The Spear Cuts Through Water
#1794.12 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2022 Reading commitment Low Simon Jimenez Last reviewed 2026-08-24
Overview
The Spear Cuts Through Water is a standalone mythic fantasy novel told through nested, multi-generational storytelling: a present-day narrator listening to an oral legend about a dying god-emperor, a warrior, and a prince, addressed directly in second person at points throughout. It is Simon Jimenez’s second novel; his debut, The Vanished Birds, is science fiction in an unrelated setting and is not part of this universe.
Mythic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Spear Cuts Through Water (2022) core · 4.12 (29,516 ratings); A standalone mythic/historical fantasy novel, framed as a story told across generations. Simon Jimenez's debut novel, The Vanished Birds (2020), is science fiction in an unrelated setting and is out of scope.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Spear Cuts Through Water? The Spear Cuts Through Water's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Spear Cuts Through Water finished? Complete (2022).
- How much reading does The Spear Cuts Through Water take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~525 pages).
- How is The Spear Cuts Through Water ranked? #179 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 29,516 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #179?
Ranked #179 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.12 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (29,516 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #178, The Legend of the Condor Heroes (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 1 book · Complete · 30k ratings · Ranks #179 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- British Fantasy Award (Best Novel), 2023: won: The Spear Cuts Through Water
- Crawford Award, 2023: won: The Spear Cuts Through Water
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.12 across 29,516 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Spear Cuts Through Water admitted as a new universe accepted 2026-08-24
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: The Spear Cuts Through Water Tier 3
- Penguin Random House product page: The Spear Cuts Through Water Tier 1
Last reviewed: 2026-08-24
Rule: Core Canon = the single standalone novel (2022). No sequel or companion work exists in this setting.