The Spear Cuts Through Water
#2024.12 in the official ranking · 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. The core tale follows two men, Keema and Jun, escorting a dying Moon goddess as they flee the Moon Emperor's regime and his three sons, with the reader positioned as a descendant witnessing the story unfold inside an "Inverted Theater," alternating between first-, second-, and third-person perspectives. 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. Published in 2022, it won the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel and the William L. Crawford Award, and was shortlisted for the Ignyte Award and the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize; Kirkus Reviews named it among the year's best science fiction and fantasy.
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? #202 in this site's official ranking, based on 29,516 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #202?
Ranked #202 in the official ranking.
- 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 #201, Circle of Magic (Emelan) (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 #202 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.