In the Serpent’s Wake

In the Serpent’s Wake, the concluding novel in the duology, picks up immediately after the events of Tess of The Road. Tess has finally begun to come to terms with her past and is learning to heal from the terrible experiences forced upon her.

The first-person narrative of the first novel broadens here to include Margarethe, a Ninysh countess, naturalist, and adventurer, and Spira, a dragon scholar born without maternal memories who cannot take dragon shape. The Quigutl, a smart lizard-like species distantly related to dragons, are represented by duo Pathka and Kikiu who appear in several delightful scenes. Their unique brand of philosophy and frank truth-telling brings a refreshing and enlightening counterpoint to Tess’.

Tess and brother-in-law Jacomo have joined the expedition to the pole that was started by Marga. She's taken Tess as a mentee and Jacomo as her spiritual adviser. Tess joined this expedition both as a spy for her queen and in order to bring her friend quigutl Pathka to the hidden serpent at the end of the world in the hopes of healing it.

Their journey brings them face to face with various island peoples that the Ninysh have colonized, whom they’ve collectively called the “Pelaguese” despite each island’s peoples being distinct. Tess and Jacomo witness the persecution of the native people on each island and attempt to help, with varying degrees of success.

Throughout their travels, Marga glosses over all the violence and racism to maintain her family’s stance on political neutrality. However, over time, she does realize that she’s pushed her feelings of horror down for far too long.

Fiction gives us the rare opportunity to look at the world from a removed perspective. Rachel Hartman’s skillful and evocative writing provides an unflinching (and deeply emotional) social commentary on our own world on topics that include racism, genocide, colonialism, and sexual assault.

Tess continues on her journey to adulthood. She has done a lot of growing up since readers first encountered her and, like all of us as we mature, our world grows bigger and more complicated.

There is a lot to praise in In the Serpent’s Wake. Hartman's writing is as beautiful and flawless as ever, and the expansion of this fantasy world continues to be breathtaking. Hartman ’s inclusive world grapples with questions of sovereignty and colonization, religion, and gender in ways that both reflect and comment on our own.