It's so much easier to explain what I don't like about books than what I do like about the ones I love. But I enjoyed Fathom enough that I feel compelled to make the effort.

This novel feels like a chip off a larger diamond of a story: something incomplete, sharp-edged, yet glorious. It follows the supernatural adventures of farm-girl Nia: her introduction to a sea-witch/goddess bent on destroying the world, her transformation into a creature never before seen on the earth, and her attempts to foil the efforts of the sea-witch Arahab. In parallel, it follows her sophisticated, murderous cousin Bernice, who is reborn as Arahab’s creation and tool.

A humble creature of earth and decay, Mossfeaster, is aware of Arahab’s plans and works over decades to stop her. Nia becomes part of his arsenal, along with other people that Mosseater convinces to help save humankind.

Fathom’s plot kept me reading and guessing until the very last page. I also enjoy the way Cherie Priest writes: not overblown or cloying, but clear and vivid. She manages to convey settings that I can practically step into without an excess of verbiage (which for an impatient reader like me, is a gift from heaven).

One of my favorite things about this book is that the supernatural creatures come off as truly non-human, not just super-powerful humans. It lent Fathom an air of authenticity that is often missing in books involving god-like beings.

I hope that Fathom has a sequel that resolves the fates of the characters and the world in a more permanent way. But, then again, maybe I don’t. In a way the nebulous ending suits the story. Perhaps a reconstruction of the full diamond wouldn’t be an improvement on the chip Priest has given us.