In Navola, a bustling city-state dominated by a handful of influential families, business is power, and power is everything. For generations, the di Regulai family—merchant bankers with a vast empire—has nurtured tendrils that stretch to the farthest reaches of the known world. And though they claim not to be political, their staggering wealth has bought cities and toppled kingdoms. Soon, Davico di Regulai will be expected to take the reins of power from his father and demonstrate his mastery of the games of Navolese knowing who to trust and who to doubt, and how to read what lies hidden behind a smile. But in Navola, strange and ancient undercurrents lurk behind the gilt and grandeur—like the fossilized dragon eye in the family’s possession, a potent symbol of their raw power and a talisman that seems to be summoning Davico to act.
As tensions rise and the events unfold, Davico will be tested to his limits. His fate depends on the eldritch dragon relic and on what lies buried in the heart of his adopted sister, Celia di Balcosi, whose own family was destroyed by Nalova’s twisted politics. With echoes of Renaissance Italy, The Godfather , and Game of Thrones , Navola is a stunning feat of world-building and a mesmerizing depiction of drive and will."
I'm a big fan of Bacigalupi's work, especially The Windup Girl, and when I first heard about Navola's upcoming release and that it was an epic fantasy, I had a strong feeling it would be incredible. I was wrong—it's far beyond incredible and is truly exceptional. This is easily one of my new all-time favorite fantasy books and I can't stop thinking about it. To my knowledge, this is Bacigalupi's first foray into fantasy of this nature–though he's no stranger to the speculative fiction genre–and I dearly hope it won’t be his last. This is pitched as a "literary fantasy," and I feel this story fits that well, though I would also say you might enjoy it if you like historical fiction as well, as it's not heavy on the fantasy aspects (outside of a different world, though one still like our own).
Navola follows Davico di Regulai, a young boy in a Renaissance Italy-inspired fantasy world, who belongs to a high influential merchant banker family. The Navolese are known for being especially cunning, treating everything as a game of chess (or cartalegge, perhaps), and must carefully navigate and who you can and cannot trust. Throughout the tumultuous events of this novel, Davico's own loyalties and values are tested as he must navigate this labyrinthine-like world of political machinations and determine his own place in it.
Bacigalupi’s portrayal of and ability to capture and convey Davico's emotions is on another level. I consistently felt the intricate complexities of Davico’s feelings toward the people and environment he was surrounded by as if I were in his place. I experienced his frustrations, anger, triumphs, and anxieties; Bacigalupi captured it all so well that I’m just in awe thinking about it. It was easy to feel emotionally connected to the story because of how effortless it was to understand and relate to Davico at every turn. There were only a couple moments when I felt frustrated with him and thought he was being stubborn, but even then, it felt fitting.
Davico feels inadequate and is unsure if he has what it takes to be a wealthy, influential Navolese businessman like his father, and that anxiety and pressure weighs on him every day. He’s a bit naive and more good-hearted than those around him, and this is gradually challenged more and more as time goes on. I really enjoyed getting to explore this world and the myriad of complicated characters through Davico's eyes. I'm also not usually drawn to revenge stories (and Navola is not one!), but the events that occur in Navole, as well as Davico's reactions to them, are crafted so well that I felt such a deep connection to Davico's feelings and could understand in such details the mixed myriad of emotions he experienced that I could definitely understand a deep desire for revenge.
There is an exceptional cast of characters to support Davico and I was drawn into Bacigalupi's vivid portrayals of each one. Celia, Davico's adopted sister, is a bold and outspoken girl whose interactions with those around her were also interesting to observe. Additionally, we have Davico's father who is viweed by Davico as a sort of master in his own right and someone who is always making plans and moves that are calculated and essentially does not mess up. I also really loved getting to know characters like Cazzetta, Furia, Lugo, and so many more who all had distinct personalities and brought something compelling to the story in their own way.
The depth of the political intrigue in Navola is exactly what I love. All the subterfuge, secrets, and plotting reminded me a bit of the style in Kushiel's Dart where everyone's clever and duplicitous, but it feels quite subtle–until it's not, of course. Everything is also very intense, in a way that kept me hooked and desperate to find out what was going to happen next. This also applies to the no-holds-barred approach to some of the more graphic moments. I appreciated that none of the violence or intense scenes felt over the top or done for shock value, but rather I think they fit seamlessly into the story and added emphasis where it mattered most. The world-building also bolsters the political intrigue by providing us with enough glimpses into the world outside of Navola, but doesn't delve too deeply into any other location just yet, though I'm holding out hope that we'll get to explore more of this rather harsh world in a future book.
Additionally, I loved how incredibly consistent the pacing and writing style were. We follow Davico's first person POV and there's no jumping between characters, huge leaps in time, and chapters often pick up right where the last one left off. This may not sound like a big deal, but it kept me from feeling fatigued the usual jumps and shifts in time that are in so many fantasy novels these days. (And don't get me wrong, I don't dislike multiple POVs and time jumps at all--some of my favorite books have them--but sometimes you just want something more straightforward). I didn’t have to constantly be on my toes to remember where everyone was or what time period we were in, and it made the world feel that much more vivid and alive.
Lastly, I should mention the fantasy elements—beyond the world itself—particularly the dragon eye that features prominently on the cover. I can’t say much without giving away spoilers, but it's one of the most intriguing aspects of the story, despite the fact that it doesn't technically play an overly large role through much of the story (and don't take that to mean the rest of the story isn't intriguing, the eye is just really cool to me). While the entire book fascinated me, this eye grabbed me from the start, hinting at much deeper layers of mystery and power in the world than I could have predicted. Bacigalupi has crafted something that feels equally mysterious, dark, and full of unknown potential.
Overall, I think it's very clear that I loved Navola, and it is of course getting five stars from me. If you like historical fiction or thoughtfully written fantasy full of intrigue and strong characters, then you must give this one a read.
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
