The Unbalancing is a 2022 LGBT+ fantasy novel by R. B. Lemberg, set in their secondary world, Birdverse. It covers the attempts to save, and ultimate destruction of, the islands of Gelle-Geu due to the increasing instability of the magical Star of the Tides, which resides beneath the waves just off the coast of the archipelago. It includes discussion of gender and sexuality, grief, community, and consent, as well as drawing parallels between inaction surrounding the increasing instability of the Star and inaction on climate change here on Earth. Comparisons have also been drawn between the fall of Gelle-Geu and the fall of Atlantis or the destruction of Pompei. The novel is an expansion of the story originally referenced in the poem "Ranra's Unbalancing", first published in Strange Horizons magazine. The novel was well received by critics and was included on a list of science fiction and fantasy novels by trans and non-binary authors on BuzzFeed.
Plot
The novel is set in Lemberg's secondary world Birdverse, about a thousand years prior to the events of The Four Profound Weaves, on the archipelago Gelle-Geu, and alternates its viewpoint between the two primary characters, Erígra Lilún and Ranra Kekeri. At the start of the novel, the current Starkeeper of the Star of the Tides, a star made up of magical deepnames that resides beneath the waves off the shore of Gelle-Geu, is dying. The Star, also known as the Unquiet Sleeper and the Sputtering Star, has always been fretful and possibly the cause of earthquakes on the islands. Erígra Lilún is autistic and an ichidi, or non-binary person, who has yet to discover their ichidi variation, which is explored throughout the novel. They write poetry, tend an old quince grove, and prefer a quiet life, but the ghost of their ancestor, Semberí, the first Starkeeper of the Star of the Tides, pressures them to connect to the Star and become the next Starkeeper. Semberí tells them the story of the Birdcoming, when the goddess Bird came from beyond the sky and brought the twelve Stars to the world, dancing in the sky above the great Burri desert until the Stars fell from her tail to the first Starkeepers waiting below. Lilún does not wish to become Starkeeper and resists Semberí's pressure so that when the current Starkeeper passes, another is chosen as the new Keeper, Ranra Kekeri. Lilún attends the ascension party for the new Starkeeper and meets Ranra for the first time, a woman with a much bolder personality than Lilún, and who captivates them from their first meeting. Lilún and Ranra discuss the increasingly unstable nature of the Star and the growing hazard the situation presents to the islands, but have differing opinions of how it should be handled.
Lilún and Ranra's attraction to one another grows into a romance that is often challenged and interrupted by the increasing instability of the Star, which causes earthquakes of increasing frequency that rattle the islands, and they must combine their efforts to find a way to calm the Star. During one such earthquake, they discover a way to link their deepnames and increase their available power to try and stabilize the land and protect the lives of those around them. Lilún continues to visit the quince grove and learn more of the story of the Birdcoming, learning more about the Star of the Tides each time. As the stability of the islands worsens, Ranra has her advisor, Ulár, chart a way to connect many people with magical deepnames to build enough power to calm the Star. Meanwhile, Dorod, a deepname strong and friend of Lilún, explains they have a backup plan in case the islands fall. They have built large trade ships that can be used to evacuate some of the people from the islands if necessary, but they are not large enough for all. Lilún continues to advocate for healing the Star, and they research ways to go about this with Ranra, but as the situation grows increasingly desperate and the Mother Mountain begins to erupt, the connection of peoples' deepnames is determined to be the best hope. When Ranra attempts to use the power given to her by this connection, she learns the true nature of the Star, and her efforts are unable to heal it before disaster strikes.