Siavahda's Blog, page 103

Vampires, Pocket-watches, and Magical Baked Goods; The Burial Club by Parker Foye

The Burial Club (Love Has Claws #2) by Parker Foye
Representation: Queer (Male) Protagonists, Secondary genderqueer/non-binary character
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Fantasy
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
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Aggy Stephenson is a funeral bidder, hand-delivering invitations to funerals in the latest fashion among city elite. His work takes him to the house of Laurel St. John, a man as handsome as he is rich, and as frequently bereaved. Despite the circumstances of their meeting, Aggy quickly falls for Laurel's strange thrall. But they stand on either side of a barrier: wealth, status—and death.

Dilettante, socialite, and vampire, little surprises Laurel—until he meets Aggy. But Laurel isn't the only creature with his eye on Aggy, and not everyone is restricted to hunting at night. When Aggy misses a delivery, Laurel wonders if his love has tired of a life of darkness. Then Aggy's name appears on the list of the nearly departed intended for Laurel's plate, and the sun isn't enough to stop Laurel's wrath.

Can Aggy and Laurel keep walking the thin line between the living and the dead? Or will the city force them to choose between existence—and each other?

*

The Burial Club is the second story from Love Has Claws, a speculative romance trilogy linked by the town of Lastings. They are standalone stories, but your experience may be enhanced by reading Nine Years of Silver (Love Has Claws #1).

Content Warnings: bloody violence; on- and off-screen murder; vampire-specific dub con; death, grief, and mourning; past death of a sibling; vomiting; workplace harassment; abduction.

The second in the Love Has Claws series, Burial Club is set in the same world as Nine Years of Silver, but slightly earlier in the timeline, in a different place and with different characters. None of this disappointed me, since Nine perfectly encapsulated Briar and Quinn’s story; a direct sequel, or any other continuation of their story, wasn’t necessary. Nine was flawless and couldn’t be improved upon.

Like Quinn and Briar, Aggy grew up in Lastings, a sea-side community known for being a place of witches and strange magics. Aggy bears no love for Lastings, though, and left as soon as he could; now he lives in the big city, delivering funeral invitations in the form of biscuits on behalf of the funeral home he works for.

Yes, you heard me. The funeral invites are biscuits. Specifically, sweet biscuits (what Americans call cookies, I think) with the name of the deceased spelled out in cursive icing. It’s the kind of weird, delightful worldbuilding tidbit that I simply adore, a bit of gothic whimsy that beautifully sets the expectations for the relationship at the heart of this story.

For Aggy, you see, meets Laurel – officially The Most Beautiful Man – via his deliveries. Laurel, it seems, is constantly bereaved, receiving funeral biscuits on an almost weekly basis. Which makes Aggy’s interest in him awkward, to say the least – how can you possibly ask out someone so deeply in mourning, especially when you’re the one always bearing news of another death? Laurel must despise the sight of Aggy’s face as the herald of yet another loved one’s passing.

This becomes deliciously hilarious when we learn that Laurel is, in fact, a vampire. If anyone’s a spectre of death in this story, it definitely isn’t Aggy! Seeing the situation first through Aggy’s eyes, then getting the truth of it from Laurel, is a role-reversal that probably shouldn’t tickle me quite as much as it does.

Oh well.

I guess I’ve read so many (badly written) paranormal romances that I was braced for Aggy to be a delicate, innocent little flower. I should have had more faith in Foye; Aggy is, in fact, a headstrong, amoral, vicious-when-necessary young man, who unrepentantly steals from the dead who pass through the funeral home he works in, and works odd nights as a pick-pocket outside the city’s theatres. I’m not sure we’d get on in real life, but he makes for a wonderful character to read about; wry, bitter, a little too impulsive and fearless for his own good, snarky, and – when he finds his heart stolen – possessed of a stunning depth of devotion and adoration that I very much approved of. His dynamic with Laurel is a work of art; I have no words to express how delighted I was to see Laurel’s more feral aspects more than matched by Aggy’s own…undomesticated side. And I don’t mean that as some kind of euphemism for sex; although the sex scenes are deeply erotic, I’m talking about how, when presented with Laurel’s claws, Aggy responds with fascination rather than fear. More than once, Laurel comes across as the more civilised of the two of them – although only barely, and only occasionally.

Really, they’re beautifully matched.

I don’t want to talk much about the plot, both because readers should discover the twists and turns for themselves…and also because, to be honest, the plot wasn’t really what held my attention here. There’s a tiny hint of insta-love to Laurel and Aggy’s connection, and Aggy’s getting himself into trouble only to receive a deux ex machina rescue gets kind of repetitive after the second or third time. But I still loved this book. The writing is every bit as luscious as the baked goods at its core, and the characters and their dynamic are fabulously unconventional. Some readers might be slightly troubled by how indifferent Aggy is to death and murder – he’s not a sadist, just genuinely doesn’t seem to care, and that’s not a character type I get to see too often. Personally, I found Aggy and Laurel as characters interesting enough to overcome the slightly weaker plot.

Honestly, for a story about killers and deaths, this was a weirdly delightful and comforting little book? I’m not sure how to put it into words, because despite the subject matter, this very much became my comfort read when I was too mentally drained to handle anything else. Which is not to say Burial Club is simplistic – it isn’t. It just has a sweetly hypnotic quality completely at odds with its subject matter.

I can only put it down to magic.

The ending leaves several fairly major questions unresolved, so I dearly hope that Foye writes more about Aggy and Laurel at some point, or at least explains the workings of the Tenebrosity Club in some other story. At the same time, I’m kind of happy to handwave those issues in favour of the HEA we’re given, which may have been a bit of the point.

Also, no spoilers, but this book officially includes the most unique bestowed-upon magical ability/superpower I’ve ever seen, and I loved it. I need more people to read this one just so I have someone to giggle with about The Thing, okay?

Okay.

…What are you still doing here? Go buy the book!

Must-Have Monday #10

Typically I use these posts to boost books coming out in the same week, but today I want to highlight some amazing-sounding books that we’ll be waiting a bit longer for than that!

I make no bones about the fact that I’m absolutely addicted to finding yet-to-be-published books to get excited about and pine for. Spending more time on Twitter has only worsened the addiction, since news of books I’ve never heard of are always crossing my feed – cover reveals, publication dates being set, even news of deals signed between authors and their publishers (or agents). And I desperately want more people to flail with about some of these!

So here’s just a few books we should be getting in 2020 that I can’t wait for!

Lobizona (Wolves of No World, #1) by Romina Garber, Romina Russell
Representation: PoC, Immigration
Published by Swoon Reads on 5th May 2020
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

Some people ARE illegal.

Lobizonas do NOT exist.

Both of these statements are false.

Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who's on the run from her father's Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida.

Until Manu's protective bubble is shattered.

Her surrogate grandmother is attacked, lifelong lies are exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, and finally without shackles, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past—a mysterious "Z" emblem—which leads her to a secret world buried within our own. A world connected to her dead father and his criminal past. A world straight out of Argentine folklore, where the seventh consecutive daughter is born a bruja and the seventh consecutive son is a lobizón, a werewolf. A world where her unusual eyes allow her to belong.

As Manu uncovers her own story and traces her real heritage all the way back to a cursed city in Argentina, she learns it's not just her U.S. residency that's illegal. . . .it's her entire existence.

I mean…this sounds fucking amazing. Immigration and racial issues braided with Argentinian folklore?! Seventh daughters and seventh sons, werewolves and brujas, isolated heroines growing into their true place in the world? Hell to the yes!

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Representation: PoC, Queer Protagonists (Trans MC)
Published by Swoon Reads on 7th July 2020
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

Bestowed by the ancient gods of Maya, Yadriel and the gifted members of his Latinx community can see spirits: women have the power to heal bodies and souls, while men can release lost spirits to the afterlife. But Yadriel, a trans boy, has never been able to perform the tasks of the brujas – because he is a brujo.

When his cousin suddenly dies, Yadriel takes matters into his own hands and successfully summons a ghost. The only problem is, it’s not his cousin, it’s Julian Diaz, the resident bad boy of his high school. Worse, he’s pissed about his death and demands answers.

Yadriel agrees to help Julian discover how he died. In exchange, Julian will let Yadriel release his spirit, finally proving himself a brujo. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less Yadriel wants to let him go, and time is running out.

I’ve been waiting for this one for a long time, and I need people to be waiting with me!!! One of my favourite tropes is magic reinforcing non-cis gender identity; like unicorns who don’t like boys happily cuddling up to trans girls, genderqueer witches discovering a new kind of magic when boy/girl magic doesn’t work for them, etc. I’ve mostly had to go to fanfic for my fix, though; this is the first trad-pubbed book I can remember that’s taking the idea and running with it. But damn is it running with it!

I have no idea how a romance with a ghost can end well, though. YOU’D BETTER NOT BREAK MY HEART AIDEN THOMAS!!!

The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska
Representation: Queer Protagonists, Bisexual, F/F or wlw
on June 1st 2020
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

A fast-paced, well-plotted fantasy retelling of an ancient Scottish fairy tale ballad, this exciting debut will appeal to fans of Stephanie Garber's CARAVAL, Shea Ernshaw's THE WICKED DEEP, and Kendare Blake's THREE DARK CROWNS.

Every year on Walpurgis Night, Caldella's Witch Queen lures a young boy back to her palace. An innocent life to be sacrificed on the full moon to keep the island city from sinking.

Convinced her handsome brother is going to be taken, sixteen-year-old Lina Kirk enlists the help of the mysterious Tomas Lin, her secret crush, and the only boy to ever escape from the palace. Working together they protect her brother, but draw the Queen's attention. When the Queen spirits Tomas away instead, Lina blames herself and determines to go after him.

Caught breaking into the palace, the Queen offers Lina a deal: she will let Tomas go, if, of course, Lina agrees to take his place. Lina accepts, with a month before the full moon, surely she can find some way to escape. But the Queen is nothing like she envisioned, and Lina is not at all what the Queen expected. Against their will, they find themselves falling for each other. As water floods Caldella's streets and the dark tide demands its sacrifice, they must choose who to save: themselves, each other, or the island city relying on them both.

The original stand-in blurb for this one was “sacrifices herself to her sinking island-city’s Witch Queen in order to save the boy she likes, but ends up falling in love with the witch herself”, which, honestly, was all I need to know. But the expanded description gives me so many more details to pounce on! The only ancient Scottish ballad I know is ‘Tam Lyn’, but this doesn’t sound too much like a Tam Lyn retelling…? Except kinda, with a Faerie Witch Queen stealing boys to preserve her kingdom? That sounds like the Seelie Queen taking young men for Faerie’s tithe to Hell… Regardless, I don’t care if it’s a retelling or what it’s a retelling of, because it sounds absolutely awesome.

Elatsoe Representation: Queer Protagonists (Asexual Aromantic MC), PoC (First Nations)
on Fall 2020
Genres: Fantasy
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

Elatsoe is a ghostly YA set in a contemporary America shaped by the ancestral magics and knowledge of its Indigenous and immigrant peoples. When Elatsoe's beloved older cousin dies under mysterious circumstances, Elatsoe must track down his murderer in a town none too willing to give up its dark secrets. The book will be illustrated by Rovina Cai, illustrator of And the Ocean Was Our Sky.

There’s not been a whole lot of information released about this one yet, but it’s written by an Apache author who has confirmed that the MC is ace and aro, as well as First Nations! And I truly love the sound of a world/country shaped by the myths and beliefs of the people who live there!

Euphoria Kids Representation: Queer Protagonists (inc non-binary & trans)
on February 2020
Genres: Fantasy
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

Ever since the witch cursed Babs, she turns invisible sometimes. She has her mum and her dog, but teachers and classmates barely notice her. Then, one day, Iris can see her. And Iris likes what they see. Babs is made of fire.

Iris grew from a seed in the ground. They have friends, but not human ones. Not until they meet Babs. The two of them have a lot in common: they speak to dryads and faeries, and they're connected to the magic that's all around them.

There's a new boy at school, a boy who's like them and who hasn't found his real name. Soon the three of them are hanging out and trying spellwork together. Magic can be dangerous, though. Witches and fae can be cruel. Something is happening in the other realm, and despite being warned to stay away, the three friends have to figure out how to deal with it on their own terms.

Anyone who loves the work of Francesca Lia Block and delights in Studio Ghibli films will be entranced by this gorgeous and gentle young adult novel about three queer friends who come into their power.

I swear, I stumbled upon this one by pure chance on Twitter – and am so glad I did! That cover makes me swoon, and the blurb makes me tear up with joy. I can’t even!!!

I love Francesca Lia Block’s writing style, so that wedded to an even more fantastical and queer story sounds so unbelievably perfect??? And for some reason I haven’t heard anyone else shrieking about this book!

SHRIEK WITH ME, PEOPLE. SHRIEK!

(I’m currently reading Highway Bodies by this same author, and it is amazing. I can’t wait to finish it up and review it! So I’m even more assured that Euphoria Kids is going to be epic, is my point here).

What upcoming releases do you feel the need to scream about???

Must-Have Monday #9!

The Fall publishing season is just spoiling us with goodies, and I don’t know how I’m going to sleep tonight waiting for the ones launching tomorrow!

Let’s have a quick overview of a few we’re getting this week!

The Library of the Unwritten (A Novel from Hell's Library, #1) by A.J. Hackwith
Representation: Queer Protagonists, wlw or F/F romance
on 1st October 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

In the first book in a brilliant new fantasy series, books that aren't finished by their authors reside in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, and it is up to the Librarian to track down any restless characters who emerge from those unfinished stories.

Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing-- a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.

But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil's Bible. The text of the Devil's Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell....and Earth.

I kind of feel like I sold my soul at the crossroads for the perfect book, and AJ Hackwith was the one to write it. A library of unfinished and unwritten books??? Magic librarians??? A war between heaven and hell??? And a sapphic romance (not mentioned in the blurb, but promised elsewhere)???

If anyone comes looking for me tomorrow, they’re going to get shoes thrown at them until they GO AWAY because I will be READING LIKE MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT.

Daughters of Nri (The Return of the Earth Mother, #1) by Reni K Amayo
Representation: PoC
on 1st October 2019
Genres: Fantasy
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

A gruesome war results in the old gods' departure from earth. The only remnants of their existence lie in two girls. Twins, separated at birth. Goddesses who grow up believing that they are human. Daughters Of Nri explores their epic journey of self-discovery as they embark on a path back to one another.

Strong-willed Naala grows up seeking adventure in her quiet and small village. While the more reserved Sinai resides in the cold and political palace of Nri. Though miles apart, both girls share an indestructible bond: they share the same blood, the same face, and possess the same unspoken magic, thought to have vanished with the lost gods.

The twin girls were separated at birth, a price paid to ensure their survival from Eze Ochichiri, the man who rules the Kingdom of Nri. Both girls are tested in ways that awaken a mystical, formidable power deep within themselves. Eventually, their paths both lead back to the mighty Eze.

But can they defeat the man who brought the gods themselves to their knees?

I don’t know a whole lot more about this one than what’s told us in the intriguing blurb, and what we can see in that gorgeous cover. But I love the concept and I have my fingers tightly crossed that it’s as great a read as it sounds! I mean, goddesses who grow up believing they’re human? I can’t wait to see what Amayo does with that!

Crier's War (Crier's War, #1) by Nina Varela
Representation: Queer Protagonists, wlw or F/F romance
on 1st October 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, designed to be the playthings of royals, usurped their owners’ estates and bent the human race to their will.

Now Ayla, a human servant rising in the ranks at the House of the Sovereign, dreams of avenging her family’s death…by killing the sovereign’s daughter, Lady Crier.

Crier was Made to be beautiful, flawless, and to carry on her father’s legacy. But that was before her betrothal to the enigmatic Scyre Kinok, before she discovered her father isn’t the benevolent king she once admired, and most importantly, before she met Ayla.

Now, with growing human unrest across the land, pressures from a foreign queen, and an evil new leader on the rise, Crier and Ayla find there may be only one path to love: war.

I admit I wasn’t originally convinced by this one – it sounded a bit generically YA-dystopia when it was first described to me. But the more I heard the better it sounded, so I’m tentatively hopeful that this one will live up to the hype. I admit to being fascinated by the dynamic of a human girl and a ‘perfected’ Automae falling for each other, and I hope that’s something that’s explored instead of hand-waved. But! Hopeful!Sia is hopeful!

Angel Mage by Garth Nix
on 1st October 2019
Genres: Secondary World Fantasy
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

More than a century has passed since Liliath crept into the empty sarcophagus of Saint Marguerite, fleeing the Fall of Ystara. But she emerges from her magical sleep still beautiful, looking no more than nineteen, and once again renews her single-minded quest to be united with her lover, Palleniel, the archangel of Ystara.

A seemingly impossible quest, but Liliath is one of the greatest practitioners of angelic magic to have ever lived, summoning angels and forcing them to do her bidding.

Liliath knew that most of the inhabitants of Ystara died from the Ash Blood plague or were transformed into beastlings, and she herself led the survivors who fled into neighboring Sarance. Now she learns that angels shun the Ystaran’s descendants. If they are touched by angelic magic, their blood will turn to ash. They are known as Refusers, and can only live the most lowly lives.

But Liliath cares nothing for the descendants of her people, save how they can serve her. It is four young Sarancians who hold her interest: Simeon, a studious doctor-in-training; Henri, a dedicated fortune hunter; Agnez, an adventurous musketeer cadet; and Dorotea, an icon-maker and scholar of angelic magic. They are the key to her quest.

The four feel a strange kinship from the moment they meet, but do not know why, or suspect their importance. All become pawns in Liliath’s grand scheme to fulfill her destiny and be united with the love of her life. No matter the cost to everyone else. . .

Garth Nix is a name to conjure with, but I have to admit I haven’t been a particular fan – I loved so much about the Abhorsen series, but I couldn’t actually manage to enjoy reading it, and I haven’t tried any of Nix’s other books. However, I’m hugely interested in angels (I unpacked a book of angelic magic just last night to give it pride of place on my witchy-books shelf) and the figure Lilith in particular. I know the character here is called Liliath, not Lilith, but it’s close enough to make me take notice, and what with the book being a standalone and having that beautiful a cover, I felt happy taking the risk. We’ll see if it pays off!

A Queen of Blood and Glitter by Benjamin Kissell
Representation: Queer Protagonists
on 5th October 2019
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Urban Fantasy
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

Vengeance.

Moon-cold silver eyes, inky black hair that spills over jewel-encrusted costumes and be’ribboned Glamours, and an unforgiving nature – these are the hallmarks of Carterburg’s premiere half-Faerie drag queen, Blodeuwedd the Miss Nomer.

Loss.

Murder, mayhem, monsters, and mystery all begin spinning out of control when The Phosphorescent – the newest Faerie ‘Court’ in Carterburg’s Fae District – makes a boldly dangerous move in preparation for Samhain. In their wake, new problems unfold for all involved - especially the Court Investigator, Circe.

Pain.

The chain of events and vengeance that follows gathers speed as it threatens to swallow not only The Phosphorescent, but innocent civilians, Miss Nomer, Circe, and the High Court of Faerie. Before a crown can be lifted, their actions will threaten the very balance of the realms themselves.

What price vengeance? What cost ambition? What toll absolution?

It’s not personal: It’s drag.

Coming a little later this week is this book that sounds like a modern, queer version of War for the Oaks. I’m really hoping it can live up to its premise, because it sounds freakin’ epic!

There’s a couple more cool releases this week – any you guys are looking forward to?

Gimme! or, Books On My Fall 2019 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Check out upcoming Top Ten themes on Jana’s blog!

Today’s TTT theme is Books On My Fall 2019 TBR – and it was not easy to limit myself to ten! 2019 has been an epic year for books, and is looking to keep being epic right up to the end.

I count March as the first month of Spring, so my Fall = September, October, November.

Now, onwards!

The Library of the Unwritten (A Novel from Hell's Library, #1) by A.J. Hackwith
Representation: Queer Protagonists
Published by Ace Books on 1st October 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

In the first book in a brilliant new fantasy series, books that aren't finished by their authors reside in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, and it is up to the Librarian to track down any restless characters who emerge from those unfinished stories.

Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing-- a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.

But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil's Bible. The text of the Devil's Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell....and Earth.

I have been waiting for this book for over a year. A magical library where unfinished stories go? Say no more! But seriously, I’m fascinated by the theology and mythology of Hell and am always interested to see how it’s presented by different writers. Demons and angels are very much one of my Things – my shelves are loaded down with Enochian dictionaries and grimoires of angelic magic, and I’ve spent years reading, researching, and writing about them. I’m very hopeful that the angels here won’t be fluffy babies with wings.

So toss the librarian of unfinished stories into the middle of a Celestial/Infernal war, and throw in queer rep, and you’ve pretty much ticked every box on my list!

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse (The Thorne Chronicles, #1) by K. Eason
Published by DAW Books on 8th October 2019
Genres: Science Fantasy
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

First in a duology that reimagines fairy tale tropes within a space opera--The Princess Bride meets Princess Leia.

Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she'd inherit her father's throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium.

Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world.

When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is a feminist reimagining of familiar fairytale tropes and a story of resistance and self-determination--how small acts of rebellion can lead a princess to not just save herself, but change the course of history.

This just sounds like a ridiculous amount of fun. I love the title, I love the cover, I love the pitch, and I can’t wait to curl up somewhere comfy and crack this one open.

The Never Tilting World (The Never Tilting World, #1) by Rin Chupeco
Representation: F/F or wlw, PoC
Published by HarperTeen on 15th October 2019
Genres: Secondary World Fantasy
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

Frozen meets Mad Max in this epic teen fantasy duology bursting with star-crossed romance, immortal heroines, and elemental magic, perfect for fans of Furyborn.

Generations of twin goddesses have long ruled Aeon. But seventeen years ago, one sister’s betrayal defied an ancient prophecy and split their world in two. The planet ceased to spin, and a Great Abyss now divides two realms: one cloaked in perpetual night, the other scorched by an unrelenting sun.

While one sister rules Aranth—a frozen city surrounded by a storm-wracked sea —her twin inhabits the sand-locked Golden City. Each goddess has raised a daughter, and each keeps her own secrets about her sister’s betrayal.

But when shadowy forces begin to call their daughters, Odessa and Haidee, back to the site of the Breaking, the two young goddesses —along with a powerful healer from Aranth, and a mouthy desert scavenger —set out on separate journeys across treacherous wastelands, desperate to heal their broken world. No matter the sacrifice it demands.

I’ve never quite managed to sit down and finish this author’s Bone-Witch trilogy, but I remember being entranced by her decadent writing style and am eager to try those books again – as well as this new one! Twin goddesses of light and dark, plus a queer romance and seriously gorgeous writing? I’m swooning already.

The Burning White (Lightbringer #5) by Brent Weeks
Representation: PoC, fat/heavy lead, disability
Published by Orbit on 22nd October 2019
Genres: Secondary World Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 992
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
Goodreads

The nail-biting conclusion to the Lightbringer series!

Stripped of both magical and political power, the people he once ruled told he's dead, and now imprisoned in his own magical dungeon, former Emperor Gavin Guile has no prospect of escape. But the world faces a calamity greater than the Seven Satrapies has ever seen... and only he can save it.

As the armies of the White King defeat the Chromeria and old gods are born anew, the fate of worlds will come down to one question: Who is the Lightbringer?

Finally, finally, the climax to one of the best epic fantasy series of all time is almost here! I adore this series so much – the magic system is incredibly unique and clever, the worldbuilding is unparalleled, the stakes are high, the cast is just brilliant… I could go on, but we still have the rest of the ten to get through!

I reread these books almost every year, and am delightedly rereading them now so I can pounce on Burning White the moment it releases. I don’t begrudge Weeks a moment of how long it’s taken, but I genuinely cannot wait to find out how it all ends – and with the book clocking in at just under a thousand pages, I’m confident it’s going to be a worthy finale.

The Name of All Things (A Chorus of Dragons, #2) by Jenn Lyons
Representation: Bisexual Male Protagonist, PoC, multiple secondary queer characters
Published by Tor Books on 29th October 2019
Genres: Epic Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy, Queer Protagonists

You can have everything you want if you sacrifice everything you believe.

Kihrin D'Mon is a wanted man.

Since he destroyed the Stone of Shackles and set demons free across Quur, he has been on the run from the wrath of an entire empire. His attempt to escape brings him into the path of Janel Theranon, a mysterious Joratese woman who claims to know Kihrin.

Janel's plea for help pits Kihrin against all manner of dangers: a secret rebellion, a dragon capable of destroying an entire city, and Kihrin's old enemy, the wizard Relos Var.

Janel believes that Relos Var possesses one of the most powerful artifacts in the world―the Cornerstone called the Name of All Things. And if Janel is right, then there may be nothing in the world that can stop Relos Var from getting what he wants.

And what he wants is Kihrin D'Mon.

Jenn Lyons continues the Chorus of Dragons series with The Name of All Things, the epic sequel to The Ruin of Kings

I loved The Ruin of Kings, book one in this series, and after getting to meet Jenn Lyons at Worldcon this year and hearing a little bit about what’s coming in book two, I’m even more excited for this sequel. RoK was an incredibly fresh, subversive take on a whole bunch of traditional epic fantasy tropes, while also reclaiming some of the things that make the Fantasy genre so special, but that have been a bit neglected lately. (Aka, PROPER DRAGONS!) So I can’t wait to see Lyons’ unique spin on fantasy applied to a whole new book!

Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland, AdriAnne Strickland
Representation: Asexual protagonist
Published by Imprint on 29th October 2019
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Fantasy
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Kamai was warned never to open the black door, but she didn't listen ...

Everyone has a soul. Some are beautiful gardens, others are frightening dungeons. Soulwalkers―like Kamai and her mother―can journey into other people's souls while they sleep.

But no matter where Kamai visits, she sees the black door. It follows her into every soul, and her mother has told her to never, ever open it.

When Kamai touches the door, it is warm and beating, like it has a pulse. When she puts her ear to it, she hears her own name whispered from the other side. And when tragedy strikes, Kamai does the unthinkable: she opens the door.

A.M. Strickland's imaginative dark fantasy features court intrigue and romance, a main character coming to terms with her asexuality, and twists and turns as a seductive mystery unfolds that endangers not just Kamai's own soul, but the entire kingdom ...

I had a Moment with this author on Twitter, when we commiserated about both being happily married asexuals (something far too many people consider to be an oxymoron – but we know who the actual morons are, don’t we?) So I’m extra excited to see some ace rep in a fantasy with such an interesting premise. And as someone who spent four years studying religion and philosophy, I’m really interested in what sounds like a very unique take on the concept of the human soul.

Deeplight by Frances Hardinge
Published by Macmillan Children's Books on 31st October 2019
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For centuries the gods of the Undersea ruled the islands of the Myriad through awe and terror: they were very real, and very dangerous. Sacrifices were hurled into the waters to appease them, and every boat was painted with pleading eyes to entreat their mercy. They were served, feared and adored. Then, thirty years ago, the gods rose up in madness and tore each other apart.

Now, none remain. The islands have recovered and the people have patched their battered ships and moved on.

On one of these islands live Hark and his best friend Jelt. To them, the gods are nothing but a collection of valuable scraps to be scavenged from the ocean and sold.

But now something is pulsing beneath the waves, calling to someone brave enough to retrieve it.

It’s by Frances Hardinge. I literally do not need to know anything else about it.

Unnatural Magic by C.M. Waggoner
Representation: Queer characters, non-binary gender system
Published by Ace on 5th November 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
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A “brilliant and terrifically fun”* debut novel brings an enchanting new voice to fantasy.

Onna can write the parameters of a spell faster than any of the young men in her village school. But despite her incredible abilities, she’s denied a place at the nation’s premier arcane academy. Undaunted, she sails to the bustling city-state of Hexos, hoping to find a place at a university where they don’t think there’s anything untoward about providing a woman with a magical education. But as soon as Onna arrives, she’s drawn into the mysterious murder of four trolls.

Tsira is a troll who never quite fit into her clan, despite being the leader’s daughter. She decides to strike out on her own and look for work in a human city, but on her way she stumbles upon the body of a half-dead human soldier in the snow. As she slowly nurses him back to health, an unlikely bond forms between them, one that is tested when an unknown mage makes an attempt on Tsira’s life. Soon, unbeknownst to each other, Onna and Tsira both begin devoting their considerable talents to finding out who is targeting trolls, before their homeland is torn apart…

*Kat Howard, Alex Award-winning author of An Unkindness of Magicians

This is the ‘trolls not gender roles’ book! Again, I feel like I don’t need to know anything else, but I have in fact heard incredibly good things about this one from many reviewers and authors whose taste I trust. It sounds like it’s got a bit of that Jonathan Swift and Mr Norrell vibe, only more openly feminist and with non-binary genders included in the worldbuilding. I’ll be very surprised if I don’t end up in love with this one.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, Jonathan Snipes
Representation: PoC
Published by Gallery / Saga Press on 5th November 2019
Genres: Fantasy
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Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.

Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface, escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities—and discovers a world her people left behind long ago.

Yetu will learn more than she ever expected to about her own past—and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity—and own who they really are.

I mean…the mermaid descendants of African slaves. I don’t think this will be an easy read – Solomons’ debut Unkindness of Ghosts was exquisite and is definitely going on my Best of the Decade list, but it’s soul-scouring – but I do think it will be more than worth it.

The Impossible Contract (Chronicles of Ghadid #2) by K.A. Doore
Representation: PoC, Queer Protagonist
Published by Tor Books on 12th November 2019
Genres: Secondary World Fantasy, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
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Second in K. A. Doore's high fantasy adventure series the Chronicles of Ghadid, a determined assassin travels to the heart of the Empire in pursuit of a powerful mark, for fans of Robin Hobb, Sarah J. Maas, and S. A. Chakraborty

Thana has a huge reputation to live up to as daughter of the Serpent, who rules over Ghadid’s secret clan of assassins. Opportunity to prove herself arrives when Thana accepts her first contract on Heru, a dangerous foreign diplomat with the ability to bind a person’s soul under his control.

She may be in over her head, especially when Heru is targeted by a rival sorcerer who sends hordes of the undead to attack them both. When Heru flees, Thana has no choice than to pursue him across the sands to the Empire that intends to capture Ghadid inside its iron grip.

A stranger in a strange city, Thana’s only ally is Mo, a healer who may be too noble for her own good. Meanwhile, otherworldly and political dangers lurk around every corner, and even more sinister plans are uncovered which could lead to worldwide devastation. Can Thana rise to the challenge―even if it means facing off against an ancient evil?

Doore’s debut, the first book in this series, was the first time I’d seen an asexual romance on-page. It was a very, very big deal to me, and even aside from that, the writing, worldbuilding, and characters were all wonderful. One of the secondary characters of the first book takes the lead in this one, and from things Doore’s said on Twitter, this trilogy (series?) will only get more queer as it goes along. So sign me up!

That’s it from me! What is everyone else looking forward to?

Even Better Than Fiction: Interview with Tyler Hayes, Author of Imaginary Corpse!

Hayes’ debut Imaginary Corpse, which was only published last week, absolutely blew me away when I got the chance to read it, and I’ve barely shut up about it since. Angry Robot, who published it, caught wind of my flailing and asked if I might like to do an interview with Mr Hayes?

Actual video footage of my reaction to being offered an interview.

OF COURSE I DID, I told them. YES VERY MUCH PLEASE!

Now, a secret: I was super nervous. My blog is a baby blog! I’d never done an interview before that wasn’t for a school project! And this was the dude who wrote a diverse hopepunk murder mystery set in the human imagination and narrated by a yellow triceratops plushie – aka, the best thing!!! What would it be like actually talking to someone that awesome???

Well, spoiler alert: it was epic. Tyler Hayes is just as cool as his book. Don’t believe me? Then read on for the interview, conducted by email across many, many timezones!

Content warnings for discussion of privilege, mental health issues incl PTSD and trauma, and mentions of the 2016 USA elections/the General State of the World.

The Interview

Me: So, Mr Hayes… What should I call you, and what are your pronouns? I’m Sia, agender but she/her, and I have never done an author interview before!

Tyler: Thank you for asking! I’m a cis man, he/him.

I am so excited, your review seriously made me vibrate with joy. I am so glad this connected for you!

Me: I am ridiculously happy that you liked the review – as is obvious, I freaking adored your book, so I’m glad I could, I don’t know, reflect some of that joy back to you. A tiny bit! I honestly haven’t been so excited about a book for a long time – my husband sends his gratitude, by the way, since he immensely enjoyed watching me flail around with delight as I read it!

Something super simple to start with: did you ever have an imaginary friend, or know someone who did/does?

Tyler: Oh gosh, thank you so very much for your kind words! This book was a labor of love and hearing that love, as you say, reflected onto others means the world to me.

Definitely!
Mine was named Jokey, and I could not tell you what he looked like now but
apparently he loved hanging upside down from trees. When I tried to draw him I
wound up drawing Orbitty from the Jetsons, more or less, but I am pretty sure
that isn’t what Jokey looked like.

I have many friends who had imaginary friends! I don’t want to speak out of turn and reveal names, but I had some folks ask me to personalize their copies of The Imaginary Corpse, which I thought was really fitting.

Me: What made you want to write about imaginary friends? Was there ever a real-life Tippy?

Tyler: The Imaginary Corpse has its roots in a game of Let’s Pretend my dad and I played as kids, called Stuffed Animal Detective Agency, where we took all my stuffed animals and we made funny voices for them and had them solve crimes…by which I really mean I made my dad make funny voices and tell bad jokes at my behest. But many years later, I started noodling on the idea of turning the Stuffed Animal Detectives into a novel, but I wanted to write for adults, so I needed something else to play with there…jumping to The Velveteen Rabbit felt natural, the idea of stuffed animals loved so much they become real beings, and so I thought of the idea of an imaginary friend being loved Real, and it was all kinda downhill from there.

And that dovetails with my next answer: Yes, there was, and is, a real-life Tippy the stuffed triceratops. I have him sitting on my nightstand right now. He’s not in a detective outfit, but he is yellow!

Me: I’m not going to lie, those were absolutely the answers I was hoping for, because that’s just ridiculously delightful! And I love the thought of you personalising copies for people’s Friends – that really does seem very appropriate, somehow.

I must tell you that learning that the Stuffed Animal Detective Agency is/was in fact a real thing is just the best. I’m probably going to be grinning like a twit all day, knowing that. Even moreso knowing there’s a real Tippy!

Tougher/deeper question now: I’m agender, so the first time Tippy asks someone’s pronouns in the book was a big deal to me – even moreso when it became obvious that that question is a standard part of Stillreal etiquette. But it was actually the very first page that told me Imaginary Corpse was going to be something really special, beyond the awesome premise. You had Tippy say ‘No is fine. No is always fine here.’ Which is – an incredibly powerful statement, and one I think a lot of us, unfortunately, didn’t and don’t hear often enough. It set the tone for the whole book, that what I’ll call Millennial values, for lack of a better term, were going to be intrinsic – things like ‘no is fine’, and consent, and personal space, and gender being a spectrum not a binary, etc. I am so glad that you did, obviously, but I have to ask; what made you decide to go that route? Because of course, you didn’t have to.

…Said absolutely no one on this blog.

Tyler: This
is a long answer, so I’ll summarize first: Because I refuse to give into the
defaults, everyone who isn’t cruel deserves to feel seen, and I have privilege
enough to weather the storm of judgment for doing it.

Digging
deeper: It kind of started with the scene where Spindleman is introduced, and
it kind of started with…let’s be vague and avoid trauma triggers and say
“recent political developments in major developed nations.” When I
was writing the scene with Spindleman, I realized that there was absolutely no
reason for an amorphous drill-monster to adhere to the artificial gender
binary, and also no reason for Tippy to know what gender it is at the outset.
Combine that with me having a lot of trans, nonbinary, agender, and
gender-non-conforming friends, and I said, “No, this is where I take a
stand. In the Stillreal we ask for pronouns.” And once I did that, I
thought, why not go all the way?

So
every character I wrote, I asked myself, do they need to be white? Do they need
to be cis? Do they need to be male? Do they need to be straight? And of course,
the answer was pretty much always No. (There are two exceptions where I said
“Yes, they do,” but they are spoilers to discuss. You likely know who
I mean though.

Must-Have Monday: September’s Epic Releases, Part #3

Another week has rolled around, which means another set of wonderful books are launching tomorrow! (And hey – does anyone know why books tend to be published on Tuesdays??? What’s up with that?) This week there’s only three releases I’m looking forward to, but they all sound like there’s going to be awesome!

The Babysitters Coven (The Babysitters Coven, #1) by Kate Williams
Published by Delacorte Press on 17th September 2019
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
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Adventures in Babysitting



meets



Buffy the Vampire Slayer



in this funny, action-packed novel about a coven of witchy babysitters who realize their calling to protect the innocent and save the world from an onslaught of evil.



Seventeen-year-old Esme Pearl has a babysitters club. She knows it's kinda lame, but what else is she supposed to do? Get a job? Gross. Besides, Esme likes babysitting, and she's good at it.

And lately Esme needs all the cash she can get, because it seems like destruction follows her wherever she goes. Let's just say she owes some people a new tree.

Enter Cassandra Heaven. She's Instagram-model hot, dresses like she found her clothes in a dumpster, and has a rebellious streak as gnarly as the cafeteria food. So why is Cassandra willing to do anything, even take on a potty-training two-year-old, to join Esme's babysitters club?

The answer lies in a mysterious note Cassandra's mother left her: "Find the babysitters. Love, Mom."

Turns out, Esme and Cassandra have more in common than they think, and they're about to discover what being a babysitter really means: a heroic lineage of superpowers, magic rituals, and saving the innocent from seriously terrifying evil. And all before the parents get home.

From Cate Tiernan’s Sweep/Wicca series to Amy Garvey’s Cold Kiss and Laura Eve’s Graces, teen witches – done right – are absolutely my jam. The Babysitter’s Coven sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun – the title and cover alone would have convinced me to give it a go, even if the blurb didn’t sound like a good read too!

Saving Fable by Scott Reintgen
Representation: PoC
on 17th September 2019
Genres: Fantasy
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Side characters can be heroes too in this charming and fast-paced adventure that is The Land of Stories meets The Phantom Tollbooth!

Indira has been a character-in-waiting her entire life. So she can't believe her luck when she's finally chosen to travel to Fable and study at the renowned Protagonist Preparatory, a school known for producing the best heroes.

But Indira's dreams of achieving hero status don't exactly go as planned. A failed audition lands her in the school's side-character track, and her best efforts to prove advisors--famous characters like Alice from Wonderland and Professor Darcy--wrong are constantly sabotaged. Indira is starting to feel like an evil antagonist might be to blame.

As the danger spreads, Indira discovers all of Fable is under siege. With her friends Maxi and Phoenix by her side, she pieces together clues that will reveal who is behind the dark magic threatening them all. But the more Indira uncovers, the more doubt she feels about her place in this world of stories. After all, can a side character really save the day?

Ever since reading (and loving) Stephanie Burgis’ Dragon With a Chocolate Heart, I’ve been making tentative but hopeful forays into Middle-Grade fiction. Fable looks like a book written to tick all my boxes, and one I can pass onto my little sisters when I’m done. I can’t wait to give it a go!

The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O'Neill
Representation: Non-binary, mlm or M/M, PoC, Sign language
on 17th September 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
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Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago. With the aid of Rinn’s adventuring uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, they investigate the mystery of his enchanted sleep, but Rinn’s real challenge is to help Aedhan come to terms with feeling that he cannot get back the time he has lost.

A second graphic novel set in the same world (and with some of the same characters) as O’Neill’s The Tea Dragon Society, TTDF looks like it’ll be just as beautiful, sweet, and diverse as the first book. I adored Society without reservation, and still covet a Tea Dragon of my own! But a second book set in this gorgeous world will do very well as a substitute. I hope it’s the first of many sequels!

That’s it from me! Any other releases people are excited for this week?

One of this decade’s latest and greatest: The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes

The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes
Representation: PTSD/Trauma, multiple characters of color, multiple LGBTQ+ characters
on 10th September 2019
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 297
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
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A dinosaur detective in the land of unwanted ideas battles trauma, anxiety, and the first serial killer of imaginary friends.

Most ideas fade away when we're done with them. Some we love enough to become Real. But what about the ones we love, and walk away from?

Tippy the triceratops was once a little girl's imaginary friend, a dinosaur detective who could help her make sense of the world. But when her father died, Tippy fell into the Stillreal, the underbelly of the Imagination, where discarded ideas go when they're too Real to disappear. Now, he passes time doing detective work for other unwanted ideas - until Tippy runs into the Teatime Man, a nightmare monster who can do the impossible: kill an idea permanently. Now Tippy must overcome his own trauma and solve the case, before there's nothing left but imaginary corpses.

File Unders: Fantasy [ Fuzzy Fiends - Death to Imagination - Hardboiled but Sweet - Not Barney ]

Gods above, this was one incredible ride! I finished it in just under 24 hours – and it only took me that long because I had to break for Monday’s workday. But Imaginary Corpse is pretty literally unputdownable.

My mind is so blown.

Imaginary Corpse is the book I didn’t know I wanted. No: didn’t know I needed. I’ve read stories by younger authors, but this is the first book that has ever struck me as Millennial Fantasy, as a book written by someone who understood my generation, for people of my generation. What the hell does that mean, you ask? It’s everything – from the cynical-optimistic voice of the narrator Tippy, to the casually diverse cast of fabulous characters; the normalisation of the question ‘What are your pronouns?’, to the wry black humour; the acknowledgement of trauma, and the rock-solid bonds tying friends and Friends together; the defiant absurdity that’s nonetheless delighted to poke fun at itself – and the sheer awe and wonder and magic of the human imagination, and all that it can create.

I mean – let’s look at my exhibit A for this argument. Tippy, being a yellow plushie dinosaur, has a unique form of self-care: he takes a turn in a dryer. As in, a tumble-dryer machine.

Please point me towards the Millennial who will not read that and immediately think ‘#MOOD’? The moment I described that part of the novel, my husband (a fellow Millennial, ftr) instantly lit up with an ‘I want to go in the dryer too!’ There is just something about the idea of it – the wackiness, the cleverness, the appeal to how many of us are so tired and long for some self-care ourselves – that strikes a chord I haven’t seen struck before.

#Mood indeed

The entire book is like that. I can’t drop too many examples because honestly, the sheer delight of discovering them for yourself is not something I want to deprive fellow readers of – but the tumble-dryer is the least of it. Superheroines and villainesses making out in alleyways. Big Business. A literally American eagle. Again and again this book made me giggle or laugh out loud as Hayes spun older tropes into something fresh and clever and invented completely new ones – many of which playfully mock themselves and invite you to join in on the fun. I could not stop myself from sharing snippets with the hubby while I was reading, because so many lines or concepts were just that brilliant. Discovering just what it is hard-boiled detectives drink in Playtime Town when they’ve had a rough day – I think that was the moment I knew I was going to love this book hard.

(And no, I’m not going to tell you what they drink. Read the book yourself to find out!)

Imaginary Corpse is not a comedy, though. Hayes’ twisty brilliance might remind me The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – except with magic instead of spaceships – but he also tackles harder and darker topics like a yellow triceratops charging at a bully. As mentioned above, this is a book where the first questions upon meeting a new person are ‘What can I call you, and what are your pronouns?’ The latter is hardly a common question in most spaces, but in Tippy’s word of the Stillreal, it’s completely normalised. Consent and choice are big themes here too, in many nuances, right down to the sanctity of personal space and gaining permission before entering someone else’s. Hayes’ characters face failure and grieving, and given the premise – that the Stillreal realm is populated by Friends who lost their creators in one way or another, usually to some flavour of tragedy – many, if not all of them, have trauma. Tippy himself has trauma-triggers – and this is known and accommodated by his friends. There’s no judgement here for survivors, no matter what scars they made it through with.

And I want to stress again: all of this is normalised. This isn’t Hayes hitting anyone over the head with The Liberal Agenda; it’s just how his characters talk to each other, and live alongside one another. I’m sure he made the conscious decision to write this book the way he did, but there’s nothing preachy or lecturing about any of it. Hayes makes such a small deal about it that I had to do a double-take more than once – it all flows so naturally that if you’re not on the lookout for it, you might not even consciously notice. It’s just one more feature of a really, really good story.

Which, can we take a second to appreciate how amazing this whole premise actually is??? Ideas – not just imaginary friends, but fictional characters and comics that were never drawn and movies that were never made – that are abandoned or lost have their own dimension, and their own societies, and our first-person narrator is a stuffed yellow triceratops. I want to see the inside of Hayes’ imagination so badly, because I have no idea how anyone could come up with all of this. I mean, the little premise summary I just wrote for you is very simplistic, because Spoilers, but – the way a Person’s experiences affect their Friends and Ideas, even once those Ideas move to the Stillreal; the existence of memories and future-memories; all the ways in which new Friends can be created and come into being… Does Hayes have a background in psychology? Because all of this reminded me of Pixar’s Inside Out (2015), except richer, darker, and more complicated (and diverse). I remember reading that one of the impacts of that movie was that it gave children struggling with mental health issues a way of expressing what they were feeling – doctors and nurses were giving them toys of those characters with which they could explain what was going on inside them. Imaginary Corpse is kind of like that in the way it pulls from psychology and neurology and social sciences as the inspiration/basis for some of its worldbuilding. It is, to say the least, fucking impressive.

This is also a fiercely hopepunk story. I mentioned already that the characters, particularly Tippy himself, have to deal with some dark stuff; with failures and regrets and even depression. It’s not grimdark – there’s too much loveliness, too much to giggle about, too many reasons to hug this book to your chest and not let go. But there are darker parts, parts that will rip your heart out, parts that will make you tear up if you have a working soul. Parts that tap a little too deeply into the feeling of hopelessness that is the undercurrent of so many lives right now. But Imaginary Corpse…

Look: there’s this amazing scene, in Catherynne Valente’s The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, where September, the main character, meets a soap golem who explains that over time, a person’s bravery gets tarnished, and dirty, and worn-out. And every now and then you have to scrub it clean so it can be all shiny again and you have the bravery and strength to take on the world again.

The Imaginary Corpse is a book that washes your bravery clean again. It gently wipes at your eyes and heart and shows you how to feel wonder again, too; how to find joy in beautiful things and wonderful people and all the incredible things an imagination can do. And it does it while acknowledging how fucking hard that can be, which is what makes the message so potent and so true.

I am slowly assembling a ‘best fantasies of the decade’ list, to be published near the end of the year. Imaginary Corpse is going to be on it.

You are not ready for this level of awesome. But you should absolutely read this book anyway.

Must-Have Monday: September’s Epic Releases, Part #2

Continuing on from last week, another list of amazing-sounding books out this month! These are all, in fact, being released tomorrow, so there’s still time to pre-order them. (Is there anything as wonderful as waking up to all the new books on your ereader? Maybe when the postperson hands you your hard copy…but the ebooks reach you faster!)

Anyway: onwards!

The Burial Club (Love Has Claws, #2) by Parker Foye
Representation: MLM
Series: ,
on September 10th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
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Aggy Stephenson is a funeral bidder, hand-delivering invitations to funerals in the latest fashion among city elite. His work takes him to the house of Laurel St. John, a man as handsome as he is rich, and as frequently bereaved. Despite the circumstances of their meeting, Aggy quickly falls for Laurel's strange thrall. But they stand on either side of a barrier: wealth, status—and death.

Dilettante, socialite, and vampire, little surprises Laurel—until he meets Aggy. But Laurel isn't the only creature with his eye on Aggy, and not everyone is restricted to hunting at night. When Aggy misses a delivery, Laurel wonders if his love has tired of a life of darkness. Then Aggy's name appears on the list of the nearly departed intended for Laurel's plate, and the sun isn't enough to stop Laurel's wrath.

Can Aggy and Laurel keep walking the thin line between the living and the dead? Or will the city force them to choose between existence—and each other?

*

The Burial Club is the second story from Love Has Claws, a speculative romance trilogy linked by the town of Lastings. They are standalone stories, but your experience may be enhanced by reading Nine Years of Silver (Love Has Claws #1).

Content Warnings: bloody violence; on- and off-screen murder; vampire-specific dub con; death, grief, and mourning; past death of a sibling; vomiting; workplace harassment; abduction.

I want to draw special attention to Burial Club as it’s a self-published novella, and thus not getting nearly as much attention as it deserves! A standalone set in the same world as Nine Years of Silver, which I adored and reviewed (at the link) earlier this year, Burial Club promises us queer vampires, baking, and defenestration (aka, throwing someone out a window). What more could you ask for?

Seriously, I am so ridiculously excited to get back to this world and revel in Foye’s beautiful writing!

A Choir of Lies by Alexandra Rowland
Representation: Queer Male Protagonist, Polyamory, Genderqueer author
Published by Gallery / Saga Press on 10th September 2019
Genres: Secondary World Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Pages: 464
Buy on Amazon, The Book Depository
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A young storyteller must embrace his own skills—and the power of stories—to save a nation from economic ruin, in the standalone sequel to A Conspiracy of Truths.

Three years ago, Ylfing watched his master-Chant tear a nation apart with nothing but the words on his tongue. Now Ylfing is all alone in a new realm, brokenhearted and grieving—but a Chant in his own right, employed as a translator to a wealthy merchant of luxury goods, Sterre de Waeyer. But Ylfing has been struggling to come to terms with what his master did, with the audiences he’s been alienated from, and with the stories he can no longer trust himself to tell.

That is, until Ylfing’s employer finds out what he is, what he does, and what he knows. At Sterre’s command, Ylfing begins telling stories once more, fanning the city into a mania for a few shipments of an exotic flower. The prices skyrocket, but when disaster looms, Ylfing must face what he has done and decide who he wants to be: a man who walks away and lets the city shatter, as his master did? Or will he embrace the power of story to save ten thousand lives?

With a memorable cast of characters, starring a fan-favorite from A Conspiracy of Truths, and a timely message, Choir of Lies reminds us that the words we wield can bring destruction—or salvation.

This is a standalone sequel to Rowland’s debut, A Conspiracy of Truths. Conspiracy was the story of one of the last Chants – wandering storytellers, although that’s simplifying their role immensely – getting locked up and using the power of stories to get himself free. Again, that’s really simplifying matters, and although it sounds like you don’t need to have read Conspiracy to enjoy Choir, I think you’re missing out if you skip it.

Choir focuses on one of the secondary characters from Conspiracy; Ylfing, the Chant-apprentice of Conspiracy‘s main character. I got to attend a panel on hopepunk when I was at Worldcon, and Alexandra Rowland was one of the speakers (which is only appropriate, since she came up with the term): she made it very clear that this is a hopepunk fantasy, and like Conspiracy, Choir promises to be a story about stories, and how those stories create meaning. This is another book I can’t wait to pounce on!

The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes
Published by Angry Robot on 10th September 2019
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 297
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A dinosaur detective in the land of unwanted ideas battles trauma, anxiety, and the first serial killer of imaginary friends.

Most ideas fade away when we're done with them. Some we love enough to become Real. But what about the ones we love, and walk away from? Tippy the triceratops was once a little girl's imaginary friend, a dinosaur detective who could help her make sense of the world. But when her father died, Tippy fell into the Stillreal, the underbelly of the Imagination, where discarded ideas go when they're too Real to disappear. Now, he passes time doing detective work for other unwanted ideas - until Tippy runs into The Man in the Coat, a nightmare monster who can do the impossible: kill an idea permanently. Now Tippy must overcome his own trauma and solve the case, before there's nothing left but imaginary corpses.

File Unders: Fantasy [ Fuzzy Fiends - Death to Imagination - Hardboiled but Sweet - Not Barney ]

I’m actually reading this right now, since Angry Robot was kind enough to approve me for an ARC, and I have to say that I absolutely LOVE it. It’s exactly as charmingly oddball as it sounds, and so far it’s doing justice to the incredibly awesome premise. It’s also very modern in its feel; consent and personal pronouns are intrinsic to the Stillreal’s society, which I deeply appreciate. I’ll be reviewing this one when I’m done with it, hopefully in the next few days!

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
Published by Redhook on 10th September 2019
Pages: 384
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In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow’s spellbinding debut–step inside and discover its magic.

This is a book about a magic book. That’s it, that’s all I need to hear: I’m already sold.

No, but for real: various sources have assured me that there are also magic doors and word magic, and also THIS is a quote from it;

But you still know about Doors, don’t you? Because there are ten thousand stories about ten thousand Doors, and we know them as well as we know our names. They lead to Faerie, to Valhalla, Atlantis and Lemuria, Heaven and Hell, to all the directions a compass could never take you, to elsewhere. My father–who is a true scholar and not just a young lady with an ink pen and a series of things she has to say–puts it much better: “If we address stories as archaeological sites, and dust through their layers with meticulous care, we find at some level there is always a doorway. A dividing point between here and there, us and them, mundane and magical. It is at the moments when the doors open, when things flow between the worlds, that stories happen.”

Alix E. Harrow, The Ten Thousand Doors of January

So there are also some pretty exciting Wayward Children vibes, and seriously, I am so sold.

A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker
Representation: wlw or F/F
Published by Berkley Books on 10th September 2019
Genres: Queer Protagonists
Pages: 384
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In this captivating science fiction novel from an award-winning author, public gatherings are illegal making concerts impossible, except for those willing to break the law for the love of music, and for one chance at human connection.

In the Before, when the government didn't prohibit large public gatherings, Luce Cannon was on top of the world. One of her songs had just taken off and she was on her way to becoming a star. Now, in the After, terror attacks and deadly viruses have led the government to ban concerts, and Luce's connection to the world--her music, her purpose--is closed off forever. She does what she has to do: she performs in illegal concerts to a small but passionate community, always evading the law.

Rosemary Laws barely remembers the Before times. She spends her days in Hoodspace, helping customers order all of their goods online for drone delivery--no physical contact with humans needed. By lucky chance, she finds a new job and a new calling: discover amazing musicians and bring their concerts to everyone via virtual reality. The only catch is that she'll have to do something she's never done before and go out in public. Find the illegal concerts and bring musicians into the limelight they deserve. But when she sees how the world could actually be, that won't be enough.

This book interests me for a number of reasons: I’m fascinated by what the future might look like, so it’s always fun to see what writers come up with on that score; the arts are very important to me, and the cultural value of music in general is something I love to explore; as someone with social anxiety, the idea of a society where we don’t have to gather in face-to-face groups is more than a little appealing, even though it’s clearly being presented as a dystopia here. (Which, fair enough: it’s one thing when you choose not to gather in groups, but it’s something else when a higher power makes gathering illegal.) It doesn’t hurt that the lead character is apparently queer, and may have a wlw romance arc.

I’m reminded both of Mira Grant’s Newsflesh series – which is also set in a future where people avoid gathering in groups, although for very different reasons – and the Coda series by Emma Trevayne, where music is also a central theme in a future dystopia. I guess we’ll see how they compare!

Gideon the Ninth (The Ninth House, #1) by Tamsyn Muir
Representation: Sapphic Fem Leads
Published by Tor.com on 10th September 2019
Genres: Science Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Pages: 448
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Gideon the Ninth is the most fun you'll ever have with a skeleton.

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.

Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as necromantic skeletons. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won't set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.

And last but certainly not least, one of the most hyped, most anticipated books of the year: Gideon the Ninth.

Lesbian

Necromancers

In

Space.

If that’s not all you need to know then I seriously cannot even.

That’s it from me! Now I shall go back to counting down the hours until tomorrow…

Happy International Literacy Day With the Goddess of Writing!

It’s International Literacy Day, which makes me want to take a moment to consider how incredible the acts of reading and writing actually are. Most of us in industrialised nations take them for granted, but the creation and use of writing systems is one of the main reasons humans have been so successful as a species, and I think anyone who really loves books will recognise that there’s something genuinely magical about how little black symbols on a page can create whole universes inside your head.

Many ancient civilisations recognised this, and most pantheons have a deity responsible for the creation of writing. My favourite of these is Seshat, a goddess of Ancient Egypt who’s relatively unknown (I thought I was pretty well-versed in Ancient Egyptian mythology, but I only discovered Seshat this year). Seshat invented writing, making her the patroness not only of writing, but also reading, record-keeping, mathematics, and architecture and building; she was the deity who recorded the lives of mortals – records which were consulted when the souls of the dead arrived for judgement – especially the successes and failures of the Pharaohs, down to how much treasure an individual Pharaoh took in battle. She was in charge of the rituals that surrounded the laying of a building’s foundations – including the one performed by the Pharaoh whenever a site was being prepared for a new temple – and of the surveying that took place every year after the Nile flooded (when all kinds of physical boundaries needed to be drawn up again).

Seshat by Yliade

Seshat is the only female figure depicted in the act of writing in all of Ancient Egyptian art. Her depictions are actually really interesting, because she’s always shown with a seven-pointed star above her head, a symbol of divine perfection, and as dressed with a leopard skin over her robe – a sign of supreme authority. Because Ancient Egyptians believed in wearing the skin of a defeated enemy, Seshat’s leopard-skin might mean that she was protected from, or had power over, leopards – a pretty big deal when leopards were (and are!) incredibly dangerous predators.

Of even more interest to me is her role as Celestial Librarian. As Mistress of the House of Books (one of her epithets), Seshat was the patron of all libraries on earth. Her priesthood was responsible for storing books, especially books of magic, and Seshat herself was the keeper of the library of the gods. She was the one who made writers immortal, by ensuring that a copy of every book ever written made it into the divine library.

A library containing every book ever written – doesn’t that sound like the most amazing place? That’s where I want to spend my afterlife!

Writing was considered a sacred art by the Ancient Egyptians. It wasn’t just a way to record things; it was also a way to bring certain events or things into being. The Egyptianologist Rosalie Davids said

The main purpose of writing was not decorative and it was not originally intended for literary or commercial use. Its most important function was to provide a means by which certain concepts or events could be brought into existence. The Egyptians believed that if something were committed to writing it could be repeatedly ‘made to happen’ by means of magic.

Rosalie Davids, Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt

So writing was literally an act of magic, making Seshat a very powerful and influential goddess indeed.

Basically, I think she’s really cool, and someone of interest to all us readers writers, and bloggers! And I’m going to try and take some time today to be grateful and joyful that I can read and write – and that there are so many wonderful things to read in the world.

Happy International Literacy Day!

Books I Enjoyed That Are Outside of My Comfort Zone

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Check out upcoming Top Ten themes on Jana’s blog!

Today’s TTT theme is Books I Enjoyed That Are Outside of My Comfort Zone – genres or subject matters that I don’t typically read, but that I enjoyed anyway. It was pretty interesting getting this list together!

Birthing Orion by Dax Murray
Representation: Sapphic or F/F, Genderqueer Author
Published by The Kraken Collective on 18th October 2018
Genres: Science Fantasy
Pages: 117
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Too fondly have I loved these stars;all these galaxies we once called ours.



The cosmic love between two goddesses is tempestuous at best. One is the goddess of a galaxy - a celestial creator, the other is the personification of a black hole, a divine destroyer. They fight and the create and they destroy and then they do it all over again.

Their relationship is explored in sonnets and villanelles, the arc of their love tracked in meter and verse. The poems touch on queer love, betrayal, trust, acceptance, and forgiveness cast against a backdrop of stardust and celestial detritus.

Birthing Orion is a novel-in-verse – and although I love poetry, verse-novels have always been a disaster for me. I took a risk on this one because of the beautiful cover and gorgeous premise – that of space-goddesses in love with each other and creating the universe out of their love.

And it was a gamble that absolutely paid off, as I wrote in my review here. I really, really recommend it!

The Fifth House of the Heart by Ben Tripp
Published by Gallery Books on 28th July 2015
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Filled with characters as menacing as they are memorable, this chilling twist on vampire fiction packs a punch in the bestselling tradition of ’Salem’s Lot by Stephen King.

Asmodeus “Sax” Saxon-Tang, a vainglorious and well-established antiques dealer, has made a fortune over many years by globetrotting for the finest lost objects in the world. Only Sax knows the true secret to his success: at certain points of his life, he’s killed vampires for their priceless hoards of treasure.

But now Sax’s past actions are quite literally coming back to haunt him, and the lives of those he holds most dear are in mortal danger. To counter this unnatural threat, and with the blessing of the Holy Roman Church, a cowardly but cunning Sax must travel across Europe in pursuit of incalculable evil—and immeasurable wealth—with a ragtag team of mercenaries and vampire killers to hunt a terrifying, ageless monster…one who is hunting Sax in turn.

From author Ben Tripp, whose first horror novel Rise Again “raises the stakes so high that the book becomes nearly impossible to put down” (Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother), The Fifth House of the Heart is a powerful story that will haunt you long after its final pages.

I don’t typically read horror, and I especially don’t read gory horror, which Fifth House really is – I was gagging through more than a few scenes. And yet, the premise is just so cool – an aging gay antiques-seller who made his fortune by slaying vampires and selling off their hoards? I had to give it a try, and I’m glad I did. I’m not sure how I made it through it – I tried to reread it a year or two ago and couldn’t get past the first few chapters – but I remember absolutely adoring it, and it has a place on my favourites shelf to this day.

Trade Me (Cyclone, #1) by Courtney Milan
Published by Courtney Milan on 19th January 2015
Pages: 279
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Tina Chen just wants a degree and a job, so her parents never have to worry about making rent again. She has no time for Blake Reynolds, the sexy billionaire who stands to inherit Cyclone Technology. But when he makes an off-hand comment about what it means to be poor, she loses her cool and tells him he couldn’t last a month living her life.

To her shock, Blake offers her a trade: She’ll get his income, his house, his car. In exchange, he’ll work her hours and send money home to her family. No expectations; no future obligations.

But before long, they’re trading not just lives, but secrets, kisses, and heated nights together. No expectations might break Tina’s heart...but Blake’s secrets could ruin her life.

I don’t venture outside of spec-fic very often, but Courtney Milan was on my radar for a while as a very cool person on Twitter, and she’s had a reputation as a writer of feminist romances for…pretty much forever? I heard about Trade Me about the same time I was unlearning all that misogynistic crap about Romance being a ‘lesser’ genre – yes, I used to be one of those people, sigh – so it was pretty perfect timing. And despite the lack of anything even vaguely magical, I was really impressed and practically inhaled Trade Me in a single sitting – it’s a genuinely great book that I shoved onto all my friends, and I am not-so-patiently waiting for more instalments in the series. (The sequel, Hold Me, features a secondary trans character from book one in the starring role, and I recommend that as well.)

I don’t think I’ll ever be a Contemporary convert, but Trade Me definitely served to nuke any lingering doubts I might have had about Romance as a genre. (Although I’m still not a fan of sex scenes.)

Liquor (Rickey and G-Man #2) by Poppy Z. Brite
Representation: M/M or MLM, secondary characters of color
Published by Broadway Books on 16th March 2004
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New Orleans natives Rickey and G-man are lifetime friends and down-and-out line cooks desperate to make a quick buck. When Rickey concocts the idea of opening a restaurant in their alcohol-loving hometown where every dish packs a spirited punch, they know they're on their way to the bank. With some wheeling and dealing, a slew of great recipes, and a few lucky breaks, Rickey and G-man are soon on their way to opening Liquor, their very own restaurant. But first they need to pacify a local crank who doesn't want to see his neighborhood disturbed, sidestep Rickey's deranged ex-boss, rein in their big-mouth silent partner before he runs amok, and stay afloat in a stew of corruption in a town well known for its bottom feeders.

A manic, spicy romp through the kitchens, back alleys, dive bars, and drug deals of the country's most sublimely ridiculous city, author Poppy Z. Brite masterfully shakes equal parts ambition, scandal, filé powder, cocaine, and murder, and serves Liquor straight up, with a twist.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Billy Martin – who used to write under the name Poppy Z. Brite, before he came out as trans – is one of my favourite writers, and pretty much my only exception when it comes to horror. But when I’d read all his supernatural horror stuff, that just left his contemporary series about Rickey and G-Man, boyfriends in New Orleans who long to open up their own restaurant. Martin’s writing is so lush and gorgeous that I cracked open Liquor even though Rickey and G-Man’s New Orleans has no vampires. And I do not regret it one bit! Martin’s beautiful, hedonistic style translates perfectly to a book about luscious foods. I ended up devouring the entire series, and kiss my fingers to the chef.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Published by Balzer + Bray on 28th February 2017
Pages: 444
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A three-time winner of Goodreads Choice Awards

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

More contemporary fiction – this time, contemporary YA! This book hardly needs an introduction, and regardless of your preferred genre, I think it’s definitely necessary reading. It’s an incredibly well-written book that keeps you glued to the pages, and would even if it wasn’t about such high-stake topics. I’m really glad I read it.

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis
Published by Bloomsbury UK on 9th February 2017
Pages: 249
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Aventurine is the fiercest, bravest dragon there is. And she's ready to prove it to her family by leaving the safety of their mountain cave and capturing the most dangerous prey of all: a human. But when the human she finds tricks her into drinking enchanted hot chocolate, Aventurine is transformed into a puny human girl with tiny blunt teeth, no fire, and not one single claw.

But she's still the fiercest creature in the mountains -- and now she's found her true passion: chocolate! All she has to do is get herself an apprenticeship (whatever that is) in a chocolate house (which sounds delicious), and she'll be conquering new territory in no time...won't she?

If I remember correctly, I came across this one by complete accident while browsing on Amazon; the title snagged my attention, and the blurb won me over. This was the first Middle-Grade book I read since ageing out of that section of the bookshop, and I regret nothing. This was a pure joy to read, and instantly became one of those books I reach for when I’m feeling low. I passed it on to a friend of mine when she asked for books that felt ‘nice’ – books that were fun to read and make you feel happy – and she was an instant addict too. This is possibly the only book on this list that convinced me to actually spend more time out of my comfort zone – I’ve read multiple Middle-Grade fantasies since this one, and I’m really happy with how many clever, wonderful books I’ve found.

Interestingly, Stephanie Burgis’ adult books don’t work for me at all. Weird, huh?

The Red Knight (The Traitor Son Cycle, #1) by Miles Cameron
Published by Gollancz on 25th October 2012
Pages: 650
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Twenty eight florins a month is a huge price to pay, for a man to stand between you and the Wild.

Twenty eight florins a month is nowhere near enough when a wyvern's jaws snap shut on your helmet in the hot stink of battle, and the beast starts to rip the head from your shoulders. But if standing and fighting is hard, leading a company of men - or worse, a company of mercenaries - against the smart, deadly creatures of the Wild is even harder.

It takes all the advantages of birth, training, and the luck of the devil to do it.

The Red Knight has all three, he has youth on his side, and he's determined to turn a profit. So when he hires his company out to protect an Abbess and her nunnery, it's just another job. The abby is rich, the nuns are pretty and the monster preying on them is nothing he can't deal with.

Only it's not just a job. It's going to be a war...

The Red Knight began life as a self-published novel, and unfortunately that’s a little too obvious – there are a lot of typos in both the UK and US published versions. (I bought both, hoping to find one that had gone past a proper copy-editor. No luck.) That said, it’s a freaking fantastic book, and the start of one of my favourite fantasy series of all time.

What makes it outside of my comfort zone? Miles Cameron is a reenactor, and that carries over into his writing; his fantasy is heavy on practical details, especially his battle scenes. Usually that level of mundanity bores the hell out of me, but for some reason I’ve never quite been able to put my finger on, it really doesn’t here. Somehow Cameron uses his first-hand knowledge to anchor his writing in reality, without letting that realism distract from the magic, monsters, and inter-dimensional wars that makes your heart pound. Instead of distracting from the fantasy, it instead has the effect of making the magical seem real enough to touch. Still not sure how he does it, but it’s awesome.

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
Published by Harper on 3rd November 2009
Pages: 508
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In her most accomplished novel, Barbara Kingsolver takes us on an epic journey from the Mexico City of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to the America of Pearl Harbor, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover. The Lacuna is a poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as they invent their modern identities.

Born in the United States, reared in a series of provisional households in Mexico—from a coastal island jungle to 1930s Mexico City—Harrison Shepherd finds precarious shelter but no sense of home on his thrilling odyssey. Life is whatever he learns from housekeepers who put him to work in the kitchen, errands he runs in the streets, and one fateful day, by mixing plaster for famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. He discovers a passion for Aztec history and meets the exotic, imperious artist Frida Kahlo, who will become his lifelong friend. When he goes to work for Lev Trotsky, an exiled political leader fighting for his life, Shepherd inadvertently casts his lot with art and revolution, newspaper headlines and howling gossip, and a risk of terrible violence.

Meanwhile, to the north, the United States will soon be caught up in the internationalist goodwill of World War II. There in the land of his birth, Shepherd believes he might remake himself in America's hopeful image and claim a voice of his own. He finds support from an unlikely kindred soul, his stenographer, Mrs. Brown, who will be far more valuable to her employer than he could ever know. Through darkening years, political winds continue to toss him between north and south in a plot that turns many times on the unspeakable breach—the lacuna—between truth and public presumption.

With deeply compelling characters, a vivid sense of place, and a clear grasp of how history and public opinion can shape a life, Barbara Kingsolver has created an unforgettable portrait of the artist—and of art itself. The Lacuna is a rich and daring work of literature, establishing its author as one of the most provocative and important of her time.

I read and loved Barbara Kingsolver’s Poisonwood Bible, and went through all her books thereafter. She writes Contemporary or Contemporary Historical Fiction (if that’s a thing?) which – not my thing at all, as a rule, and although I enjoyed most of her books, only one or two really stuck with me when I was done with them. Lacuna is without doubt my favourite, despite the fact that it’s about a whole bunch of things I never read about – Communism and McCarthyism, in particular. It’s a beautiful, quiet, pointed book, that drove home to me a lot about the Cold War that my school history classes didn’t quite manage. It might have helped that the main character grows up to be a writer, and as a baby writer myself that gave me a way to connect to him, when I have no personal experience with anything else he goes through.

Even without that, though, I don’t think anyone can read this and walk away from it without having had their mind opened. Definitely a case where stepping outside my comfort zone paid off immensely.

The Sun Wolf and Starhawk Series: The Ladies of Mandrigyn, The Witches of Wenshar, and The Dark Hand of Magic by Barbara Hambly
Published by Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy on 21st May 2013
Genres: Secondary World Fantasy
Pages: 895
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A special three-in-one edition of Barbara Hambly’s Sun Wolf and Starhawk Series

In The Ladies of Mandrigyn, a brilliant mercenary must lead his army against the forces of the most powerful wizard alive. Gifted with courage, strength, and the intelligence to know when to fight, Sun Wolf is the greatest mercenary in a land overrun by war. With his first lieutenant, Starhawk, at his side, he has laid waste to countless cities, taking the best of their treasures for himself, and distributing the rest among his bloodthirsty crew.

Then a woman comes to him, an emissary from the town of Mandrigyn, a lush port city recently sacked by a powerful, mad wizard of unmatched abilities. She offers Sun Wolf untold riches for the use of his army, but the captain is not fool enough to wage war against a magician. He refuses her offer, but that is not the end of it. The women of Mandrigyn can be very persuasive.

In The Witches of Wenshar, to harness his newfound magical powers, Sun Wolf must cross the desert in search of a witch who can teach him the ways of sorcery. Accompanied by his lieutenant, Starhawk, he travels across the forbidding desert to the land of Wenshar, where witchcraft is said to flourish. There he seeks out a witch with powers far beyond her years, who is rumored to have mastered the ancient art of white magic. But when he and Starhawk finally reach her, there is evil in the air—an evil against which all their might is useless. Sun Wolf must learn to harness his newfound powers—or be taken by this sinister trap.

In The Dark Hand of Magic, Sun Wolf must use his immature magical powers to rescue his old army from an evil wizard’s curse. A string of rotten luck has befallen his old crew’s latest campaign, and they have begun to suspect a curse. Their arrows break; their food rots; their tunnels cave in. They have heard rumors of Sun Wolf’s magical abilities, and beg for his help. But when he goes after whatever is targeting his men, he finds himself up against the deadliest force he has ever encountered. 

Barbara Hambly is one of my favourite authors, but her Sun Wolf and Starhawk series is proper sword-and-sorcery, with the main characters being the head of a group of mercenaries. NOT MY THING AT ALL. But it’s Hambly, and trusting her paid off the way it always does; in many ways, this ended up being a subversion of a bunch of traditional fantasy tropes, especially with regards the role and value of violence, and the many variations of masculinity and femininity.

The violence thing was a pretty big deal; this isn’t grimdark or anything, but there are several pretty horrific scenes, and as a series it really does demand fantasy-lovers confront the reality of violence. Fantasy is big on violence – we’ve always got warriors and chosen ones everywhere – and it’s glorified way more often than it’s not. Which it probably shouldn’t be. So these books left me much more thoughtful about the kind of stories I enjoy.

Under the Poppy (Under the Poppy, #1) by Kathe Koja
Representation: MLM or M/M
Published by Small Beer Press on 9th November 2010
Pages: 360
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From a wartime brothel to the intricate high society of 1870s Brussels, Under the Poppy is a breakout novel of childhood friends, a love triangle, puppetmasters, and reluctant spies.

Under the Poppy is a brothel owned by Decca and Rupert. Decca is in love with Rupert, but he in turn is in love with her brother, Istvan. When Istvan comes to town, louche puppet troupe in tow, the lines of their age-old desires intersect against a backdrop of approaching war. Hearts are broken when old betrayals and new alliances - not just their own - take shape, as the townsmen seek refuge from the onslaught of history by watching the girls of the Poppy cavort onstage with Istvan's naughty puppets . . .

Under the Poppy is a vivid, sexy, historical novel that zips along like the best guilty pleasure.

Nominated for the IMPAC Award. Winner of the Gaylactic Spectrum Award.

Historical fiction, written in a very…non-traditional way? I want to call it non-linear, except that it is linear, it’s just…not…normal? I don’t have the technical knowledge to describe what it is Koja does here, except to say that I really loved it, once I got the hang of it. There’s a lot of twisty run-on sentences, changing of perspectives and tenses… It’s experimental. Maybe that’s the word? The way it’s written is just as important as the story and characters – the book is practically a character all on its own, and I really wish more people had read it so I could geek out about it with someone!

And I think that wraps it up for today!