Elizabeth Fitzgerald's Blog: Earl Grey Editing, page 8

Loose-leaf Links #75

Loose-leaf Links is a feature where I gather together the interesting bits and pieces on sci-fi, fantasy and romance I’ve come across and share them with you over tea. Today’s tea is Imperial Spice by Adore Tea. This blend of cinnamon, cloves and orange is one I’m turning to more frequently as the weather cools.

Awards News

Awards season continues, with the announcement of the 2018 Australian Romance Readers Awards winners.

Shortlists for the 2018 Sara Douglass Book Series Award and the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards were also announced.

And the longlists for the 2019 Inky Awards were released. Judges should be announced soon and will convene to determine the shortlists.

Community and Conventions

After the release of the Nebula Awards, there was some concern that several of the nominees were the result of a slate put forward by a community of self-published authors. Cora Buhlert has an extensive round-up of the controversy. For Sri Lankan author and Nebula finalist Yudhanjaya Wijeratne it made a rude introduction to US SFF. He shares his thoughts in a couple of posts.

The executive editors of FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction have apologised for republishing several stories without having obtained the rights to do so.

Venerable sci-fi author and founding member of the Book View Cafe Vonda N. McIntyre has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

On Equity

The Ripped Bodice have published their 2018 report on the state of racial diversity in romance publishing. It does not look good.

Over at Tor.com, Emily Asher-Perrin talks about how she “sees” books while she’s reading. I found this tied in with an interesting post from Lynn O’Connacht on reading with aphantasia.

Lynn is also over at the Book Smugglers with a guest post that takes an in-depth (and, at times, statistical) look at asexual representation in mainstream speculative fiction.

Some of the books Lynn mentions overlaps with Gin Jenny’s YA column for Lady Business, which focuses this month on YA books without sex or romance.

And back at the Book Smugglers, Stephanie Burgis talks about her influences and inspirations for Thornbound, and how sometimes it’s not enough to be the first woman.

For Writers

Kat Clay has some tips for writers on setting up email newsletters.

Over on Tor.com, April Henry discusses how sometimes experience is the best research.

For Readers

A-Spec April is hosting a readathon next month themed around ace and aro characters.

Wyrd and Wonder is a fantasy readathon running for the month of May. I’m thinking about signing up for this one, myself.

The team behind The Starlit Wood have announced a new anthology forthcoming. Called The Mythic Dream, it will focus on retellings of myths and legends. It is set to be published in August with an impressive line-up of authors.

Kathleen Jennings talks about updating the map she drew for Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air, evolving it to reflect changes in the series.

Mt TBR Report: February 2019

This February was my second-best month for reading on record. It was beaten only by January 2017, which was not coincidentally the last time I faced a deadline for Aurealis judging. It seems that deadlines continue to be the best way to motivate me. This month was also helped by a couple of four-hour train rides to and from Sydney, which afforded some wonderfully uninterrupted reading time. Mt TBR has been shrinking at a very satisfying pace.

Mt TBR Status

Mt TBR @ 1 January 2019: 442

Mt TBR @ 31 January 2019: 391

Mt TBR @ 28 February 2019: 368

February Reading Plans

While February was an excellent reading month, it was still a challenge to make it through the books I’d earmarked as well as the last of the Aurealis judging. I’m pleased that in the end I made through all of them except one, which had to be returned to the library before I got to it.

Descendant of the Craneby Joan He. For review at Skiffy and Fanty–DONE!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Book club pick for February–DONE!

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie. For review at EGE–DONE!

Sherwood by Meagan Spooner. For review at Skiffy and Fanty–DONE!

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. February pick for the Lady Vaults book club.

Books Read

28. Hive by A.J Betts. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Dystopian YA. While hunting for a wild bee, a young beekeeper discovers signs there may be a world outside the walls of her compartmentalised community.

29. Edge of Time by Thalia Kalkipsakis. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Science fiction. On the run from the government, Scout skips too far forward in time.

30. The Path of the Lost by Beau Kondos. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Dystopian YA. In a society where creative expression is forbidden, a young woman able to harness magic through art seeks to bring her abilities back into the world.

31. Wraith by Shane and Alex Smithers. Read for the Aurealis Awards. After developing the ability to fly, James crash lands in a city in the sky and must find his way home again.

32. Sympath by Carolyn Denman. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Fantasy. An angel resists the attraction to her fated mate, but is forced to work with him to save her friend’s farm.

33. Columbine’s Tale by Rachel Nightingale. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Fantasy. A storyteller with the ability to manipulate the dream world goes on the run from former friends who wish to use her powers for their own ends.

34. Sherwood by Meagan Spooner. Reviewed here.

35. What the Woods Keep by Katya de Becerra. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Dark fantasy. The past comes back to haunt Hayden when she inherits her childhood home on her eighteenth birthday.

36. Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds by Jeremy Lachlan. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Fantasy adventure. When her father goes missing, it’s up to Jane to find him again. But she’s not the only one looking.

37. Shine Mountain by Julie Hunt. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Fantasy. When her family farm declines and her oma falls ill, Ellie must go on a quest to destroy the musical instrument that cursed them.

38. Iron by Aiki Flinthart. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Fantasy. Alere is a skilled swordswoman who finds herself at the centre of a brewing war over a rare deposit of iron ore.

39. The Ghost Engine by Theresa Fuller. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Steampunk. Lady Lovelace becomes trapped in a machine with a ghost and must solve a series of puzzles to free them both.

40. Lightning Tracks by Alethea Kinsela. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Fantasy. A troubled boy escapes to a fantasy world and becomes caught in a war.

41. The Way Home by Julian Barr. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Historical fantasy. Follows the survivors of the sack of Troy.

42. We Are Omega by Justin Woolley. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Sci-fi. First contact has been made, but two teenagers soon discover the aliens aren’t as benevolent as they appear.

43. Eve of Eridu by Alanah Adams. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Sci-fi. After her brother is culled, Eve finds it increasingly difficult to maintain the emotional control demanded by society and may soon face culling herself.

44. Lifel1k3 by Jay Kristoff. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Sci-fi. Eve uncovers an android boy who seems to have a strange connection to her grandfather.

45. Spark Joy by Marie Kondo. Nonfiction. As with the first book, it doesn’t bring a whole lot that the TV series doesn’t cover, although the illustrations are cute.

46. Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels by Gwen Hayes. Nonfiction, pretty much what it says on the label. Succinct and useful, and written with a nice sense of humour.

47. Little Red Riding Crop by Tiffany Reisz. Erotica novella. Part of The Original Sinners series, which I’ve not yet read. BDSM mistress Nora needs a holiday. Her boss agrees to send her to Europe for a month on the condition she sneaks into a rival club and finds the identity of the owner who has been poaching his staff. Short and fun. I found I didn’t need to be familiar with the characters to enjoy it and I appreciated the little fairy tale touches.

48. Thornbound by Stephanie Burgis. Reviewed here.

49. In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire. Fourth book in the Wayward Children series. Lundy is good at following rules and finding loopholes. So when a door opens to the Goblin Market, she finds herself right at home. This book was a bit different to the previous ones, as Lundy was able to go back and forward between the worlds. I really enjoyed the Goblin Market, with its rules and debts. So it is perhaps unsurprising that I found her attachment to the ordinary world somewhat unconvincing and thus the ending didn’t quite land for me.

50. A Midwinter Night’s Dream by Tiffany Reisz. Erotica novella, BDSM elements. Spin off from The Original Sinners series in which the characters are transposed to 1871 England. In order to inherit his father’s estate, Baron Marcus Stearns must marry. It’s probably long past time I picked up the original series, though (again) I found I didn’t need to have a familiarity with it for this story.

51. Shadows Fate by Aiki Flinthart. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Last of the Ruadhan Sidhe trilogy. Urban fantasy. The Ruadhan Sidhe risk being wiped out unless Rowan can prevent information about them from falling into the wrong hands.

52. Undying by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Second of the Unearthed series. Sci-fi adventure. Trapped aboard a spaceship of invading aliens, Mia and Jules must somehow warn Earth of what’s coming.

53. Impostors by Scott Westerfeld. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Sci-fi. Frey is a trained killer who serves as her sister’s body double. When she’s sent to her father’s rival as collateral, she must somehow prevent her true identity from being discovered.

54. The Wicked King by Holly Black. Second in The Folk of the Air series. After a successful coup that made her the power behind the Faerie throne, Jude should be safe. However, it is one thing to gain power and another thing entirely to hold onto it. There was more political manouevering and less romance than in some of Black’s other books, but it maintained a nice tension. Cardan’s feelings were deftly shown between the lines. The map and chapter illustrations from Kathleen Jennings were a beautiful touch.

55. Descendant of the Crane by Joan He. Review forthcoming.

56. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. First book in the Six of Crows duology. Kaz Brekker has clawed his way up from the slums of Ketterdam to become a formidable gang leader. Now he is offered a job that will make or break him. As I have said before, I love me a fantasy heist and this had an epic scale that I really enjoyed. There was a wonderfully diverse cast of characters and I could see why the book was listed among media touchstones for the Blades in the Dark RPG. I was not prepared for the cliffhanger ending (though I probably should have been).

57. Reawakening by Amy Rae Durreson. First book in the Reawakening series. M/M fantasy romance. After sleeping for a thousand years, the Dragon King Tarnamell wakes up to find his human companions have long since passed away. In search of friends, he tries to claim a sassy desert spirit, but the spirit ends up falling victim to Tarn’s old enemy. It is up to Tarn to save him… and this time the Dragon King is on his own. I found this book had a very interesting take on dragon hoards and all the relationships were charming. However, the style was a little rough in a few places and I’m not sure the possessive angle quite worked for me even with the justifications.

58. The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie. Review forthcoming.

Books Acquired

Dragon’s Keeper by Robin Hobb

Thornbound by Stephanie Burgis

In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

The Wicked King by Holly Black

Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels by Gwen Hayes

Late in the Day: Poems 2010-2014 by Ursula K. Le Guin

Sea Foam and Silence by Lynn O’Connacht

Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel Jose Older

The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

The True Queen by Zen Cho

 

March Reading Plans

The coming month’s plans are surprisingly light. If I get through the books listed below, I’ll probably look at tackling Black Wolves by Kate Elliot. It’s a giant book and I’d like to have it read before I see her as the Guest of Honour at Continuum.

Dragonclaw by Kate Forsyth. March pick for the Lady Vaults book club

The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern. Buddy read with Belle of There Are Ink Spots On My Page, Tam of The Fantasy Inn and Travis of The Coffee Archives.

Grounded by Narrelle M. Harris. For review at EGE.

 

Sherwood by Meagan Spooner

With the year well underway and Aurealis judging over, I have finally returned to my YA column at Skiffy and Fanty. This week I’m taking a look at Meagan Spooner’s feminist Robin Hood retelling, Sherwood. The book was an absolute delight, managing to examine sexism, class privilege and grief, while also delivering an entertaining adventure.

Loose-leaf Links #74

Loose-leaf Links is a feature where I gather together the interesting bits and pieces on sci-fi, fantasy and romance I’ve come across and share them with you over tea. Today’s tea is Wombat Tea from the art of tea. I love a good Assam tea and this one comes blended with equally strong Daintree tea and a separately wrapped cube of chocolate (which you can be sure I’ve already eaten). Some of the profits from this tea go to Bonorong Wildlife Hospital.

Awards News

Shortlists have been announced for the 2018 Aurealis Awards. I’m very proud that Mother of Invention has a nomination for Best Anthology.

The British Science Fiction Association have announced the shortlist for their 2018 Awards. Particular congratulations to Likhain for her nomination. BSFA Members now have until 15 April to vote for the winners.

In yet more shortlists, announcements have been made for the 2018 Nebula Awards, the 2019 Audie Awards and the 2019 BookTube SFF Awards.

2018 Tiptree Fellowships have been awarded to two new recipients. The Fellowships grant $500 to creators whose work attempts to challenge conventional views of gender.

Nominations are open for the 2019 Ditmar Awards until 24 March. A partial eligibility list is available (wherein I appear for best short work for “New Berth”, best Fan Publication in Any Medium for this blog and Best New Talent, along with a number of other amazing people).

Community and Conventions

Voting for the Get Up-and-Over Fan Fund is open until 22 April. GUFF will be sending one Australiasian delegate to Worldcon in Dublin in August.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have listed the candidates for their Board of Directors. Members will be able to vote from 14 March.

Readers planning to attend WorldCon in Dublin in August may be interested in Cheryl Morgan’s walking tour Twitter thread.

On Equity

Over at io9, Charlie Jane Anders writes on why she wants complicated female characters who screw up rather than strong female characters. But this is a false dichotomy, as Sandstone pointed out.

I missed another of Lynn O’Connacht’s essays on asexuality and aromanticism. , she looks at the respective merits of using an explicit label for marginalised characters vs simply implying their identity through the fiction. She also discusses how fantasy saved her life (CW: depression, suicide and suicidal ideation).

For Writers

Ellen Datlow has a call out for horror works published in 2019 eligible for her Best Horror of the Year anthology.

Don’t forget to check out the SFWA’s market report for February.

The 2019 Award Mentorship Program for Writers and Illustrators is open to Australian creators until 15 March.

Expressions of interest for HARDCOPY, a development program for Australian writers, also closes 15 March. This year the focus will be on non-fiction.

John Scalzi weighs in on giving up your day job to become a full-time writer.

Over at Book Riot, Carolina Ciucci gives an overview of the latest plagiarism scandal rocking the romance genre.

For Readers

Uncanny Magazine have released the results of their 2018 Favourite Fiction Readers Poll.

Mary Robinette Kowal shares a Lady Astronauts story in celebration of her 50th birthday.

Stephanie Burgis has another cover reveal, this time for her middle grade novel The Princess Who Flew with Dragons.

The Qwillery interviews Leife Shallcross after the US launch of her fairy tale retelling The Beast’s Heart.

And Sandhya Menon has announced that she’ll also be taking a crack at retelling Beauty and the Beast in her novel Of Curses and Kisses, slated for publication in 2020. I loved her contemporary YA novel When Dimple Met Rishi, so I’m looking forward to seeing her spin on the classic fairy tale.

Thornbound by Stephanie Burgis

Published: February 2019 by Five Fathoms Press

Format reviewed: E-book (epub)

Series: The Harwood Spellbook #2

Genres: Fantasy, alternate history, romance

Source: Publisher

Available: Amazon (AU, CA, UK, US) ~ Barnes & Noble~ Kobo ~ Smashwords

Disclaimers: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review contains spoilers for previous volumes/books.

Cassandra Harwood scandalized her nation when she became the first woman magician in Angland. Now, she’s ready to teach a whole new generation of bright young women at her radical new school, the Thornfell College of Magic

Until a sinister fey altar is discovered in the school library, the ruling Boudiccate sends a delegation to shut down Thornfell, and Cassandras own husband is torn away from her.

As malevolent vines slither in from the forest and ruthless politicians scheme against her, Cassandra must fight the greatest battle of her life to save her love, her school, and the future of the young women of Angland.

The first novella in the Harwood Spellbook series, Snowspelled was one of my favourite books of last year, so I was delighted to get my hands on a copy of the sequel. Thornbound does a brilliant job of meeting the standard set by the first book, keeping the thoughtfully feminist themes of the series while advancing both Cassandra’s story and the world itself.

Just as Cassandra is on the verge of achieving her big dream of opening a school for women magicians, things begin to unravel. Her childhood bully arrives as head of the delegation sent to decide if she’ll be allowed to keep the school open. She finds herself saddled with Angland’s most annoying weather wizard as an instructor… who then misses his first class. The Boudiccate have sent her husband running all over the country on urgent business since the day of their wedding. And to top it all off, Cassandra hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since she arrived at the school, thanks to a reoccurring nightmare. It’s enough to leave anyone fatigued and frazzled.

Cassandra continues to make a compelling character. As a trailblazer–both as the first woman magician and as the head of the first school for women magicians–she’s headstrong and stubborn, with a clear idea of what she wants and a reasonably solid plan as to how to bring it about. Going against society’s expectations means she knows the value of appearing confident and relying on her own strength. However, these qualities don’t always serve her well, particularly in her personal life. The story does a fantastic job of pushing back at narratives of the lone hero, noble sacrifices, and, to a degree, protecting loved ones. Instead, it draws out themes of respecting the choices of others, making connections, and not trying to do it all oneself.

I was also delighted to see Cassandra continuing to wrestle with the loss of her magic. All too often, fantasy stories turn to the magic fix, especially when it relates to health and able-bodiedness. While the loss of her magic doesn’t affect her in a physical way, it represents the absence of a crucial part of Cassandra–one that she still grieves over, even as she forges ahead. It forces her to be more resourceful and to rely on others, making her a far more interesting character than otherwise.

The story is set in an alternate Regency period. Many stories set around this era tend to be very white, so it was gratifying to see a reasonably diverse cast. Both Cassandra’s husband and sister-in-law are people of colour who occupy positions of significant power in this world. Racial tensions have been transferred to species instead, with an uneasy truce between the humans and the fey who formerly occupied the land. Naturally, there are some prejudices on both sides and we see some of this play out in Cassandra’s half-fey housekeeper, Miss Birch. Even Cassandra, who has nothing but respect for Miss Birch’s skills, catches herself making disparaging comments about the fey in front of her housekeeper.

Elements of mystery are included, as Cassandra tries to figure out who made the altar to bargain with the fey and what the deal is with the thorny vines both in her dreams and in the waking world. Cassandra is juggling so many balls that it keeps the stakes high and the story moving at a reasonable pace as she reels from one disaster to the next.

On the whole, I found Thornbound just as charming a novella as its predecessor. Its exploration of feminist themes was both thoughtful and satisfying. I’m really looking forward to the continuation of the series.

Loose-leaf Links #73

Loose-leaf Links is a feature where I gather together the interesting bits and pieces on sci-fi, fantasy and romance I’ve come across and share them with you over tea. Today’s tea is Earl Grey from Lupicia. This has become my favourite Earl Grey blend. The tea is excellent quality and the bergamot is fragrant without being harsh.

Announcements

As I mentioned last time, the Skiffy and Fanty Show have a BookTube channel! You can catch up on their videos on YouTube or on their blog.

The podcast is also starting up for the year. In the first episode back, the crew share the media we enjoyed last year and what we’re looking forward to. In the second episode, Paul Weimer and I interview S.A. Chakraborty about her latest in the Daevabad Trilogy, The Kingdom of Copper.

Awards News

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America presented the 2019 Kate Wilhelm Solstice Awards to Nisi Shawl and Neil Clarke for their contributions to SFF.

Locus released their 2018 Recommended Reading list. I’m super thrilled to see Mother of Invention on there. Congratulations to Tansy and Rivqa and also to Kaaron Warren, Jonathan Strahan, Janeen Webb, Kirstyn McDermott, Garth Nix, and Kathleen Jennings. Voting is now open for the Locus Awards.

The finalists of the 2018 Australian Romance Readers Awards have been announced. Voting closes 12 February.

The preliminary ballot for the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards has also been released. Congratulations to Kyla Ward for her short story nomination.

Nominations are open until the end of the month for the Australian Shadows Awards.

John Scalzi shares some thoughts about being nominated for and winning awards.

Community and Conventions

WisCon is accepting proposals for games to run at this year’s convention. Deadline is the end of the month.

The Canberra Women Writers Festival has released their program and has the SFF community well represented. The festival will take place on 30 March.

Former GUFF delegate Marcin Klak is proposing a new fan fund to enable European fans to attend Eurocon.

On Equity

Kat Rosenfield writes at Vulture about some of the controversy that lead to YA author Amelie Wen Zhou cancelling her debut novel Blood Heir. Jenny at Reading the End also takes a look at some of the misconceptions surrounding the situation.

Mya Nunnally’s article for BookRiot on the weird, sexist problem of miscategorising fantasy written by women has been getting a lot of attention. Galactic Suburbia relate the article back to Joanna Russ’s How to Suppress Women’s Writing in their latest episode.

Cheryl Morgan takes a look at the feminist speculative fiction of 2018.

Lynn O’Connacht discusses the history of the term and concept of asexuality.

For Writers

The Australian Society of Authors condemns Open Library for copyright infringements.

Jim C. Hines talks about his 2018 writing income.

Angela Slatter shares some thoughts on how to be a writer.

Abigail Nathan of Bothersome Words seeks respondents to her survey looking at what writers need from an editor.

For Readers

BookRiot has the cover reveal and an excerpt from the third book in C.B. Lee’s superhero YA Sidekick Squad series, Not Your Backup.

Likewise, the cover has been released for Stephanie Burgis’ Thornbound, the second novella of her Regency alternate history series The Hardwick Spellbook. An excerpt can be found at her blog.

And the last cover release is for Narrelle M. Harris’s forthcoming paranormal romance Grounded, out 20 March.

Mt TBR Report: January 2019

It’s amazing the way the minute I say I don’t care about shrinking Mt TBR it goes and shrinks. A lot of it was due to Aurealis reading, which had to be wrapped up. However, I also did a bit of decluttering. It’s nice to have the pile below 400 books again.

Mt TBR Status

Mt TBR @ 1 January 2019: 442

Mt TBR @ 31 January 2019: 391

January Reading Plans

My focus was largely on reading for the Aurealis Awards this month, so it was a bit of a mixed bag for the rest of the books I wanted to tackle:

Aurora: Aurizun by Amanda Bridgeman — DONE!

Tides of the Titans by Thoraiya Dyer — My copy of this still hasn’t arrived from the publisher, so I’m going to have to hunt one down.

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He — Pushed back to February.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo — As expected, this also had to be pushed back to February.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green — DONE!

Books Read

1. Lady Helen and the Dark Days Deceit by Alison Goodman. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Historical fantasy. Lady Helen struggles to balance wedding preparations with her hunt for the Grand Deceiver.

2. Aurora: Aurizun by Amanda Bridgeman. Reviewed here.

3. The Fray by Emily Dale. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Portal fantasy. A soldier with PTSD gets kidnapped and taken to another world where she discovers she’s a princess expected to lead a rebellion.

4. Emergence by Marita Smith. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Sci-fi. Teenagers with the genetic ability to cross to the spirit world must avert a catastrophe while on the run from an organisation who wants to uncover the secret of their abilities.

5. Terracotta Pomegranate by Julie Reeser. Poetry. This small collection had some lovely pieces and a strong focus on natural imagery, which I appreciated.

6. The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi. Reviewed here.

7. Stratification by Ilsa Evans. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Post apocalyptic sci-fi. Grady is set to take over from her mother as Seer of her village, but all she wants to do is go travelling with her friends. She gets that opportunity when things go wrong after a visit from a demi-god.

8. The Cycle of Harm by M.H. Snowy. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Fantasy. A shady magician and long-time friend may have the key to the berserker Harm’s memory issues but not his best interest at heart.

9. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. A non-fiction book laying out the KonMari method of tidying up. It’s not often I say this, but the TV series is much better, conveying the same basic info without the strong self-help vibes.

10. The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty. Historical fantasy. Second in the Daevabad Trilogy. Five years on, Nahri has embraced her heritage and Ali finds purpose in his exile. However, circumstances soon reunite them in Daevabad as they seek to mitigate the harm caused by the tyrannical rule of Ali’s father.

11. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. Contemporary sci-fi. After shooting a YouTube video of what she thinks is an art installation, April May finds herself famous overnight. An interesting meditation on the nature of fame with some interesting worldbuilding. Some of the characters felt a little bit flat for me, but I enjoyed its generally optimistic message.

12. Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina. Read for the Aurealis Awards. A ghost girl follows her detective father to a small country town to solve a murder.

13. A Different Boy by Paul Jennings. Read for the Aurealis Awards. An orphaned boy struggles to find his place in the world.

14. Deception by Teri Terry. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Science fiction. A group of teenagers search for the truth behind an epidemic that leaves its survivors with strange powers.

15. Time Warper by Cheree Peters. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Science fiction. Thea’s memories gradually return as she and her friends seek to hide from her old life.

16. The Buried Ark by James Bradley. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Science fiction. Separated from her loved ones, Callie finds an unexpected ally who reveals she may be the key to saving the world from the Change.

17. Assassins of the Dead 3: Society Against Vampires by Avril Sabine. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Meikah must prove the innocence of her vampire friends in order to prevent them being unjustly punished.

18. Demon Hunters 6: Feud by Avril Sabine. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Fantasy. Aura tries to protect her mum from the demons hunting them, but her mum sure doesn’t make that easy.

19. Dragon Blood Chronicles 2: Betrayal by Avril Sabine. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Fantasy. A gold dragon finds herself torn between two worlds when her human friend is kidnapped.

20. A Dream Passage by J.D.E Saville. Read for the Aurealis Awards. In a world where things are dreamed into existence, Tomas faces his passage to adulthood. Taking it means never seeing his best friend again.

21. The Trytth Chronicles by Goldie Alexander. Read for the Aurealis Awards. A sci-fi retelling of The Tempest.

22. Guardians of the Round Table 2: Goblin Boots by Avril Sabine, Storm Petersen and Rhys Petersen. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Fantasy. Mallory and her friends return to the fantasy world they found in their computer game, only to discover the presence of a bigger enemy.

23. Guardians of the Round Table 3: Singed Feathers by Avril Sabine, Storm Petersen and Rhys Petersen. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Mallory and her friends have their routine down to a fine art now. However, their cockiness lands them in trouble.

24. Plea of the Damned 5: Forgive Me Marti by Avril Sabine. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Fantasy. In order to move on to the afterlife, a ghost helps a young girl track down her grandfather’s motorbike.

25. Realms of the Fae 4: An Unexpected Betrayal by Avril Sabine. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Fantasy. The statues Trinity rescues from demolition turn out to be more than they appear.

26. Rosie’s Rangers 4: Accused by Avril Sabine. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Fantasy. A friend of Caz’s arrives to beg for help, but Rosie’s not convinced of their innocence.

27. Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein. Read for the Aurealis Awards. Psychological horror. When she was young, Tash saw her imaginary friend abduct a young girl. Years later, the girl and her family return to town. Tash finds herself reconnecting with them, but strange things are happening around her, forcing her to wonder whether she’s finally losing the plot.

Books Acquired

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Latchkey by Nicole Kornher-Stacey

The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty

The King’s Bastard by Rowena Cory Daniells

The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories edited by Mahvesh Murad

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Spark Joy by Marie Kondo

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

Descendant of the Cranes by Joan He

 

February Reading Plans

I still have a few Aurealis books to wrap up. I’d been thinking of doing InLoveAThon next week, but find myself a bit worn out with reading obligations, so I think I’ll just binge some romance in my own time. However, I still have the following reading obligations:

Descendant of the Cranes by Joan He. For review at Skiffy and Fanty.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Book club pick for February.

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie. For review at EGE.

Sherwood by Meagan Spooner. For review at Skiffy and Fanty.

Parable of the Sower. February pick for the Lady Vaults book club.

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Published: January 2019 by Wednesday Books

Format reviewed: Trade paperback, 400 pages

Series: The Gilded Wolves #1

Genres: Historical fantasy

Source: Pan Macmillan Australia

Available:Abbey’s ~ Amazon (AU, CA, UK, US) ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~ Dymocks ~ Indiebound ~ Kobo

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Severin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Severin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To find the ancient artefact the Order seeks, Severin will need help from a band of experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can’t yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much.

Together, they’ll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artefact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.

There was so much to love about The Gilded Wolves. This fast-paced adventure features a diverse cast, magical heists and a hefty dose of intrigue. It was a joy from start to finish.

I’m always here for a good heist, especially if it involves a tight-knit team. When the story opens, the team have been together for a while and have well-established relationships, giving the sense of a fully fleshed-out world. In fact, when we first meet the team, they are in the middle of a heist and Severin is elbow-deep in trouble. It makes for a wonderfully dynamic start.

The story is told in close third person, with chapters alternating between the perspectives of the team members. Since they each have distinct roles, this enables a view of the different aspects of the heists they pull–which is handy, since their capers often require simultaneous action in different places. When things go wrong, we get to see the other parts of the team realise that something’s not right and follow them as they try to correct course.

The characters are also distinct in their backgrounds and personalities. Laila is a desi cabaret star, a talented baker, and has the ability to read the history of objects when she touches them. Zofia is a Polish Jew, an engineer with a magical affinity for metals and numbers, and is on the autism spectrum. Enrique is a bi, white-passing Filipino historian with a love for language. And Severin himself is half-Arabic, the owner of a luxury hotel and someone who burns for revenge.

These diverse backgrounds are not just for show. The story tackles issues of racism and colonialism. Severin was denied his inheritance because the French faction of the Order of Babel were unwilling to have two non-white patriarchs heading their magical Houses, choosing instead to support Severin’s rival–the half-Haitian Nyx. And the bigger picture involves the Order of Babel undermining and suppressing non-Western nations’ ability to practice their traditional magics. Being a magical heist story, I inevitably compared The Gilded Wolves to The Lies of Locke Lamora. Its willingness to tackle these issues and to include such a diverse cast is what makes The Gilded Wolves superior, in my opinion.

It’s also a very visual novel; it includes some lovely description of outfits, food and architecture without ever getting bogged down. Each of the Houses has their own symbols and visual motifs, which complement the dramatic nature of the plot.

A story of this kind naturally has some twists and turns. The Gilded Wolves managed a nice balance between those I was able to predict and those that surprised me.

All in all, I expect The Gilded Wolves will make my year’s best list once December rolls around. I can’t wait for the next book.

Loose-leaf Links 72

Loose-leaf Links is a feature where I gather together the interesting bits and pieces on sci-fi, fantasy and romance I’ve come across and share them with you over tea. Today’s tea is Canberra Breeze from Adore Tea. I’m still not sure how I feel about this one. It’s a blend of caramel, berries and rose, with the latter two being the predominant tastes. I’m fond of rose teas, not so much of berry teas. The disparate tastes didn’t make a great first impression, but it’s growing on me. It goes nicely with raspberry jam on toast.

Announcements

It has been quite a while since my last Loose-leaf Links post and I have been keeping busy with The Skiffy and Fanty Show in the meantime. I managed to interview Stephanie Gunn about her sci-fi novella Icefall (which was one of my favourite reads of last year). I also teamed up with Jen Zink to interview Celine Kiernan, author of Begone the Raggedy Witches (a fabulous MG fantasy which convinced me I need to check out more of Celine’s work). And for Skiffy and Fanty’s Month of Joy, you can find me over on their YouTube channel visiting the koala enclosure at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.

Awards News

Kat Clay, co-founder of the Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Association, showed her genre talent at the Scarlet Stiletto Awards back in November. The awards are run by Sisters in Crime to recognise excellence in short crime fiction written by Australian women. Kat’s story Lady Loveday Investigates took out the Kerry Greenwood Malice Domestic Award, the Sun Bookshop Third Prize, and the Athenaeum Library Body in the Library runner-up prize. The story is available to read online.

The winners of the 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards were announced.

The winners of the 2018 Parsec Awards were also announced. Particular congratulations to Rachel of Kalanadi, who won Best Speculative Fiction Fan or News Podcast. Unfortunately, the awards came with a cloud of controversy. When it became known one of the awards was being given to a notorious alleged harrasser, several winners declined their wins.

The longlists for the British Science Fiction Association Awards have been released. Particular congratulations to Sam Hawke, Claudie Arseneault and Likhain for their nominations. BSFA members have until the end of the month to vote for the shortlists.

Nominations for the 2019 Hugo Awards are now open. Eligible voters for the nominations process must have purchased membership for Dublin 2019 — An Irish Worldcon by the end of last year or have been a member of Worldcon 76 in San Jose. This year’s Hugo Awards will have a special category for Best Art Book. The Hugo Category Study committee will be considering whether to make the inclusion permanent.

Nominations are also open for the Washington Science Fiction Association’s Small Press Award, the Sir Julius Vogel Awards, the Rhysling Awards for speculative poetry and the 2019 Text Prize.

The judges for the World Fantasy Awards were announced. Congratulations to Kathleen Jennings, who has an exciting year of reading ahead!

Speaking of judging, there has been a change to the jury for the Norma K Hemming Award’s Long Work category. Lyss Wickramasinghe is stepping in for Stephanie Lai. Entries for the award close at the end of the month.

Community and Conventions

The race for the Get Up-and-Over Fan Fund is currently underway. Last year’s GUFF delegate Marcin Klak has interviewed this year’s candidates. The winner will represent Australasia at WorldCon in Dublin later this year. Voting ends on 22 April.

Speaking of Dublin, the convention administration has established a new fund to help people from diverse and marginalised communities attend this year’s WorldCon.

Meanwhile, the administrators for the Down Under Fan Fund have declared there will be no 2019 round. The fan fund was due to send a delegate from North America to Australasia. However, since WorldCon will be held in New Zealand next year, it was determined to be better in the spirit of the fan fund to defer.

Rashida J. Smith has handed over the editorial duties of GigaNotoSaurus to Elora Gatts.

Cat Rambo will be stepping down as president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America at the end of her term in June. She shares what the job entails. Mary Robinette Kowal has announced her candidacy for the position.

On Equity

Aliette de Bodard writes on motherhood and erasure in speculative fiction.

For Writers

A reminder that Paper Road Press is taking speculative fiction novella submissions until 1 April.

Carina Press has started a new line of trope-driven, LGBTQIA contemporary romance called Carina Adores. They are currently open for submissions.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have raised the pro rate for short fiction to 8 (US) cents per word.

They’ve also delisted Writers of the Future as a qualifying market.

Charlie Jane Anders advises writers to play to their weaknesses.

In a guest post at Bad Redhead Media, Belinda Griffin dispels some myths that may have writers resisting marketing.

John Scalzi looks at author incomes, both generally and in relation to his own.

For Readers

Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina have sold a new book, set for release later this year. The Things She’s Seen is being billed as a cross-over thriller with a supernatural twist.

Bren MacDibble shows off the cover of her next book, The Dog Runner.

Juliet Marillier has announced the first book in a new series. Harp of Kings has links to two of her previous series, Sevenwaters and Blackthorn and Grim. It will be published by Pan Macmillan in Australia in October.

The Book Smugglers have released an anthology of their first four years of short fiction. The Anthology is available in limited edition paperback only.

Jenny at Reading the End reminds us that it is okay not to read racist books, even if they have beautiful writing or are considered classics.

Over at Tor.com, James Davis Nicoll has a list of 100 SFF books you should consider reading in the new year. The list contains a gratifying number of works by women and covers a range of publishing decades.

Aurora: Aurizun by Amanda Bridgeman

Published: Self-published in January 2019

Format reviewed: E-book (epub), 524 pages

Series: Aurora #7

Genres: Science fiction, military sci-fi, space opera

Source: Publisher

Available: Amazon (AU, CA, UK, US) ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~Google Play ~ Indiebound ~ Kobo

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review contains spoilers for previous volumes/books.

The battle is over, but the war is just beginning . . .

The Zeta invasion has occurred and the world now knows the truth: that an alien threat exists. While the UNF scramble to maintain calm, the pressure mounts to finally reveal their black ops ALPHA soldiers. The only question is, who will be entrusted to lead them?

Harris is still reeling from the devastation that occurred during Decima, and when a startling discovery is revealed, he suddenly loses the trust of the UNF. Next in line is McKinley, but still recovering from his injuries, hes struggling to accept what he has now become. Carrie, on the other hand, is the strongest shes ever been, but her linkage to Harris, and his to the Zetas, sees them forced out and treated as the enemy.

The power they once had within the UNF is lost.

Without a ship or a leader, and with enemies closing in on all sides, the Aurora team must fight to regroup and claw their way back from oblivion.

Carrie, Harris and McKinley face their most explosive showdowns yet, in this action-packed instalment that will leave readers on the edge of their seats!

Reading through the Aurora series thus far has been a long journey: the last instalment was published a bit over two years ago. Bridgeman hasn’t been idle in that time, releasing both a self-published title (The Time of the Stripes) and a traditionally published book (The Subjugate out from Angry Robot). This dedicated work ethic shows through in Aurora: Aurizun. There were a couple of rough spots in the writing style early on, but these quickly smoothed out and, on the whole, were an improvement on previous books.

The pacing remained a little uneven. The story is divided into two parts, with the beginning of the first part largely given over to the fallout from the previous book. This had the potential to feel slow, but there was enough emotional weight to keep things tense. The action peaks at the end of the first part, then slows down as the different factions manoeuvre around each other, before building up once again to the big finale I’ve come to expect from this series.

Once again, this is not a good entry point for new readers. Not only is this the seventh book in the series, but these are not small books and they feature a large cast. Being swamped with award reading, I didn’t get a chance to look back over the previous books in the series, so I feel it is a credit to Bridgeman’s writing that I was able to ease back into the story with minimal confusion over who was who.

However, this may also be due to the fact that this book doesn’t spend a lot of time with the crew of the Aurora. Having lost their ship in the previous book, they spend most of their time cooling their heels, with the focus being more on the personal journeys of Carrie, Harris and McKinley. A schism in the UNF also takes a lot of the spotlight as the top brass split over the best strategy to combat the looming alien threat. Readers who like politics and shifting alliances should very much enjoy this book.

The story also does a good job of continuing the themes of bodily autonomy that have woven throughout the series. I particularly appreciated the way it touched on women’s reproductive rights and how these get hijacked by the patriarchy for their purposes. And I was gratified to see the inclusion of more queer representation, particularly in a character who defies the usual stereotypes.

While I generally enjoyed the story, I was ultimately left with the feeling the series was treading water. There were some steps forward, particularly in relation to the personal journeys of the three central characters. However, these mostly felt like tying up loose ends from previous books rather than treading new ground. The characters are on a deadline, albeit a long one, so the wasting of time does raise the stakes somewhat for future books. That said, it didn’t make for a satisfying read and, given how long the series already is, I wonder how much of it is necessary.

In between all the politicking are some excellent set pieces. The action sequences are strong, visual and violent, helping to anchor the tone of the series.

All in all, Aurora: Aurizun was a solid instalment of the series and I’m curious to see what the next books hold.