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The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver
MEET YOUR NEW EPIC FANTASY OBSESSION
No one remembers the calamity that killed the gods and stole the names of their people. Now Shipwright and Shroudweaver are known only by their professions.
She's a master of magical shipbuilding. He's a maker of the gilded gods that fuel their sails, stitched from the souls of dead sailors. When a chance to save their world sets the horizon alight, they decide they'll stop at nothing to vanquish the ultimate evil, embarking on a deadly race against time to beat the grief-wracked sorceress The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver introduces the most exciting new voice in Scottish fantasy with an epic adventure set in a post-apocalyptic landscape of god-fuelled ships, goth-as-hell villains, shadow-warping assassins, effortless queerness, and well-worn love - unmissable for fans of by Jay Kristoff, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.
No one remembers the calamity that killed the gods and stole the names of their people. Now Shipwright and Shroudweaver are known only by their professions.
She's a master of magical shipbuilding. He's a maker of the gilded gods that fuel their sails, stitched from the souls of dead sailors. When a chance to save their world sets the horizon alight, they decide they'll stop at nothing to vanquish the ultimate evil, embarking on a deadly race against time to beat the grief-wracked sorceress The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver introduces the most exciting new voice in Scottish fantasy with an epic adventure set in a post-apocalyptic landscape of god-fuelled ships, goth-as-hell villains, shadow-warping assassins, effortless queerness, and well-worn love - unmissable for fans of by Jay Kristoff, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.
784 pages, Hardcover
First published November 27, 2025
11 people are currently reading
1428 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 6, 2025
Review originally on JamReads
The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver is an epic fantasy novel written by Rafael Torrubia and published by Gollancz. A story of epic scope, similar to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, portraying a vast, magical world full of lore and a deliciously layered cast of characters that will engulf you into its pages, all with a prose that remembers epic poems, creating a debut that will be talked about years from.
No one remembers the calamity that stole the names of their people; now most are known by their professions, among them Shipwright, a master of magical shipbuilding, and Shroudweaver, a maker of the gilded gods that fuel their sails. They've been fighting for three years to keep Crowkisser confined in the South, assuming losses; but when a chance to save the world appears, they embark on a race against time to beat Crowkisser to reach the mountain near the Republic, a place of legends, infested of power, before she unleashes the evil they entombed twenty years ago, a threat that could destroy this world, revealing many secrets about their past in the process.
Torrubia gifts the reader with a marvelously complex cast of characters that become pivotal to this story, steering away from the classical black/white archetypes that are so common in classical fantasy. All of them are captured as people with their own story, a past, which is influencing their current actions.
As you might have imagined from the title, Shipwright and Shroudweaver are two of the most prominent characters; a pair with a strong bond, who are trying to restore the world after a calamity, trying to stop Crowkisser. A task that is especially important for Shroudweaver, especially as we get to know more about his past; a weight he's been holding for twenty years. Despite being really powerful, we also get to see their human side, their struggles and how they care about others.
At the other extreme, we have a Crowkisser who acts as the antagonist; a powerful sorceress whose actions are responsible for the calamity that changed this world. Grief moves her, and as readers, we will slowly learn more about her motivations; at the end, we have a well-fleshed character that lands on the greyer side of the spectrum.
The rest of the cast doesn't have as much narrative weight as our leading characters, but Torrubia still puts the effort in rounding them; their acts play a crucial role in the plot's development, and all of them have a backstory that we eventually learn about.
Outside of the cast, the worldbuilding is another of the aspects where this novel excels; not only there's a vast history behind most of the places, introduced to the reader in a really organic way, but also the post-cataclysm aspects that are shaping this world. Each location is alive; there are some details that are left undefined, especially regarding the scope of magic and gods, but it suits quite well with this book.
The scope of the plot resembles big epic stories, with a prose that is a bit on the lyrical side, with a certain rhythm that carries you through the pages. Being this novel a long one, it actually felt short, as you are drawn into the story from the start, with a good pacing, devoid of dull moments.
The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver is a candidate to be my favourite novel of the year: an excellent Epic fantasy novel that stays with you even after finishing, a delightful read that traps you in a magical, vast world and a compelling cast as part of the plot. What a debut!
The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver is an epic fantasy novel written by Rafael Torrubia and published by Gollancz. A story of epic scope, similar to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, portraying a vast, magical world full of lore and a deliciously layered cast of characters that will engulf you into its pages, all with a prose that remembers epic poems, creating a debut that will be talked about years from.
No one remembers the calamity that stole the names of their people; now most are known by their professions, among them Shipwright, a master of magical shipbuilding, and Shroudweaver, a maker of the gilded gods that fuel their sails. They've been fighting for three years to keep Crowkisser confined in the South, assuming losses; but when a chance to save the world appears, they embark on a race against time to beat Crowkisser to reach the mountain near the Republic, a place of legends, infested of power, before she unleashes the evil they entombed twenty years ago, a threat that could destroy this world, revealing many secrets about their past in the process.
Torrubia gifts the reader with a marvelously complex cast of characters that become pivotal to this story, steering away from the classical black/white archetypes that are so common in classical fantasy. All of them are captured as people with their own story, a past, which is influencing their current actions.
As you might have imagined from the title, Shipwright and Shroudweaver are two of the most prominent characters; a pair with a strong bond, who are trying to restore the world after a calamity, trying to stop Crowkisser. A task that is especially important for Shroudweaver, especially as we get to know more about his past; a weight he's been holding for twenty years. Despite being really powerful, we also get to see their human side, their struggles and how they care about others.
At the other extreme, we have a Crowkisser who acts as the antagonist; a powerful sorceress whose actions are responsible for the calamity that changed this world. Grief moves her, and as readers, we will slowly learn more about her motivations; at the end, we have a well-fleshed character that lands on the greyer side of the spectrum.
The rest of the cast doesn't have as much narrative weight as our leading characters, but Torrubia still puts the effort in rounding them; their acts play a crucial role in the plot's development, and all of them have a backstory that we eventually learn about.
Outside of the cast, the worldbuilding is another of the aspects where this novel excels; not only there's a vast history behind most of the places, introduced to the reader in a really organic way, but also the post-cataclysm aspects that are shaping this world. Each location is alive; there are some details that are left undefined, especially regarding the scope of magic and gods, but it suits quite well with this book.
The scope of the plot resembles big epic stories, with a prose that is a bit on the lyrical side, with a certain rhythm that carries you through the pages. Being this novel a long one, it actually felt short, as you are drawn into the story from the start, with a good pacing, devoid of dull moments.
The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver is a candidate to be my favourite novel of the year: an excellent Epic fantasy novel that stays with you even after finishing, a delightful read that traps you in a magical, vast world and a compelling cast as part of the plot. What a debut!
November 6, 2025
This is a truly beautiful book. Knocked me off my feet from the very first page and kept punching until the very end. Rafael has a rare gift for prose and a delicate touch with character that make this book so visceral and compelling. I still think about this when my mind is idle. A delight on every page.
December 8, 2025
The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver is easily one of the most enchanting and gut-twisting books I read in 2025. Rafael Torrubia’s debut absolutely stunned me — not just with its world-building or its atmosphere, but with a villain so complex and compelling that I found myself switching allegiances more than once.
This story drifts between whimsy and darkness with a writing style that feels almost lyrical. Every sentence reads like it’s been carved perfectly. The prose is dreamy, gothic, and haunting in a way that lingers long after you put the book down.
But the heart of this novel — the thing that stole the breath from me — is its villain. Torrubia crafts an antagonist who is deeply human, devastatingly motivated, and impossible to pin down as simply “good” or “evil.” I kept turning pages just to understand them better… and every new layer made me more conflicted. It’s rare for a book to make me question whose side I’m truly on, but this one did — and did it brilliantly.
If you love morally grey characters, emotional depth, slow-burn tension, and fantasy that reads like an old myth told by candlelight, this debut is absolutely worth your time. I can’t wait to see what Torrubia writes next.
This overall wins the category of ‘favourite villain’ for 2025.
This story drifts between whimsy and darkness with a writing style that feels almost lyrical. Every sentence reads like it’s been carved perfectly. The prose is dreamy, gothic, and haunting in a way that lingers long after you put the book down.
But the heart of this novel — the thing that stole the breath from me — is its villain. Torrubia crafts an antagonist who is deeply human, devastatingly motivated, and impossible to pin down as simply “good” or “evil.” I kept turning pages just to understand them better… and every new layer made me more conflicted. It’s rare for a book to make me question whose side I’m truly on, but this one did — and did it brilliantly.
If you love morally grey characters, emotional depth, slow-burn tension, and fantasy that reads like an old myth told by candlelight, this debut is absolutely worth your time. I can’t wait to see what Torrubia writes next.
This overall wins the category of ‘favourite villain’ for 2025.
September 22, 2025
A dark fairytale of epic proportions. Torrubia casts a spell with his poetic prose and portrays a strange, magical world full of complex and compelling characters. This is quite unlike most fantasy novels being published today. It reminds me, almost, of an epic prose poem. Half the pleasure of reading it is the rhythm of the words and the timbre of the language. Torrubia has a real gift, and it's on full display.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews