Untethered Sky

In an interview with the CBC, Lee stated that the story originated with the ideas of manticores and rocs. Many fantasy novels feature "animal companions that are cute, benevolent or telepathically bonded with their human trainer." Lee wanted to portray a different type of bond between humans and magical creatures, so she chose to portray the rocs as dangerous wild animals.^[3] In an interview with Paste, Lee stated that she based much of the rukhers and their training on the modern practice of falconry. Because of the Persian origin of manticores and rocs, Lee researched the climate and ecology of modern-day Iran in order to create her fantasy setting. Lee intentionally chose to discard several historical elements during the creation of her work. For example, it would have been extremely rare for a woman of common birth to reach a position in the Persian royal court. Lee explained her choice as follows.^[4]

I felt quite free not to adhere to that in my fantasy world, where the widespread threat of manticores led to the development of the ruhking profession, and the only creatures that can kill manticores sometimes have strong gender preference (as parrots and other domestic birds often do).

The author also based the novel's religious background on a monotheistic faith. Many fantasy novels include polytheistic religious beliefs, which readers perceive to be "older and more primitive." Lee played with this expectation by creating a religion based on Zoroastrianism, which is both monotheistic and one of the oldest religions in the world.^[4]

John Mauro of Grimdark Magazine compared the novella positively to Lee's Green Bone books, stating that both are examples of nuanced character writing. The review felt that the "quiet restraint" and folktale qualities of Untethered Sky show Lee's versatility as an author. Mauro ultimately awarded the novella 5 stars out of a possible 5, calling it a "beautifully crafted gem."^[5]

Jeremy Brett of Ancillary Review of Books called the novella "a lovely, gripping story" and praised its exploration of human-animal interaction.^[1] Alana Joli Abbott also praised the depiction of rocs, which are "underused mythological creatures", as well as the relationships between the humans characters and these creatures.^[4] Linda Codega of Gizmodo stated that the book's worldbuilding balances the slim page count of the novella format with enough depth to feel effective. Codega praised the relationship between Ester and Zahra, calling it a "moving and sad" portrayal of a "tenuous bond."^[6] Civilian Reader praised the book's pacing and character development, writing that it contains more depth that its page count would suggest.^[7]

Bill Capossere of fantasyliterature.com awarded Untethered Sky 3.5 stars out of a possible 5 stars. He felt that the novella format was too short, preventing the book from reaching its full potential. Capossere praised the relationship between Ester, Darius, and Nasmin, as well as the human-roc bond. The reviewer felt that the foreshadowing was too blatant, and that the inclusion of the manticore which killed Ester's family was unnecessary. Capossere felt that the emotional payoff could have been stronger, but that fans of the novella format would likely still enjoy the book.^[2]