous information they’ve acquired.

The oppressive heat is almost another character in the story, and the slow initial pace is captured well in the dry desert environment and the weight of the torpor that has settled onto the village. But a little past halfway through, the Lady finally takes her last breath, and then all the chess pieces that have been carefully put in place by the author suddenly start to move, and things don’t stop until the satisfying climax.

There’s a wonderful, casual diversity to the story. In addition to Almond’s non-binary status, there are gay characters, a transgender character who is important to the plot (I’d tell you who it is but then I’d have to kill you), and a hint of asexuality.

At times, the story reads like a middle-grade novel, but like Almond and Quartz, it grows out of that as the story advances. The language is beautiful and the world of Irzem is fully realized, from the trees by the river bend that supply “tree eggs” that Almond likes to fondle in veir pocket when vo is worried to the secret passageways throughout the fortress that vo takes advantage of. I also loved the resolution to the story’s central conflict. Yes, maybe it comes a little easily, but it’s not the usual bloody path that fantasy books often offer.

In the end, I found Almond, Quartz and Finch to be very enjoyable reading, and the gender theories the book espouses become more a fascinating background than an ALL CAPS STATEMENT. It takes a skillful hand to manage such a feat.

Oh and did I mention how much I love the cover?

Highly recommended.

In the land of Irzem, Almond, Quartz, and the rest of the Nezel immigrants are treated little better than slaves. Almond and Quartz are still children. They have not yet chosen their adult names or paths — man, woman, or that is both, neither, and in between — as followers of The Way. The ruler of Irzem, Omdyrum, is near death, and all celebrations, even naming celebrations, have been delayed. Almond meets Zilumek, the young royal next in line to the throne. He shares with Almond his agony at being transgender in a society that won’t accept this. Almond and Quartz discover a terrible plot by Nak to overthrow the rightful heir. Can Almond, Quartz, and others find a way to beat Nak?

Lisa Bunker has written a compelling fantasy with important themes for all, especially the LGBTQ+ community. The writing is beautiful and cleverly keeps readers aware of the main theme with non-gendered pronouns used throughout. The syntax carries readers to another time and place and keeps them firmly in Irzem. All the characters are well-developed and believable. This book, along with Bunker’s earlier stellar novel, Zenobia July, firmly places her as a premier writer for the LGBTQ+ community.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was interesting and the characters were relatable. I loved the conflicts between how the characters saw themselves versus how they presented to others. I was relieved to have the main characters’ names be used not only in their own language but also translated into English. That made it easy for me to follow the story and keep track of who was which person from the very beginning.

I liked how the author used pronouns to describe not only how characters felt themselves to be, but also how the character was presenting from one moment to another. The pronoun usages and changes worked well. I’d never heard of vo/veir pronouns before reading this book so that was a neat neologism for me (I love new-to-me words and descriptions!)....The ending was very satisfying (no spoilers here!) and I may have shed a few tears while reading this book (a compliment).

I definitely recommend this book when it comes out!

Almond and Quartz are on the cusp of adulthood in a culture where all children are genderless until they choose a gender at a coming-of-age ceremony. They are also refugees in a land with far different values about gender, and become caught up trying to save the land from a plot to overthrow the legitimate heir, whose secret only Almond knows. The story not only includes gender diverse characters, but also centers a culture whose belief in gender diversity is tied to the fundamental texts of its religion, which are interspersed with the narrative. This imaginative and affirming tale, written in a style that evokes older fantasy tales, both looks back to its inspiration and envisions a world that could be.

Included in 2023's best LGBTQ middle grade fiction books.

Almond, Quartz and Finch must listen, learn, and work together to protect their peoples and claim their true selves, whatever the cost. This is a story about hardships and struggles, and it is also a story about friendships, and working together in the hopes of securing better lives. This story displays parallels to the struggles we see in our world today, with immigrants trying to communicate and fit in to new homelands that have different languages, cultures, and beliefs. The audiobook is read by the author, Lisa Bunker.