Nicola Griffith's Blog, page 96
January 13, 2014
Hild roundup #9
Yesterday I read a post by Gwenda Bond about sexism and self-promotion. And I remembered several conversations with other women in which they confess* that one of the reasons they read my blog or follow me on Twitter or just like to show up at readings is my absolutely, unrestrained delight in Hild's success. So although I said I would stop doing links roundups for Hild reviews, interviews etc. I've changed my mind.
So here's the ninth roundup up (I've probably missed a bunch of stuff while loafing about over the holidays. If you've seen something fabulous that I've missed, please let me know). Previous roundups are available here.
REVIEWSWashington Post
Hild by Nicola Griffith, Sara Skaroff
"Griffith has taken what little is known of the life of St. Hilda and imagined a vibrant, if brutal, world. Her descriptions are inventive and vivid, making Hild a pleasure to sink into... Our male heroes are going to be jealous."
New York Times MagazineThe Old Gods and the New, Maud Newton[Just a snippet rather than a review but, hey, NYT Magazine!]
The NationalNovel on English saint reveals she is both seer and sage, Deborah Lindsay Williams"Griffith’s book is not a novel to race through, but rather one to sink into and ponder, as Hild does, why people do what they do, why they believe what they do, and whether we control our own fate or whether, in fact, “fate goes as it ever must”."
Paste MagazineHild by Nicola Griffith, Annie Frazier"Evocative and full, the language of Hild forms a rich and colorful and wholly real portrait of an imagined seventh-century England. Completely different, otherworldly in its scope and ambition... Homer and Virgil used similarly breathtaking artistic effects... Intoxicating."[This is long and juicy. Definitely worth reading.]
F5Epic fantasy without magic, Anna Perieberg Anderson"Ambitious, astonishing...vivid, detailed, and utterly real. [...] This is the greatest feat a historical novelist can pull off, and Hild does it better than any book I've read since Kristin Lavransdatter (and Sigrid Undset won the Nobel Prize, so that's high praise). Like Lavransdatter, Hild feels like it was written at the time it portrays — immediate, profound, and captivating."
Notes from the Bedside TableHild: A Big Book for the New Year, René Kirkpatrick"One of my very favorite books this year, out of EVERYthing I've read this year. A big, rollicking, epic book about a young woman named Hild who lives in 7th century Britain."
[René is the owner of Eagle Harbor Books in Bainbridge. I met her at PNBA where she was so kind so me and to Kelley.]
MISCELLANEOUSHuffington Post
Top 10 Best and Worst Books of 2013, Valerie Stivers-Isakova
"Here's another book that I think is being semi-robbed by the literary establishment, for the depressing, predictable reason that it's being treated as genre. [...] Hild is a brilliantly researched, intensely granular, almost out-of-body experiences of being transported to another world. Every detail of life in the seventh century is foreign, but rings true. The plot kept things moving, and the prose reminded me of Marilynne Robinson in its beauty and strangeness."
io9The Best SF and F books of 2013, by Charlie Jane Anders"Nicola's effortlessly immersive descriptions of life in the Middle Ages will enthrall you, but so will her depiction of a woman trying to survive as the Seer in a society that believes in prophecy and conflicting gods. A must-read for anybody who writes (or reads) historical fantasy."
Northwest Akron Branch LibraryStaff’s Favorite Books of 2013, Ryan I read this novel in June after getting an advanced copy from and meeting the incomparable author at Book Expo America in New York and rarely a day goes by when I don’t think about it. You really feel like you’re experiencing life in 7th Century England…from the comfort of your 21st Century surroundings, of course. Bottom line, Griffith’s words make me swoon.------* I use the word advisedly. It seems it's not seemly for women to take fierce joy in each other.
So here's the ninth roundup up (I've probably missed a bunch of stuff while loafing about over the holidays. If you've seen something fabulous that I've missed, please let me know). Previous roundups are available here.
REVIEWSWashington Post
Hild by Nicola Griffith, Sara Skaroff
"Griffith has taken what little is known of the life of St. Hilda and imagined a vibrant, if brutal, world. Her descriptions are inventive and vivid, making Hild a pleasure to sink into... Our male heroes are going to be jealous."
New York Times MagazineThe Old Gods and the New, Maud Newton[Just a snippet rather than a review but, hey, NYT Magazine!]
The NationalNovel on English saint reveals she is both seer and sage, Deborah Lindsay Williams"Griffith’s book is not a novel to race through, but rather one to sink into and ponder, as Hild does, why people do what they do, why they believe what they do, and whether we control our own fate or whether, in fact, “fate goes as it ever must”."
Paste MagazineHild by Nicola Griffith, Annie Frazier"Evocative and full, the language of Hild forms a rich and colorful and wholly real portrait of an imagined seventh-century England. Completely different, otherworldly in its scope and ambition... Homer and Virgil used similarly breathtaking artistic effects... Intoxicating."[This is long and juicy. Definitely worth reading.]
F5Epic fantasy without magic, Anna Perieberg Anderson"Ambitious, astonishing...vivid, detailed, and utterly real. [...] This is the greatest feat a historical novelist can pull off, and Hild does it better than any book I've read since Kristin Lavransdatter (and Sigrid Undset won the Nobel Prize, so that's high praise). Like Lavransdatter, Hild feels like it was written at the time it portrays — immediate, profound, and captivating."
Notes from the Bedside TableHild: A Big Book for the New Year, René Kirkpatrick"One of my very favorite books this year, out of EVERYthing I've read this year. A big, rollicking, epic book about a young woman named Hild who lives in 7th century Britain."
[René is the owner of Eagle Harbor Books in Bainbridge. I met her at PNBA where she was so kind so me and to Kelley.]
MISCELLANEOUSHuffington Post
Top 10 Best and Worst Books of 2013, Valerie Stivers-Isakova
"Here's another book that I think is being semi-robbed by the literary establishment, for the depressing, predictable reason that it's being treated as genre. [...] Hild is a brilliantly researched, intensely granular, almost out-of-body experiences of being transported to another world. Every detail of life in the seventh century is foreign, but rings true. The plot kept things moving, and the prose reminded me of Marilynne Robinson in its beauty and strangeness."
io9The Best SF and F books of 2013, by Charlie Jane Anders"Nicola's effortlessly immersive descriptions of life in the Middle Ages will enthrall you, but so will her depiction of a woman trying to survive as the Seer in a society that believes in prophecy and conflicting gods. A must-read for anybody who writes (or reads) historical fantasy."
Northwest Akron Branch LibraryStaff’s Favorite Books of 2013, Ryan I read this novel in June after getting an advanced copy from and meeting the incomparable author at Book Expo America in New York and rarely a day goes by when I don’t think about it. You really feel like you’re experiencing life in 7th Century England…from the comfort of your 21st Century surroundings, of course. Bottom line, Griffith’s words make me swoon.------* I use the word advisedly. It seems it's not seemly for women to take fierce joy in each other.
January 12, 2014
Kirkland: reading Tuesday, 1/14 at Wilde Rover 7 pm
Don't forget I'm reading on Tuesday, 7 pm, at the Wilde Rover Pub in Kirkland. It'll be a great evening. Be there!
January 11, 2014
Aud in Kindle for UK?
I'm delighted you managed to get the Aud books at all in the UK. They have never been officially published there, just imported from the US. Clearly HarperCollins (who published The Blue Place) and Riverhead/Penguin (Always) feel able to offer the Kindle version but Vintage/Random House (Stay) don't.From: Susan Robinson
I have just come across your Aud books via Stay, borrowed from my local library. Once I realised it was the second out of three I purchased the others, Blue Place and Always for my Kindle (osteoarthritis makes holding a book uncomfortable).
I would dearly like to have Stay for my Kindle as well. Are there any plans to release it? Right now it seems a bit odd to have the previous and subsequent titles available and be missing this important link in the story.
A bonus for me is discovering your books and knowing I have enjoyment ahead of me. My next purchase will be Hild, having read very complimentary reviews on Facebook!
I couldn't agree with you more: being able to get two of the books and not the third is so far from ideal it approaches the bizarre. Sadly this is currently out of my control. There's nothing I'd like more than to get the rights back to all three and publish them properly and as a coherent package all over the world. I'm working on it. As and when I get my own way on this I'll post the news here.
Yesterday I talked to someone on Facebook who had written a lovely appraisal of Aud, and I realized that, while there's still story to be told, I'm not interested in writing a novel until I control how the series is published. But please don't hold your breath. As I said the other day, the state of UK publishing is a mystery to me.
Meanwhile I'm so very sorry to hear about your arthritis. I've suffered the inability--fortunately only temporary--to hold heavy books and I can only imagine your frustration.
January 10, 2014
Hild in the UK?
There is currently no UK edition of Hild. (Why? It's a mystery to me, truly. I'm told that UK publishing is wary of long books, though I have to say the evidence is to the contrary. It's rather confusing.)From: Sue
Do you have any idea when Hild will be available in the UK? Online sellers that have it are shipping from the US; which I guess I could do, but I keep expecting to find it in bookshops. And the bookshops also don't seem to know anything. I am frustrated!
Sorry to hear that you've been ill -- best wishes for a quick and complete recovery.
This means that everything has to ship from the US. The US publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, tell me that the UK distributor, Melia Publishing Services, is importing books; they just keep selling out. Or as a friend in the UK recently put it:
1. Yes, they are stocking it.
2. Yes, they had an initial delivery, but they were all gone in 6 days. Faster than a startled hind, as Hild might have it.
3. Yes, they have ordered more, but they have no idea when they will get them because demand in the US is so high and it is the Holidays....
The main impression I am getting is, "can't print 'em fast enough" :-)
This is good news for me in the sense that if demand is high the book is doing well. But obviously it sucks for readers--which in the long term is bad for me and for the book.
So my goal is to get the book actually published over there. But as UK publishing appears to be in disarray, I'm sorry to say I've no idea how long that will take.
January 9, 2014
Why is Hild buried at Glastonbury?
From: Julie
I visited Glastonbury for the summer solstice when I was in England - why were Hild's remains taken there from Whitby? (Main purpose of rambling comment). What was Glastonbury's purpose/symbolic meaning to the people who lived at that time?
I'm very interested in the pagan mythologies and histories of England, Wales and Brittany, (Brythonic Celt). Caitlin and John Mathews wrote quite a good book, 'The Western Way, A Practical Guide to the Western Mystery Tradition' which lists old pagan folk stories and tales. Especially of the old Gods and goddesses one might meet along the pathways, disguised. And about the mythology of Glastonbury. But really, why were Hild's real remains taken south to Glastonbury?
(Congratulations on your book - I hope it comes out in Australia soon, if not, I'll just order it online from U.S.)
We don't know that she is. The powers-that-be at Glastonbury have always been most astute with spin; I suspect that Hild's translation from Whitby was a bit of a fantasy. King Edmund of East Anglia (or Saint Edmond, if you prefer; b. 841, killed by Vikings around 870) is meant to have moved ('translated') Hild's remains to Glastonbury...but he's also rumoured to have taken them to Gloucester.
There's also a rumour that in order to escape the ravages of the Vikings a monk of Whitby, Tyccea (there are various spellings of his name) fled to Glasonbury with the holy bones of an assortment of saints of the north. He became abbot of Glastonbury and was active as such in the 750s. The thing is, Viking raids didn't start until around 793--or 787, depending. Whichever ever way you slice it, these dates just don't match.
There's a third rumour that William Percy, the first abbot of Whitby, acquired 'by a miracle' an odd assortment of bones from Glastonbury, including bits and pieces of Hild.
In my opinion, we'll never find her body. But, ah, I wish we could. Just two teeth and a scrap of jewellery (with possible mineralised textile attached) could tell us so much!
As it is, she will remain a mystery. Here, as some consolation, is my notion of what her grave marker might have looked like:
January 8, 2014
Reading: Kirkland, Tuesday 1/14 at 7 pm
I'm doing a SFWA reading on Tuesday, 14 January, 7 pm, at the Wilde Rover pub in Kirkland. I've never been but the menu looks like damn good Irish pub food. And I don't doubt they'll have Guinness.
There will be three of us reading: me, Kelley (who has some crackjack stuff to share) and Janet Freeman-Daily (I haven't read her stuff but I know her; she'll have something fabulous to read). I'll be reading from Hild, and from a brand-new short story--the audience will be the very first people to get a taste of that.
This is as much as community event as a performance. Come early. A bunch o' people, including us, will be showing up around 5:30; I'll be the one surrounded by empty pint glasses and the remains of fish and chips, and beaming...
The evening runs on a strict timetable. We start promptly at 7 pm (so come early if you want to chat). The readers will be introduced briefly by Brenda Cooper. Then Readers 1 & 2 perform their carefully-timed pieces (we've been threatened with the hook if we overstep our 20-minute slot--which I never do; it's the height of rudeness) followed by a brief break (it's a pub; at this point you'll no doubt need more beer). Followed by Reader #3. Followed by a joint Q and A. Followed by signing (bring your own or buy from the great people of the University Book Store). Then out--because music and sometimes Trivia Night kick in around 9 pm so it's best to be gone by then. So we will be.
SFWA asks that you RSVP to give them a notion of numbers. It's not vital, just a kindness, so if you forget come anyway. Hey, it's free. And there'll be beer. What else could be possibly need?
There will be three of us reading: me, Kelley (who has some crackjack stuff to share) and Janet Freeman-Daily (I haven't read her stuff but I know her; she'll have something fabulous to read). I'll be reading from Hild, and from a brand-new short story--the audience will be the very first people to get a taste of that.
This is as much as community event as a performance. Come early. A bunch o' people, including us, will be showing up around 5:30; I'll be the one surrounded by empty pint glasses and the remains of fish and chips, and beaming...
The evening runs on a strict timetable. We start promptly at 7 pm (so come early if you want to chat). The readers will be introduced briefly by Brenda Cooper. Then Readers 1 & 2 perform their carefully-timed pieces (we've been threatened with the hook if we overstep our 20-minute slot--which I never do; it's the height of rudeness) followed by a brief break (it's a pub; at this point you'll no doubt need more beer). Followed by Reader #3. Followed by a joint Q and A. Followed by signing (bring your own or buy from the great people of the University Book Store). Then out--because music and sometimes Trivia Night kick in around 9 pm so it's best to be gone by then. So we will be.
SFWA asks that you RSVP to give them a notion of numbers. It's not vital, just a kindness, so if you forget come anyway. Hey, it's free. And there'll be beer. What else could be possibly need?
January 7, 2014
Audio of Seattle Central Library event
I've never heard myself talk so fast. Wow. A mile a minute. I'm guessing it was all the prednisone...
Two readings from Hild, lots of Q and A, and some stories about this and that from me. Here's the link. Enjoy.
Two readings from Hild, lots of Q and A, and some stories about this and that from me. Here's the link. Enjoy.
January 6, 2014
To come in 2014
The last six months of 2013 were absolutely insane. I was working seven days a week, practically around the clock. This year I'm hoping to loll about a bit more. Expect lots of photos of the park and perbs, birds and cats--at least when I'm not wandering in the seventh century with Hild.
However, best-laid plans, etc. I suspect things might not turn out as predicted. For one thing, I might be travelling a bit. I want to go the UK. I'd love to reschedule the trips I had to cancel--to Chicago, and Madison, and Gary--and to perhaps squeeze in Washington DC, New York, Atlanta, and St. Louis. We'll see.
In terms of Hild, I have a couple of interviews still to come: written, in the Paris Review Daily and a new queer glossy, and video for Well Read and Author Magazine.
Next week (Tuesday 1/14, at 7 pm) I'm reading (with Kelley and Janet Freeman-Daily) at a pub in Kirkland. It's a SFWA-sponsored event, and there's beer! Also, I'll be reading not only from Hild but a brand-new short story.
Which reminds me, I have a story coming out (in June, I think) edited by Ellen Datlow for Tor.com. It's called "Cold Wind." It's set in the here-and-now with a definite historical slant and, y'know, some creepy stuff. I'll talk more about that closer to the time. Meanwhile, here's the art:
by Sam Wolfe Connelly
And speaking of art, I hope to finally show you the collaborative mystery project I've been working on with collagist and print-maker Vicki Platts-Brown. (She made Petalville, and my ammonite prints.)
In terms of teaching, I've been asked to do several things this year but am mostly saying no--except to Clarion West. I've agreed to teach a one-day workshop in mid-April. More details on that later. But if you're interested in the secret of immersive fiction, this might be the thing for you.
One thing I can bet on: 2014 will be a rollercoaster ride. But while we're waiting for the year to build steam, I'll answer a representative sample of AN questions which have collected in drifts and piles in my inbox. Stay tuned.
However, best-laid plans, etc. I suspect things might not turn out as predicted. For one thing, I might be travelling a bit. I want to go the UK. I'd love to reschedule the trips I had to cancel--to Chicago, and Madison, and Gary--and to perhaps squeeze in Washington DC, New York, Atlanta, and St. Louis. We'll see.
In terms of Hild, I have a couple of interviews still to come: written, in the Paris Review Daily and a new queer glossy, and video for Well Read and Author Magazine.
Next week (Tuesday 1/14, at 7 pm) I'm reading (with Kelley and Janet Freeman-Daily) at a pub in Kirkland. It's a SFWA-sponsored event, and there's beer! Also, I'll be reading not only from Hild but a brand-new short story.
Which reminds me, I have a story coming out (in June, I think) edited by Ellen Datlow for Tor.com. It's called "Cold Wind." It's set in the here-and-now with a definite historical slant and, y'know, some creepy stuff. I'll talk more about that closer to the time. Meanwhile, here's the art:
by Sam Wolfe ConnellyAnd speaking of art, I hope to finally show you the collaborative mystery project I've been working on with collagist and print-maker Vicki Platts-Brown. (She made Petalville, and my ammonite prints.)
In terms of teaching, I've been asked to do several things this year but am mostly saying no--except to Clarion West. I've agreed to teach a one-day workshop in mid-April. More details on that later. But if you're interested in the secret of immersive fiction, this might be the thing for you.
One thing I can bet on: 2014 will be a rollercoaster ride. But while we're waiting for the year to build steam, I'll answer a representative sample of AN questions which have collected in drifts and piles in my inbox. Stay tuned.
January 5, 2014
New York Times Magazine
I got a pleasant surprise this morning: I opened the New York Times Magazine while sipping my first tea of the day and found this:
December 30, 2013
My 2013 in review
This is my year in pictures and links. I tried to stuck to two or three links per month but there were times when there was so much going on it was difficult to follow my own rule.
You won't find much soul-searching here; 2013 was a truly fabulous year.
January
Amazing what low light can do...I complete the seventh draft of Hild.I take a selfie (unusual for me, that, but for some reason I'd been getting lots of requests).February
The finished cover ends up looking even better, I thinkI become a US citizen and it is surprisingly moving.Hild cover reveal. (No, it's not me!)I get new author photos.March
The SCOTUS hearings go so well I just want to send everyone flowersUS v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry (but even before it happens it is obvious to me how it will go).Good lesbian sf novels (though I also make it clear there's no such thing as a lesbian novel, of whatever genre)April
I win the Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist Prize--and am delighted!Fun with Hild ARCs: Hildhenge!I take stock of the personal consequences of growing up queer.May
Photo by the incomparable Jennifer DurhamKelley and I go to BEA, where I go beserk doing things. Personal record? Five events in one day.Kelley and I get some new photos.Hild is a Buzz Book.June
Photo by Tony ValenzuelaMy night at the Lammys. (Later, I talk about it in Slate.)25 years to the day I met Kelley, SCOTUS strikes down parts of DOMAJuly
Photo by Christine DoyleKelley and I go to Sacramento where we're co-Guest of Honour at the wild and wonderful big tent of Westercon 66.I'm beginning to feel the work. What follows is the day of mass delete and general apology.August
Photo by Karina MelendezI play with my toys: my ukulele and bow.I get my first fab review for Hild, in KirkusSeptember
Photo by Jennifer DurhamKelley and I get marriedThe blurb that puts me over the edge: a fantastic endorsement from Neil Stephenson and other Hild morselsOctober
I have an excellent adventure at the PNBA, in which I discover it's just like a science fiction convention, and sign my first copies--about 200!--of Hild.The whole month is about Hild. Lots of reviews and interviews start to go up.November
Photo by Jim BergHild is released; I have a splendid party at Hugo House. (Video of same here.)Among other fabulous reviews, one from NPR sends Hild rocketing up the charts. And people start sending me pictures of their cats reading Hild.I am not feeling too good, and decide to cancel my trip to Miami's Book Fair International.December
The Hild audiobook is out--my very first.My MS flares and I must cancel many things, including trips to the midwest and San Francisco.But, wow, Hild sales look like this:
As I say, it was a great year. I posted less than usual because I was overwhelmed with work. Overwork is probably what triggered the MS exacerbation, too. But it could have been the sheer excitement. Even exhilaration is physiologically stressful.
I'm getting over it--though still not willing to travel for a few weeks--and I'm pretty sure 2014 will be amazing, brilliant, and marvellous for me and Kelley.
I hope 2014 brings you all you dream (and plan, and work) for.
You won't find much soul-searching here; 2013 was a truly fabulous year.
January
Amazing what low light can do...I complete the seventh draft of Hild.I take a selfie (unusual for me, that, but for some reason I'd been getting lots of requests).February
The finished cover ends up looking even better, I thinkI become a US citizen and it is surprisingly moving.Hild cover reveal. (No, it's not me!)I get new author photos.March
The SCOTUS hearings go so well I just want to send everyone flowersUS v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry (but even before it happens it is obvious to me how it will go).Good lesbian sf novels (though I also make it clear there's no such thing as a lesbian novel, of whatever genre)April
I win the Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist Prize--and am delighted!Fun with Hild ARCs: Hildhenge!I take stock of the personal consequences of growing up queer.May
Photo by the incomparable Jennifer DurhamKelley and I go to BEA, where I go beserk doing things. Personal record? Five events in one day.Kelley and I get some new photos.Hild is a Buzz Book.June
Photo by Tony ValenzuelaMy night at the Lammys. (Later, I talk about it in Slate.)25 years to the day I met Kelley, SCOTUS strikes down parts of DOMAJuly
Photo by Christine DoyleKelley and I go to Sacramento where we're co-Guest of Honour at the wild and wonderful big tent of Westercon 66.I'm beginning to feel the work. What follows is the day of mass delete and general apology.August
Photo by Karina MelendezI play with my toys: my ukulele and bow.I get my first fab review for Hild, in KirkusSeptember
Photo by Jennifer DurhamKelley and I get marriedThe blurb that puts me over the edge: a fantastic endorsement from Neil Stephenson and other Hild morselsOctober
I have an excellent adventure at the PNBA, in which I discover it's just like a science fiction convention, and sign my first copies--about 200!--of Hild.The whole month is about Hild. Lots of reviews and interviews start to go up.November
Photo by Jim BergHild is released; I have a splendid party at Hugo House. (Video of same here.)Among other fabulous reviews, one from NPR sends Hild rocketing up the charts. And people start sending me pictures of their cats reading Hild.I am not feeling too good, and decide to cancel my trip to Miami's Book Fair International.DecemberThe Hild audiobook is out--my very first.My MS flares and I must cancel many things, including trips to the midwest and San Francisco.But, wow, Hild sales look like this:
As I say, it was a great year. I posted less than usual because I was overwhelmed with work. Overwork is probably what triggered the MS exacerbation, too. But it could have been the sheer excitement. Even exhilaration is physiologically stressful.I'm getting over it--though still not willing to travel for a few weeks--and I'm pretty sure 2014 will be amazing, brilliant, and marvellous for me and Kelley.
I hope 2014 brings you all you dream (and plan, and work) for.
