Siavahda's Blog, page 73

An Intricate Masterpiece: Inda by Sherwood Smith

Inda (Inda, #1) by Sherwood Smith
Representation: Major gay POV character, secondary gay POV character, secondary M/M, secondary asexual POV character, secondary bisexual character, queernorm world
Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Acclaimed Inda series within Sherwood Smith's epic fantasy Sartorias-deles universe • Military fantasy woven with courtly politics, vast worldbuilding, and diverse characters

Indevan-Dal is the second son of the Prince and Princess of Choraed Elgaer, destined to become his elder brother Tanrid's Shield Arm—his military champion. Like all second sons, he is to be privately trained at home by Tanrid, the brother whose lands he will one day protect.

When the King's Voice comes to summon Inda to the Military Academy, he might well feel foreboding, or even fear—war is imminent—yet youthful Inda feels only excitement.

But there are things that Tanrid hasn't prepared him for, and Inda will soon learn that the greatest threats to his safety will not come from foreign enemies, but from supposed allies within his own country.

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~the cinnamon roll is a military genius
~war academy is terrible with nicknames
~the girls are Up To Something
~pirates are not sexy
~Sia geeks out over toilet spells

Reader, this blew me the fuck away.

Banner of the Damned, which is set in the same world as Inda but takes place centuries later, has been one of my favourite books since I first read it over a decade ago. But the first few times I tried to read Inda, I bounced off it pretty hard – at the start of the book, the eponymous Inda begins enrollment at a military academy, and the blithe attitude towards older boys beating younger ones – in the spirit of making them better warriors – is an absolute Nope for me. It didn’t help that Inda himself, and therefore his friends, are all about 11 when the book opens – I’m not very interested in fart jokes and terrible nicknames.

I gave it another try this year, though, and I am so glad I did!!!

Inda is the second son of a noble family, which means he’s been trained his whole life by his older brother to defend their home and lands while said brother is away patrolling their borders. This is tradition in the kingdom of Iasca-Leror; the Marlovan culture revolves around war, the readiness to go to war at any time, and the skills necessary to waging war as effectively as possible. But the tradition of keeping second sons at home is upended when the king abruptly commands the noble families to send their second sons to the military academy, to receive training that has been historically reserved for firstborn sons.

This is already deeply strange, but Inda adjusts and adapts quickly and well. What’s vastly more complicated is what’s going on just outside his sphere – with his sister Hadand, living in the royal castle as the betrothed of the crown-prince; with the king’s sister-in-law, who is hiding a fierce brilliance behind her meek outward manner; and with her husband, the king’s brother, who is the Sierandael or war-leader – head of the military academy, and commander of the country’s armies in times of conflict.

Don’t let Inda’s age fool you: this is not YA. This is absolutely Adult, high fantasy with a lot of politics and intricate, detailed worldbuilding, and layers and layers of interwoven plotlines taking place on a smaller and larger scale. I was delighted to discover that we’ve also got a queernorm setting here, with gay, bisexual, and asexual representation all on the page; and although at first glance Inda’s country looks very patriarchal, the Marlovan women are not sitting around gossiping while the men swing swords. If I had to pick one aspect of this book to be my favourite, it would be what the Marlovan women are up to when the men aren’t looking. More on that in a little bit.

Sherwood’s prose is smooth and compelling, perfectly matched to the story and setting – it’s descriptive enough for me to enjoy immensely, without being flowery enough to put off readers who prefer plainer writing. That being said, I wouldn’t at all call it ‘bestseller style’ – that sort of bare-bones, action-focussed, fast-paced, easy-to-read style that makes for great beach reads or books to take with you on a plane. Between the prose and the layers and layers of story, Inda is very much a book that demands all of your concentration – but it’s easy to give it; this is not, at all, the kind of book where you really have to work to make sense of everything. The hardest part is keeping some of the fantasy-terms straight – for me, it was mostly Sierandael and Sierlaef, war-leader and crown-prince respectively – and there aren’t too many of them to confuse you.

The Story

So what’s the actual story? Well, Inda and a whole bunch of second-sons are whisked into the war academy, which their older brothers are not happy about, for a variety of reasons. And a good chunk of the first half of the book covers Inda’s developing friendships and various small (and not so small) adventures at the academy. But at the heart of that is the tension between Aldren – the Sierlaef or crown prince – and Evred, his younger brother. Aldren has a pretty intense speech impediment – I don’t know what the medical term for it would be, it’s far more severe than ‘just’ stuttering, to the point that he can rarely speak in sentences – and what I suspect is dyslexia, which has given him an intense hatred of the written word. A hatred that is viciously directed at his younger brother, who is multi-lingual and articulate and loves books and studying. Aldren’s insecurities about his speech and learning difficulties are turned outwards on the world; he’s convinced that almost everyone is mocking him or looking down on him all the time, and it’s twisted him into a pretty unpleasant person. He declares Evred a coward – the worst possible insult – but when Evred joins the academy, it’s immediately clear to everyone, including the other students, that Evred is only suffering from bad training – training which his older brother is supposed to be responsible for.

And yet, who’s going to contradict the crown prince?

It’s absolutely fascinating to see how the politics of the adult world are mirrored inside the academy; Aldren’s age-mates know he’s wrong about Evred, but that doesn’t stop most of them from trying to get on his good side, or following his commands, implicit and otherwise. Some of them, like Inda’s older brother Tanrid, are smart enough to see some of the bigger picture, brutally realistic about what Aldren is like, but also about the need to not be his enemy. And the longer the second-sons are at the academy, the wider the division between brothers becomes, as Evred, without meaning to, gathers real friends around him (whereas Aldren’s inner circle is made up of young men who want what being his friends means, but there’s no genuine friendship there). Evred has no desire to overthrow Aldren in any way, but it’s impossible for anyone to miss the dramatic difference between them…or how much better a king Evred would be.

Inda is a vital part of all of this…because he’s a tactical genius. As in, a genuine genius when it comes to battle strategy. But that genius doesn’t come with arrogance; it’s almost as if he doesn’t realise how good he is, except that of course he sees how often his plans work out. He manipulates the people around him without even realising he’s doing it – and he does it, not to set himself above them, but to smooth the waves and flatter abrasive personalities and give the credit for his successes to other people. It’s marvellous, and it’s very funny to see the bullies blink in confusion as Inda deferentially gives them all the credit for triumphs that are absolutely all his own. Instead of posturing, or standing up, or yelling down idiots who want to be in charge, Inda just arranges things to fall out in the best way possible, as economically as possible. And if that means someone else gets the acclaim – that doesn’t bother him at all.

Inda is the center of the venn diagram that is the academy’s politics and the adult world’s politics, because the Sierandael – the king’s brother Tlennen, the country’s war-leader, Aldren’s uncle and mentor – is Very Alarmed by him. Tlennen is…probably the best villain I’ve seen in a long time, one of my favourite villains, because he doesn’t believe he’s a villain at all. He’s passionately loyal to his brother – he has no desire to be king – and he wants the best for his country. It’s just that his vision of Best doesn’t match up with that of anyone else reasonable – Tlennen wants war, and plenty of it, because how else is a country of warriors supposed to stay strong? He’s spent Aldren’s life grooming him, encouraging and flattering and spoiling him – which makes Inda’s loyalty to Evred a terrible threat, because with Inda at his side, Evred could wield far more power than Tlennen wants. Power he believes should be in his hands instead, because who else can be trusted to use it properly?

But he is absolutely a villain, and it’s almost heartbreaking, because so much of the harm he does is completely unintentional; he has no idea that he’s undercutting his brother’s power, or damaging his rule, or getting his own people killed through the decisions he makes. This is perfectly depicted by one particular incident in the book, which I cannot talk about without spoilers, but good gods, this man should not be in charge of a yard sale, never mind an army! Another example I can talk about is Tlennen’s determined dismissal of naval warfare; never mind that pirates have been one of the biggest threats to the kingdom for generations; never mind that one of the kingdom’s surest enemies have been building themselves a powerful military fleet; never mind that building a fleet of their own is at the heart of one of the kingdom’s most important treaties. Tlennen is a traditionalist, and Marlovans traditionally fight on horseback. No one can control the ocean, so how can anyone win or lose a battle at sea? It’s enough to make you want to shake the man!

Tlennen’s obsession with power and threats to that power is so painfully ironic, because he has no idea that his wife, Ndara, is the heart of an empire-wide intelligence service of women; that she is responsible for teaching and training young noblewomen in the arts of spycraft, politics, and the highly secret women’s art/style of fighting. And a special few, such as Hadand, Inda’s sister and Aldren’s betrothed, are also carefully and delicately trying to tease out the secrets of magic from ancient historical sources – magic exists, but aside from a handful of fairly basic spells, the Marlovans don’t have much of it. And would like more, please and thank you.

I loved, so much, everything to do with the Marlovan women in this book. I love the dynamic between them and their men; I love the sense of connection and loyalty they all have to each other; I love their intelligence networks and alliances; I adore the odni, the women’s secret fighting style, and the design of it, the reasons for keeping it hidden and secret, what it’s used for and meant to be used for if it ever becomes necessary. It’s not that women are secretly pulling the strings of the patriarchy, because they’re not. But…gods, I can’t explain it without getting into spoilers. YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK OKAY?

It’s just layers and layers of politics and friendships and family and secrets woven in and out of each other. This is not the book for someone looking for quests and epic magic; this is a book about intrigue and battle, and the various forms those two things can take, and what happens to those caught in the riptides of politics and tradition. I adored it utterly, but someone looking for something fast-paced and action-heavy (although Inda does have its share of war-games and deadly battles) should probably look elsewhere.

The Worldbuilding; aka, Sia Geeks Out

Now for the worldbuilding, because GOOD GODS, PEOPLE, THE WORLDBUILDING! I could wax poetic about it for hours and hours and HOURS, but I’m going to try and limit myself to talking about two specific things, and how freaking clever and excellent they are.

Magic things.

The first thing is the Waste Spell, an extremely basic charm anyone and everyone can cast to vanish bodily waste – even when it’s still in your body. You never again need to wonder when exactly the heroic main characters are going to the toilet in-between all these adventures; in Smith’s world, there’s a spell for that. It also lets those who have them deal with their periods – no more pondering on how exactly characters are dealing with menstruation while on their quests – and functions as 100% effective contraception by vanishing any ejaculate after sex.

!!!

Listen, I am aware of how hilarious and nerdy it is that one of my favourite things about Smith’s worldbuilding is a spell for magicking away human excretions but I am not sorry. It’s such a simple thing, but it has such huge ramifications! Besides neatly solving some Common Fantasy Problems (because seriously, how do adventurers manage their periods???), it also creates enormous ripple effects in the various cultures of Smith’s world – for example, sexism is far less of a Thing when women can control when they get pregnant. Views on sex itself become much more liberal, and cultures become far more sex-positive, when you take the possibility of pregnancy out of the equation (and don’t have some puritanical religion to brainwash you with the idea that pleasure is bad). The Marlovans don’t attach any morality to the sex act, and most of them make regular visits to the sex workers of their choice – and the sex workers themselves are not looked down upon for their choice of career. It’s pretty damn awesome.

The second thing is another spell: the Birth Spell. This one is much more hit and miss, and no one knows why, but basically, it means anyone – usually a couple, but a single individual can do it too – does the spell, and…a baby appears. One with characteristics of the person or people who said the spell.

The Birth Spell doesn’t always work, and sometimes people have to try dozens or even hundreds of times before it does work. But just the fact that it exists gives so much more room for queerness to be normalised; there’s no more panic if the monarch isn’t heterosexual, because they can still make a baby with their official spouse (we have not, as yet, met any same-sex couples who’ve used the Birth Spell together in this series) and spend the rest of the time with their same-sex partner. Ndara’s sex-repulsed asexuality doesn’t set off any kind of crisis of inheritance because she and her husband can use the Birth Spell to have a baby instead. Marlovans seem to consider marriage as a thing only between men and women, but nobody cares about anyone else’s sexuality; the Waste Spell as contraception means no illegitimate children, the Birth Spell ensures there’s always someone to inherit, and voila! Everyone can have sex (or not!) with whoever they like.

All of this makes me incredibly happy.

I won’t go into details on the rest of the worldbuilding, or this will turn into a thesis. But I want to say that this world Smith has created doesn’t feel like fiction; it feels like a real place, as though you could step through the pages and enter an already-extant world. From the shields to the cutlery, the Marlovan’s realm rings true, and even more impressively, so do the countries beyond it. When I say the world feels real, I’m not talking about one kingdom; I mean I fully believe in the entire planet Smith has created. There are no contradictions, no that-doesn’t-make-sense, nothing that does not fit perfectly into the whole. It’s truly masterful stuff, and I cannot wait to learn more about it in subsequent books!

The Feels

Consider this something of a warning: Inda made me ugly-cry. This isn’t grimdark, it’s not gory and bitter and depressing in the slightest. But Inda‘s characters are all playing for the highest of stakes – even if a lot of them even know the game exists, never mind that they’ve been pushed onto the gameboard – and the Marlovan culture is a war-based one. The rot in the king’s house spreads, and people use their power in ways they shouldn’t, and also pirates are not fun. Smith understands that to make a story real, to give conflict like this real meaning, there have to be costs, and losses, and some of them hurt so much.

I absolutely adore this book, but Smith’s world isn’t candy and rainbows, and she’s not afraid to go there. You know how it’s hard to really be scared, with most books, because you know the author isn’t actually going to do it, no matter how bad the situation looks you know everyone you care about is going to be okay?

This is not like that.

In Conclusion

I’m so mad it took me so long to read this, and I will not be wasting time diving into book two. Don’t make my mistake; if you’re looking for casually queernorm political fantasy, with detailed worldbuilding and characters you’d fight to the death to protect, GO READ THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY!

The post An Intricate Masterpiece: Inda by Sherwood Smith appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

I Can’t Wait For…High Times in the Low Parliament by Kelly Robson

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about but haven’t yet read. Most of the time they’re books that have yet to be released, but not always. It’s based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme, which was originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

This week my Can’t-Wait-For is High Times in the Low Parliament by Kelly Robson!

High Times in the Low Parliament by Kelly Robson
Representation: Lesbian MC
Published on: 9th August 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Kelly Robson is back with fairies, scribes, and many many kisses in High Times in the Low Parliament.

Lana Baker is Aldgate’s finest scribe, with a sharp pen and an even sharper wit. Gregarious, charming, and ever so eager to please, she agrees to deliver a message for another lovely scribe in exchange for kisses and ends up getting sent to Low Parliament by a temperamental fairy as a result.

As Lana transcribes the endless circular arguments of Parliament, the debates grow tenser and more desperate. Due to long-standing tradition, a hung vote will cause Parliament to flood and a return to endless war. Lana must rely on an unlikely pair of comrades—Bugbite, the curmudgeonly fairy, and Eloquentia, the bewitching human deputy—to save humanity (and maybe even woo one or two lucky ladies), come hell or high water.

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Listen, any book that is described as “a lesbian stoner buddy comedy with fairies—about Brexit” is immediately going to the top of my tbr, okay? I have a a soft spot for fantasy politics, especially not-human politics, and the idea of a fairy parliament delights me immensely. And I am struggling to contain the rhapsodies I’m having over anyone – literally anyone – named Eloquentia! HOW FABULOUS A NAME IS THAT?

It certainly doesn’t hurt that quite a few fans of CSE Cooney – one of my favourite authors ever – are waxing poetic about High Times, which has me very excited and hopeful indeed! Especially since taking a peek at Robson’s earlier books turns up several that look promising. I’m definitely curling up with Alias Space and Other Stories before High Times gets here!

What are you looking forward to this week?

The post I Can’t Wait For…High Times in the Low Parliament by Kelly Robson appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

10 Amazing Authors I Belatedly Discovered Last Year

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!

This week’s prompt is ‘New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2021’!

Because it’s ‘new-to-me’ I decided not to include authors who published their debuts last year – those are authors new to everybody! And there were many, MANY incredible debut authors in 2021, but they have been featured elsewhere. I’m using this post to spotlight 10 ridiculously awesome authors who started publishing before last year!

Victoria Goddard

WHY

ON EARTH

did it take me so long to get to Victoria Goddard?!

INEXCUSABLE!

Thankfully, Alexandra Rowland’s twitter thread on the heartsearing epicness of The Hands of the Emperor alerted me to the absolute TREASURES I was missing out on – and I haven’t looked back since. Hands is a revolutionary (hah!) kind of Epic Fantasy, where saving the world really does mean making the world BETTER. Everything about it is beautiful; it leaves my heart too full for words – I’d make it mandatory reading if I could!

Hands would be a masterpiece all on its own – it is a masterpiece – but what’s also breathtaking is Goddard’s range, because the Dartwing & Green series are completely different: fantasy of manners, which pretend to feel silly and are definitely somewhat whimsical and have some serious stuff going on underneath. They’re light, wonderful reads, and at one point when I couldn’t read anything else, those books were my escape.

And then again there’s Bride of the Blue Wind, which is altogether different again: it’s written in the style of a myth or folk story, and it’s gorgeous and it works and I can’t wait to read the next one.

(Oh – did I mention all of these are interwoven, taking place in the same universe/multiverse??? BECAUSE THEY ARE. You can keep the MCU; I’ll take Goddard’s fantasies, please and thank you!)

Juliette Wade

I might never have discovered Wade if not for KA Doore’s inestimable annual round-ups of Queer Adult SFF – I saw Transgressions of Power on the 2021 list, started reading Mazes of Power because I never read a series out of order if I can help it…and wow. Wow. It has been a while since I fell that hard that fast for a new series! Wade’s prose is sharp and deft and her worldbuilding is astoundingly unique and detailed; it’s one of the few times when a fictional world really and truly feels alien, like the people and cultures on it evolved in a completely different timeline to our own. This, while absolutely feeling like a real place, somewhere you could go and visit, if you dared.

And that’s without getting into the complicated web of characters, all of whom I adore (even the ones I despise!)

You can read my review of book one here, and book two here!

Marshall Ryan Maresca

I have next to no interest whatsoever in steampunk – I’m not in love with the aesthetic, and rarely come across any steampunk that remembers what punk means – but my ears perked up when I saw a book being described as dieselpunk. That was something I hadn’t heard of before!

Well, I can confirm: Maresca definitely remembers what punk means! This delves deep into the messiness of real revolution, through the lens of amazing characters, in a setting that is rich and detailed and queer as fuck! I’m almost sad it’s a standalone (only almost, because Maresca does wrap it all up perfectly). You can read my full thoughts about it over at my review!

Happily, Maresca’s written many, many other books, which I look forward to investigating!

Sascha Stronach

I read this at the very start of 2021…just about a week before it was pulled off the market, because this edition was published by a micro-press and Stronach landed a deal with a trad publisher! I’ve talked a few times about how much I love this absolutely mindblowing book, and how excited I am to see the new edition coming later this year (IT’S EXPANDED). I can’t comprehend how Stronach’s mind works; I only know that I’m in awe of what he creates, and cannot WAIT to a) read the new edition and b) shove it into the hands of everyone I know!!!

Cassandra Khaw

Khaw was somewhere on the edge of my periphery – I knew they were a horror author, and that they wrote stuff scary enough that I ought to stay away from it. But this was another case of an early reader I trusted waxing poetic with all of my buzzwords…so I took a gamble, and IT PAID OFF! Even without the incredible flawed characters and all the shades of queerness, I would have been heart-eyes for this book for the prose alone; Khaw wields language like a weapon, and nailed me right in the heart.

As I expressed at length in my review!

Merc Fen Wolfmoor

This came so close to flying under my radar; I’m so ridiculously glad I didn’t miss it! This is another one I reviewed with a great deal of delight – I think it says all that needs saying when I tell you that yes, it absolutely gave me nightmares, and yes, they were absolutely worth it! (Asexual aromantic werewolf cinnamon roll??? Queerplatonic partners facing down monsters??? Evil white queens??? GIMME!)

Christopher Buehlman

Yet another case of a book I wouldn’t have picked up on my own, but that ended up on my best-of-the-year list! I usually can’t stand first-person, but Buehlman came up with such a lovable, quick, hilarious main character that I couldn’t resist. Kinch, the eponymous blacktongue thief, nicked my heart right out of my chest when I wasn’t looking (it could have been any of the MANY times I was entranced by the worldbuilding, or the giant-raven riders, or the incredible witches, or–well, you get the point) and I have yet to get it back. OH NO, WHAT A SHAME!

I admit I haven’t been able to finish any of Buelman’s other books yet – Blacktongue Thief only dresses up as grimdark, it really is very much not, but all the other books of his I’ve tried have been waaaaaay too scary for me. Gonna keep trying, though, at least until we get the Blacktongue sequel!

Tom Miller

I have no idea how I didn’t come across this series sooner! An alt-history where magic is a science and for some unknown reason, women are much, much better at it??? And in this world, we have a young man who wants to be a flight-and-rescue flyer, literally flying into battlefields to rescue the wounded??? And has to deal with the push-back, and also the anti-magic version of the alt-right, but making some seriously cool friends along the way??? All with really well-thought-out worldbuilding and compulsively readable prose and plot that gets under your skin to give you EMOTIONS???

Yeah, sorry-not-sorry, I adore these and am pining for book three already. You can read my review of book one over here!

Philip Ridley

Listen, queer fantasy/spec-fic is what I LIVE for, so I can’t believe it took so long for this one to show up on my radar! It’s a delightfully bizarre mix of urban fantasy and magical realism, kinda, with memories playing on projector screens and babies delivered to would-be moms in BOXES by BIRDS, what even??? And yet it all works, and it’s tangled and thorny and still beautiful and fun, and I am out to devour everything Ridley has ever written now.

Simon Jimenez

I find it a little bit hilarious that I picked this up because I caught wind of his upcoming fantasy book, and wanted to see what he was like as a writer…and then was completely swept away by this far-future sci-fi! I just. WHAT. This is so beautiful, it made my heart ache and I freaking sobbed and the worldbuilding and the found-family vibes, the casual queerness and interstellar travel and trade and and AND. I loved it beyond all reason, okay??? Still love it. I want everyone to read it. I HAVE SO MANY FEELS ABOUT THIS ONE STILL!

Ahem.

That’s 10! What authors did you discover for the first time last year???

The post 10 Amazing Authors I Belatedly Discovered Last Year appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #70

This week we have SIX epic-sounding new SFF releases, and two bonus books that aren’t SFF, but that I’m so excited for I had to feature them!

The Hunters and the Hunted (Rise of the Alliance, #3) by Sherwood Smith
Published on: 25th January 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Meet Detlev’s boys.

In volume one, A Sword Named Truth, a shaky alliance made among young rulers brought too early to their thrones survived an enchantment, commanded by Siamis, the handsome young Norsundrian. Siamis was defeated, and the world celebrated, believing peace had come!

At the start of volume two, The Blood Mage Texts, the alliance seems to be a thing of the past as two quests reveal long-hidden secrets. Meanwhile Siamis has gone renegade, hunted by both sides.

As the Rise of the Alliance saga continues, Siamis is not the only one being hunted. The sinister and elusive Norsundrian commander Detlev has been seen more often in the past five years than he has in the past five hundred. The young allies to reform the alliance—meeting unexpected difficulties when no one can agree on what form it should take.

That is before a series of murders leads to the shocking news that the alliance has been infiltrated by a mirror alliance of Norsundrian boys.

Trained by Detlev.

Which leads inexorably to the deadliest of stalking games . . .

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I am massively impressed with Smith’s output – the previous installment in this series came out in December, and we already have a new, 700+ page follow-up! I’m in awe. I’m also utterly in love with this world of Smith’s; the worldbuilding is phenomenal and the characters always end up laying claim to my heart. I’m not up to date on this series yet, but that isn’t stopping me from making grabby-hands at this latest book!

Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi
Representation: Black achillean MC
Published on: 25th January 2022
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

In the 2050s, Earth has begun to empty. Those with the means and the privilege have departed the great cities of the United States for the more comfortable confines of space colonies. Those left behind salvage what they can from the collapsing infrastructure. As they eke out an existence, their neighborhoods are being cannibalized. Brick by brick, their houses are sent to the colonies, what was once a home now a quaint reminder for the colonists of the world that they wrecked.

A primal biblical epic flung into the future, Goliath weaves together disparate narratives—a space-dweller looking at New Haven, Connecticut as a chance to reconnect with his spiraling lover; a group of laborers attempting to renew the promises of Earth’s crumbling cities; a journalist attempting to capture the violence of the streets; a marshal trying to solve a kidnapping—into a richly urgent mosaic about race, class, gentrification, and who is allowed to be the hero of any history.

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This sounds like it’s going to be powerful and painful and poignant, and judging from Onyebuchi’s other works, probably ridiculously brilliant! Definitely a must-read.

Some by Virtue Fall (The Seven Gods, #1) by Alexandra Rowland
Representation: All-queer cast incl lesbian, trans, and achillean rep
Published on: 25th January 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

By the King’s Edict, men have been banned from performing on stage. Everyone else is still out for blood.

Sabajan Hollant, director and co-founder of the celebrated Lord Chancellor’s Players, has one resolution: This time they’re going to do it right. If they want to keep their noble patron—hell, if they want to stay in the theater business at all—they’re going to have to keep their hands clean. No accidents, no rising to other troupes’ provocations and taunts, and certainly no more duelling in the streets.

But their arch-rivals have different plans, and soon enough, Saba and her troupe are caught up once again in an escalating drama of revenge, betrayal, and outright sabotage.

The men may have started this war—but Saba and her remaining players are going to end it.

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It’s a new Rowland book! One where the main character is described as a chaos goblin and the only cishet character is a man called Leony Token who is only mentioned once! Even with that aside, I love the sound of theatre drama and competing troupes. This sounds like it’s going to be a RIDICULOUS amount of fun!

Obsidian by Sarah J. Daley
Published on: 25th January 2022
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

Shade Nox is a fiend, a rogue, and a wanted murderer, though her only true crime is that she chooses to dress like a man. Proud and defiant, she wears her tattoos openly as any bloodwizard would, and carries obsidian blades at her hips. Those who laughingly call her a witch to her face soon learn an unfortunate lesson: Shade Nox might be an abomination, but she wields her blades with devastating precision, gleefully shedding blood for elemental magic that matches any man’s.

Shade scratches out a dangerous living in the broken Wastes, but now that they are growing more unstable and dangerous, Shade and her people need their own Veil to protect them. She vows to raise one—a feat not accomplished in over a hundred years. But the Veils are controlled by the Brotherhood, who consider them sacred creations. They would sooner see all the Veils collapse into dust than allow a witch to raise one.

With the help of her friends and allies, and her own indomitable will, Shade stays one step ahead of her enemies. Her zeal is only tempered when she learns the true sacrifice required to raise a Veil—a secret even the centuries-old Brotherhood has forgotten. It is too high a price to pay. Nevertheless, she must pay it, or she will lose everything and everyone she loves…

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I’m always here for sorceresses against the patriarchy! And as an excellent bonus, early readers have said a lot about how intricate and well-thought-out the worldbuilding is – and we all know worldbuilding is my catnip! Definitely going to be checking this one out.

Light Years from Home by Mike Chen
Representation: Sapphic MC
Published on: 25th January 2022
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

Every family has issues. Most can’t blame them on extraterrestrials.

Evie Shao and her sister, Kass, aren’t on speaking terms. Fifteen years ago on a family camping trip, their father and brother vanished. Their dad turned up days later, dehydrated and confused—and convinced he'd been abducted by aliens. Their brother, Jakob, remained missing. The women dealt with it very differently. Kass, suspecting her college-dropout twin simply ran off, became the rock of the family. Evie traded academics to pursue alien conspiracy theories, always looking for Jakob.

When Evie's UFO network uncovers a new event, she goes to investigate. And discovers Jakob is back. He's different—older, stranger, and talking of an intergalactic war—but the tensions between the siblings haven't changed at all. If the family is going to come together to help Jakob, then Kass and Evie are going to have to fix their issues, and fast. Because the FBI is after Jakob, and if their brother is telling the truth, possibly an entire space armada, too.

The perfect combination of action, imagination and heart, Light Years From Home is a touching drama about a challenge as difficult as saving the galaxy: making peace with your family…and yourself.

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I adore the blurb for this; ‘Every family has issues. Most can’t blame them on extraterrestrials.’ That line alone is enough to put this on on my tbr!

The Temperature of Me and You by Brian Zepka
Representation: M/M
Published on: 25th January 2022
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old Dylan Highmark thought his winter was going to be full of boring shifts at the Dairy Queen, until he finds himself in love with a boy who's literally too hot to handle.

Dylan has always wanted a boyfriend, but the suburbs surrounding Philadelphia do not have a lot in the way of options. Then, in walks Jordan, a completely normal (and undeniably cute) boy who also happens to run at a cool 110 degrees Fahrenheit. When the boys start spending time together, Dylan begins feeling all kinds of ways, and when he spikes a fever for two weeks and is suddenly coughing flames, he thinks he might be suffering from something more than just a crush. Jordan forces Dylan to keep his symptoms a secret. But as the pressure mounts and Dylan becomes distant with his closest friends and family, he pushes Jordan for answers. Jordan's revelations of why he's like this, where he came from, and who's after him leaves Dylan realizing how much first love is truly out of this world. And if Earth supports life that breathes oxygen, then love can only keep Jordan and Dylan together for so long.

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I’m getting an ‘alien from Krypton’ vibe here, which does not displease me! This is another one I’m definitely going to be reading; that blurb leaves me with so many questions, and I’m so curious. Contagious superpowers??? I have to know more!

Something Fabulous (Something Fabulous, #1) by Alexis Hall
Representation: M/M
Published on: 25th January 2022
Genres: Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

From the acclaimed author of Boyfriend Material comes a delightfully witty romance featuring a reserved duke who’s betrothed to one twin and hopelessly enamoured of the other.

Valentine Layton, the Duke of Malvern, has twin problems: literally.

It was always his father’s hope that Valentine would marry Miss Arabella Tarleton. But, unfortunately, too many novels at an impressionable age have caused her to grow up…romantic. So romantic that a marriage of convenience will not do and after Valentine’s proposal she flees into the night determined never to set eyes on him again.

Arabella’s twin brother, Mr. Bonaventure “Bonny” Tarleton, has also grown up…romantic. And fully expects Valentine to ride out after Arabella and prove to her that he’s not the cold-hearted cad he seems to be.

Despite copious misgivings, Valentine finds himself on a pell-mell chase to Dover with Bonny by his side. Bonny is unreasonable, overdramatic, annoying, and…beautiful? And being with him makes Valentine question everything he thought he knew. About himself. About love. Even about which Tarleton he should be pursuing.

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Anything by Hall goes on my preorder list by default – he’s one of the few non-SFF authors I absolutely adore. Something Fabulous sounds – well, like something fabulous. Can’t wait to dive into this one!

And the Category Is...: Inside New York's Vogue, House, and Ballroom Community by Ricky Tucker
Published on: 25th January 2022
Genres: Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

An Electric Literature "Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Book of 2022" Selection

A love letter to the legendary Black and Latinx LGBTQ underground subculture, uncovering its abundant legacy and influence in popular culture.

What is Ballroom? Not a song, a documentary, a catchphrase, a TV show, or an individual pop star. It is an underground subculture founded over a century ago by LGBTQ African American and Latino men and women of Harlem. Arts-based and intersectional, it transcends identity, acting as a fearless response to the systemic marginalization of minority populations.

Ricky Tucker pulls from his years as a close friend of the community to reveal the complex cultural makeup and ongoing relevance of house and Ballroom, a space where trans lives are respected and applauded, and queer youth are able to find family and acceptance. With each chapter framed as a "category" (Vogue, Realness, Body, et al.), And the Category Is . . . offers an impressionistic point of entry into this subculture, its deeply integrated history, and how it's been appropriated for mainstream audiences. Each category features an exclusive interview with fierce LGBTQ/POC Ballroom members--Lee Soulja, Benjamin Ninja, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, and more--whose life, work, and activism drive home that very category.

At the height of public intrigue and awareness about Ballroom, thanks to TV shows like FX's Pose, Tucker's compelling narratives help us understand its relevance in pop culture, dance, public policy with regard to queer communities, and so much more. Welcome to the norm-defying realness of Ballroom.

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I can’t be the only one to have fallen head-over-heels with ballroom culture after discovering Pose, right? I’ve been pining for books about it, and haven’t found many (recs are welcome!) so I’ve been so excited since I heard about this one! Another book I can’t wait to start reading!

Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss a book I should know about? Let me know!

The post Must-Have Monday #70 appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

I Can’t Wait For…The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings

Can’t-Wait Wednesdayis a weekly meme hosted over at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about but haven’t yet read. Most of the time they’re books that have yet to be released, but not always. It’s based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme, which was originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

This week my Can’t-Wait-For is The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings!

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings
Representation: Black bisexual MC
Published on: 9th August 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Reminiscent of the works of Margaret Atwood, Shirley Jackson, and Octavia Butler, a biting social commentary from the acclaimed author of Lakewood that speaks to our times--a piercing dystopian novel about the unbreakable bond between a young woman and her mysterious mother, set in a world in which witches are real and single women are closely monitored.

Josephine Thomas has heard every conceivable theory about her mother's disappearance. That she was kidnapped. Murdered. That she took on a new identity to start a new family. That she was a witch. This is the most worrying charge because in a world where witches are real, peculiar behavior raises suspicions and a woman--especially a Black woman--can find herself on trial for witchcraft.

But fourteen years have passed since her mother's disappearance, and now Jo is finally ready to let go of the past. Yet her future is in doubt. The State mandates that all women marry by the age of 30--or enroll in a registry that allows them to be monitored, effectively forfeiting their autonomy. At 28, Jo is ambivalent about marriage. With her ability to control her life on the line, she feels as if she has her never understood her mother more. When she's offered the opportunity to honor one last request from her mother's will, Jo leaves her regular life to feel connected to her one last time.

In this powerful and timely novel, Megan Giddings explores the limits women face--and the powers they have to transgress and transcend them.

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I’ve been fascinated by the alignment of womanhood/femininity with witchcraft since I was old enough to understand that was a thing; I will always pounce on a book that plays with that!

(That being said, I always hope that stories which entwine magic with gender remember to leave room for nonbinary people, and I’m immediately curious about whether the men in Giddings’ world can be witches too. But questions like that just make me want to get my hands on a book faster so I can find out the answers!)

This is the first book I’ve been aware of, though, that brings race into the discussion as well – most of those womanhood = witchcraft stories are very, very white, and usually straight as well. Given that witchcraft is the province of the Other, and a Black queer woman is considered (and treated as) distinctly more Other than a white woman is… I’m very intrigued by how this will all play out in Giddings’ hands, and how it will make me think about and question things I usually don’t.

(Not gonna lie: I’m not solely interested in all the highbrow stuff. I’m easy to please, okay, I’ll make grabby-hands at any book that promises me witchcraft, queerness, and worldbuilding!)

This is also the only book I can think of, off the top of my head, that’s exploring Handmaid’s Tale-esque themes through fantasy – usually that kind of story is inevitably sci-fi, and I might be more willing to read sci-fi these days than I used to be, but fantasy will always be my first and greatest love!

In other words: GIVE ME ALL THE QUEER BLACK WITCHES!

I already know The Women Could Fly is going to make my blood boil – that’s kind of a given when you’re writing about prejudice and totalitarianism! – but I have a feeling it’s going to make my heart soar, too.

I’ve already preordered mine – have you ordered your copy yet???

The post I Can’t Wait For…The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

10 Books I Didn’t Get To Last Year (But Still Want To)

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!

This week’s prompt is ‘2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To’, and I had a few of those! Here are the 10 most urgent ones.

Flash Fire (The Extraordinaries #2) by T.J. Klune
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

Flash Fire is the explosive sequel to The Extraordinaries by USA Today bestselling author TJ Klune!

Nick landed himself the superhero boyfriend of his dreams, but with new heroes arriving in Nova City it’s up to Nick and his friends to determine who is virtuous and who is villainous. Which is a lot to handle for a guy who just wants to finish his self-insert bakery AU fanfic.

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The Extraordinaries was one of my favourites of 2020 – I am a terrible heathen and actually preffered it to Cerulean Sea, YES I KNOW THIS IS BLASPHEMY – but somehow I never managed to make time to sit down and read its sequel! Fail.

The Hollow Heart (Forgotten Gods, #2) by Marie Rutkoski
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Intrigue, romance, and magic abound in the heart-stopping conclusion to Marie Rutkoski’s Forgotten Gods duology.

At the end of The Midnight Lie, Nirrim offered up her heart to the God of Thieves in order to restore her people’s memories of their city’s history. The Half Kith who once lived imprisoned behind the city’s wall now realize that many among them are powerful. Meanwhile, the person Nirrim once loved most, Sid, has returned to her home country of Herran, where she must navigate the politics of being a rogue princess who has finally agreed to do her duty.

In the Herrani court, rumors begin to grow of a new threat rising across the sea, of magic unleashed on the world, and of a cruel, black-haired queen who can push false memories into your mind, so that you believe your dearest friends to be your enemies.

Sid doesn’t know that this queen is Nirrim, who seeks her revenge against a world that has wronged her. Can Sid save Nirrim from herself? Does Nirrim even want to be saved? As blood is shed and war begins, Sid and Nirrim find that it might not matter what they want…for the gods have their own plans.

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I surprised myself by massively enjoying The Midnight Lie, and I was very annoyed at myself for taking so long to get to it! But I hesitated to pick up Hollow Heart because I felt too fragile for where it was likely to go. It’s still very high on my tbr, but I still don’t feel quite brave enough to face it…

In the Jaded Grove by Anela Deen
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

Simith of Drifthorn is tired of war. After years of conflict between the Thistle court and the troll kingdom, even a pixie knight known for his bloodlust longs for peace. Hoping to secure a ceasefire, Simith arranges a meeting with the troll king—and is ambushed instead. Escape lies in the Jaded Grove, but the trees of the ancient Fae woodland aren’t what they seem, and in place of sanctuary, Simith tumbles through a doorway to another world.

Cutting through her neighbor’s sunflower farm in Skylark, Michigan, Jessa runs into a battle between creatures straight out of a fantasy novel. Only the blood is very real. When a lone fighter falls to his attackers, Jessa intervenes. She’s known too much death to stand idly by, but an act of kindness leads to consequences even a poet like her couldn’t imagine.

With their fates bound by magic, Simith and Jessa must keep the strife of his world from spilling into hers—except the war isn’t what it appears and neither are their enemies. Countless lives depend on whether they can face the truths of their pasts and untangle the web of lies around them. But grief casts long shadows, and even their deepening bond may not be enough to save them from its reach.

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The description doesn’t catch my interest much, but the things I’ve heard from other readers very much does! Another one I just failed to make time for.

We Are Watching Eliza Bright by A.E. Osworth
Goodreads

In this thrilling story of survival and anger, a woman has her whole life turned upside down after speaking out against workplace hostility–and inadvertently becomes the leader of a cultural movement.

Eliza Bright was living the dream as an elite video game coder at Fancy Dog Games when her private life suddenly became public. But is Eliza Bright a brilliant, self-taught coder bravely calling out the toxic masculinity and chauvinism that pervades her workplace and industry? Or, is Eliza Bright a woman who needs to be destroyed to protect "the sanctity of gaming culture"? It depends on who you ask...

When Eliza reports an incident of workplace harassment that is quickly dismissed, she's forced to take her frustrations to a journalist who blasts her story across the Internet. She's fired and doxed, and becomes a rallying figure for women across America. But she's also enraged the beast that is male gamers on 4Chan and Reddit, whose collective, unreliable voice narrates our story. Soon Eliza is in the cross-hairs of the gaming community, threatened and stalked as they monitor her every move online and across New York City.

As the violent power of an angry male collective descends upon everyone in Eliza's life, it becomes increasingly difficult to know who to trust, even when she's eventually taken in and protected by an under-the-radar Collective known as the Sixsterhood. The violence moves from cyberspace to the real world, as a vicious male super-fan known only as The Ghost is determined to exact his revenge on behalf of men everywhere. We watch alongside the Sixsterhood and subreddit incels as this dramatic cat-and-mouse game plays out to reach its violent and inevitable conclusion.

This is an extraordinary, unputdownable novel that explores the dark recesses of the Internet and male rage, and the fragile line between the online world and real life. It's a thrilling story of female resilience and survival, packed with a powerful feminist message.

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This is one I started reading and really loved it – but I was way too raw and fragile to deal with everything it tackles. I put it down, but not too good!

Body of Stars by Laura Maylene Walter
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

An exploration of fate and female agency in a world very similar to our own--except that the markings on women's bodies reveal the future. A piercing indictment of rape culture, a read about what happens when women are objectified and stripped of choice--and what happens when they fight back.

Celeste Morton has eagerly awaited her passage to adulthood. Like every girl, she was born with a set of childhood markings--the freckles, moles, and birthmarks on her body that foretell her future and that of those around her--and with puberty will come a new set of predictions that will solidify her fate. The possibilities are tantalizing enough to outweigh the worry that the future she dreams of won't be the one she's fated to have and the fear of her "changeling period" the time when women are nearly irresistible to men and the risk of abduction is rife.

Celeste's beloved brother, Miles, is equally anticipating her transition to adulthood. As a skilled interpreter of the future, a field that typically excludes men, Miles considers Celeste his practice ground--and the only clue to what his own future will bring. But when Celeste changes, she learns a devastating secret about Miles's fate: a secret that could destroy her family, a secret she will do anything to keep. Yet Celeste isn't the only one keeping secrets, and when the lies of brother and sister collide, it leads to a tragedy that will irrevocably change Celeste's fate, set her on a path to fight against the inherent misogyny of fortune-telling, and urge her to create a future that is truly her own.

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Same again – I actually read about half of this, but I had to take a break from it. The prose is very readable and I was surprised by how well most of Body of Stars‘ worldbuilding hangs together – I was especially pleased that it makes room for nonbinary individuals, which stories with gendered magic almost always forget about or ignore! But I needed a lot of escapism last year, and Body of Stars is definitely not escapist.

The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice by Shon Faye
Goodreads

Trans people in Britain today have become a culture war 'issue'. Despite making up less than 1% of the country's population, they are the subjects of a toxic and increasingly polarised 'debate', which generates reliable controversy for newspapers and talk shows. This media frenzy conceals a simple fact: that we are having the wrong conversation, a conversation in which trans people themselves are reduced to a talking point and denied a meaningful voice.

In this powerful new book, Shon Faye reclaims the idea of the 'transgender issue' to uncover the reality of what it means to be trans in a transphobic society. In doing so, she provides a compelling, wide-ranging analysis of trans lives from youth to old age, exploring work, family, housing, healthcare, the prison system, and trans participation in the LGBTQ+ and feminist communities, in contemporary Britain and beyond.

The Transgender Issue is a landmark work that signals the beginning of a new, healthier conversation about trans life. It is a manifesto for change, and a call for justice and solidarity between all marginalised people and minorities. Trans liberation, as Faye sees it, goes to the root of what our society is and what it could be; it offers the possibility of a more just, free and joyful world for all of us.

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I spent the biggest chunk of my childhood in England, and even after over a decade away I can’t quite cut all ties. I’ve seen the situation there get worse and worse for trans people, and I don’t understand why or how it’s happening – or what civilians can do so help. This book is specifically about transphobia in the UK, and it’s amazingly written, but I had to put it down because it kept making me sick and furious and depressed.

I fully intend to get through the whole thing eventually. But it’s not going to be easy or quick.

Malice by Heather Walter
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this darkly magical retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale.

Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss.
You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily-ever-after.

Utter nonsense.

Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either.

Until I met her.

Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster.
Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse.

But with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating—and she can’t stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world.

Nonsense again.

Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I—

I am the villain.

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I’ve heard only good things about Malice, and the premise ticks so many of my boxes – but it got shoved down my tbr by other books I considered more urgent at the time. Pfft!

Queer Square Mile by Kirsti Bohata
Published on: 21st October 2021
Genres: Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

This ground-breaking volume makes visible a long and diverse tradition of queer writing from Wales. Spanning genres from ghost stories and science fiction to industrial literature and surrealist modernism, these are stories of love, loss and transformation.

In these stories gender refuses to be fixed: a dashing travelling companion is not quite who he seems in the intimate darkness of a mail coach, a girl on the cusp of adulthood gamely takes her father’s place as head of the house, and an actor and patron are caught up in dangerous game-playing. In the more fantastical tales there are talking rats, flirtations with fascism, and escape from a post-virus ‘utopia’. These are stories of sexual awakening, coming out and redefining one’s place in the world.
Release and a certain heady license may be found in the distant cities of Europe or north Africa, but the stories are for the most part located in familiar Welsh settings – a schoolroom, a provincial town, a mining village, a tourist resort, a sacred island. The intensity of desire, whether overt, playful, or coded, makes this a rich and often surprising collection that reimagines what being queer and Welsh has meant in different times and places.

The first anthology of its kind in Wales, which finally sheds light on a largely hidden queer cultural history with the careful selection of over 40 short stories (1837-2018).
New translations of Kate Roberts, Mihangel Morgan, Jane Edwards, Pennar Davies and Dylan Huw make available their compelling stories for the first time to a non-Welsh speaking readership.

Previously unpublished works by writers such as Margiad Evans and Ken Etheridge appear alongside better known favourites.

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This one feels very personal; I’m half-Welsh, and the last year or so I’ve been trying to connect to that part of my heritage, which I never really grew up with. So a collection of short stories that mixes Welshness with queerness, which is an even bigger part of my identity? On the one hand, I can’t wait to read this; on the other, my emotions are tangled up and I think I feel sort of… intimidated? Or worried that I won’t enjoy it? So it’s hard to open it up and just start reading!

[image error]Dust-Up at the Crater School (The Crater School, #2) by Chaz Brenchley
Genres: Sci Fi
Goodreads

Christmas is coming to the Crater School, so the girls must celebrate. So says the Earth calendar. But Mars does not respect school rules. Nor does the Red Planet have much respect for Earth weather. Why bother with a white Christmas when Martian weather can be far more dangerous?

Then again, perhaps this is for the best. The people most likely to arrive at the Crater School with snow on their boots are Russian spies.

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Listen, I would have made it to this one if it hadn’t been published so late in the year!

Plum Duff (Greenwing & Dart Book 6) by Victoria Goddard
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

Magic is out of fashion.

Except, obviously, at Winterturn.

Winterturn in Ragnor Bella is a holiday for family, feasting, and a few religious festivities.

Jemis Greenwing and Mr. Dart are both quite ready for a quiet week or two after their adventures going to and coming home from Orio City. Jemis in particular is looking forward to the first Winterturn spent with his father since he was a child.

Then the fairy fox shows up.

Wild magic. Family secrets. Gifts from unknown admirers. Sainthood. And that's before the pageant.

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SEE ABOVE! This is another that was released just in time for Yule – giving me no time to get to it before the year charged! Even though I’m absolutely DYING to jump back into Jemis’ story!

My next few months are so busy I’m not sure when I’ll get to any of these, but I hope it’ll be soon!

Which books did you not manage to read last year?

The post 10 Books I Didn’t Get To Last Year (But Still Want To) appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #69

SIX new books to feature this week, including an albino witch, a circus of magical creatures, and a shovel!

Servant Mage by Kate Elliott
Representation: Bi/pansexual MC, agender secondary character, polyamory
Published on: 18th January 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

In Kate Elliott's Servant Mage, a lowly fire mage finds herself entangled in an empire-spanning conspiracy on her way to discovering her true power.

They choose their laws to secure their power.

Fellion is a Lamplighter, able to provide illumination through magic. A group of rebel Monarchists free her from indentured servitude and take her on a journey to rescue trapped compatriots from an underground complex of mines.

Along the way they get caught up in a conspiracy to kill the latest royal child and wipe out the Monarchist movement for good.

But Fellion has more than just her Lamplighting skills up her sleeve…

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This is one of my most anticipated books of the year – it made it onto my list of Unmissable SFF of 2022 – and I can’t wait to dive into it! I’ve heard so many good things, there is a DRAGON, and I’m utterly charmed by the shovel hidden in the corner of the cover.

Akata Woman (Akata Witch, #3) by Nnedi Okorafor
Representation: Black albino MC, Black cast
Published on: 18th January 2022
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

From the moment Sunny Nwazue discovered she had magic flowing in her blood, she sought to understand and control her powers. Throughout her adventures in Akata Witch and Akata Warrior, she had to navigate the balance between nearly everything in her life–America and Nigeria, the “normal” world and the one infused with juju, human and spirit, good daughter and powerful Leopard Person.

Now, those hard lessons and abilities are put to the test in a quest so dangerous and fantastical, it would be madness to go…but deadly not to. With the help of her friends, Sunny embarks on a mission to find a precious object hidden deep in a magical realm. Defeating the guardians of the prize will take more from Sunny than she has to give, and triumph will mean she will be forever changed.

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The third book in Okorafor’s Nsibidi Scripts series! Does anything more need to be said???

The Beholden by Cassandra Rose Clarke
Representation: Brown cast
Published on: 18th January 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy
Goodreads

Orphaned as young women, Celestia and Izara De Malena find themselves land rich but destitute, with only a failing rainforest acreage, Celestia’s perfect manners, and Izara’s nascent magic to their aristocratic names. With the last of their money running out, they enact a dangerous plan—using a spell she doesn’t fully understand, Izara summons the Lady of the Seraphine and demands a favor: a husband for Celestia, one rich enough to enable the De Malena sisters to keep their land. But a favor from the river goddess always comes at a cost . . . 

Now, five years later, rumors of war and disease are spreading, Celestia’s husband has been called away on a secret mission for the Emperor, and the Lady of the Seraphine is back to collect her due. Izara will be forced to leave the academy where she has been studying to become a mage; Celestia will be pulled from her now-flourishing farm while newly pregnant with her first child. Together, they must repay their debt to the Lady—embarking on a mission that will put them on a collision course with Celestia’s husband, the Emperor, and a god even more powerful than the Lady of the Seraphine. 

Gorgeous, compelling, and utterly captivating, The Beholden follows Celestia and Izara as they journey from the lush rainforest to a frozen desert on an impossible quest to find a god who doesn’t want to be found and prevent the end of the world.

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I didn’t love this one, but I still want to boost it so on the list it goes. Deals with gods coming due and a lush setting, and, let’s be honest, a cover to die for!

Trouble the Waters: Tales from the Deep Blue by Sheree Renée Thomas, Pan Morigan, Troy L. Wiggins
Published on: 18th January 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Sci Fi
Goodreads

"Stories to make you feel infinitely hopeful. This collection recharges rebellion as powerfully as a dry spell broken by heavy rain."
— ZZ Claybourne, author of Afro Puffs Are the Antennae of the Universe and The Brothers Jetstream: Leviathan“

Trouble the Waters: Tales from the Deep Blue gathers the tidal force of bestselling, renowned writers from Lagos to New Orleans, Memphis to Copenhagen, Northern Ireland and London, offering extraordinary speculative fiction tales of ancient waters in all its myriad forms. Meet techno savvy water spirits, bayou saints and sirens, robots and river rootwomen, a pod of joyful space whales, and a castle of water-born terrors and mysteries. Including work by Nalo Hopkinson, Jaquira Diaz, Andrea Hairston, Linda D. Addison, Rion Amilcar Scott, Marie Vibbert, Maurice Broaddus, and other breakout beautiful voices, these stories and poems celebrate the most vital of elemental forces, water.

"Trouble the Waters: Tales from the Deep Blue's confluence of stories range from the salt-edged to freshwater clear. The anthology's powerful water-buoyed voices represent international understandings of water's multiple mythos, its futures possible, and its pasts unforgotten. No matter where you enter these stories, you will not leave unchanged; and when you return, you may find the stories themselves have transformed as well. A fantastic collection."
— Fran Wilde, Nebula-award winning author of Riverland and Updraft

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I haven’t heard much about this, and only discovered it by luck, but I’m intrigued. It sounds like there’s a huge amount of variety in the stories included, and some very positive reviews from early readers!

Contest of Queens by Jordan H. Bartlett
Representation: Matriarchy
Published on: 18th January 2022
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

When an unsettling event occurs in the Queendom of Frea, Jacs, an inventor's apprentice from the Lower Realm, participates in the Contest of Queens to prove that a Queendom is strongest when united.

In a Queendom divided, can one girl unite the realms?

Jacs, an inventor's apprentice from the Lower Realm, has only ever dreamed of what the land among the clouds holds. That is until she finds a letter from Connor, an Upperite boy who sends a wooden boat into the abyss, hoping to learn more about the land below. Little does Jacs know, Connor is actually Prince Cornelius of the Queendom of Frea. With wooden boats and hot air balloons, the two begin a secret correspondence that lasts years. But their friendship is divided by a heavily-guarded bridge and an inescapable prejudice.

The strength of their bond was thought to transcend distance and time, but when the royal family visits Jacs' town of Bridgeport, the illusion of peace between the Realms dissolves, and the old feud is reignited.

Now, to save her people, Jacs must infiltrate the Upper Realm and earn her place to compete in the Contest of Queens. She must learn how to survive against the contests' grueling tasks and within a political web she could not have imagined. In a story about friendship, love, bravery, and defying gravity, Jacs will strive to prove that a Queendom is strongest when united.

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My ears always perk up for matriarchies, and that’s a beautiful cover! I’m unclear on whether this is supposed to be YA or closer to MG, but I’m going to give it a go anyway!

Hoard it All Before by Tammie Painter
Published on: 18th January 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Goodreads

Like any traveling circus, Zin's has hair-raising acts and fried food on sticks. But it's also got an aura-spotting centaur, a chain-smoking unicorn, and an omelet-addicted dragon.

Oh, and a body in the center ring.

Duncan — aka "Brutus Fangwrath, Deadliest Dragon in the West" — wakes one morning to find his best friend isn't just sleeping off a hangover.

Suspicion for the murder quickly turns to the circus's new hire, Cordelia Quinn. After all, she's got motive, she got means, and she's got loads of circumstantial evidence stacked against her.

When it looks like no one else is going to step in to help Cordelia, it's up to Duncan to unravel the case, prove Cordelia's innocence, and uncover a troubling secret along the way.

As soon as he's done with his omelet, that is.

Set in a 1930s that's just a tad different than what you're used to, Hoard it all Before is the start of a delightful humorous mystery series with plenty of tantalizing twists, a troupe of quirky characters, and death-defying feats both in and beyond the big top.

If you like paranormal mysteries like those by Kim M. Watt and C.K. McDonnell that mix laughs in with the murderous mayhem, you'll love Hoard it all Before.

Note: While this cozy mystery is mostly clean, it does have a lusty, chain-smoking unicorn who makes more than a few naughty innuendos, a dragon that drinks heavily, a tiny bit of swearing, and (obviously) there's a murder along the way.

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This sounds very cute and silly, and there is always room for more magical silliness! ESPECIALLY with a circus setting! I am intrigued, and plan on curling up somewhere cozy to read this.

That’s it! Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any books I should know about? Let me know!

The post Must-Have Monday #69 appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

I Can’t Wait For…Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

Can’t-Wait Wednesdayis a weekly meme hosted over at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about but haven’t yet read. Most of the time they’re books that have yet to be released, but not always. It’s based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme, which was originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

This week my Can’t-Wait-For is Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher!

US cover, UK cover, and…new US cover???Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
Published on: 26th April 2022
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra—the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter—has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself.

Seeking help from a powerful gravewitch, Marra is offered the tools to kill a prince—if she can complete three impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes, witches, and daughters, the impossible is only the beginning.

On her quest, Marra is joined by the gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. Together, the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the throat of the prince and frees Marra's family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler at last.

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Okay, so first off, it’s T. Kingfisher – which means I’ve already hit the preorder button before I take a peek at the synopsis. Before the synopsis is even released!

And then when I do take a look at the description – once it’s been released into the wild – my brain immediately goes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I adore Kingfisher’s take on fantasy; she is original and clever and absolutely hilarious, and she writes the most real-feeling characters I have ever encountered. She writes books that make you glow, that you want to hug to your chest, even when they are also full of Anxiety and Scary Things and of course All The Feels. I will read anything she chooses to write, forever.

That is a Sia Rule.

But… gods, how do I explain this? I guess the best way to put it is that Kingfisher has always been a genre in and of herself. She is her own category. There are no Kingfisher readalikes; she has no competition; there are no ‘oh, if you love her books, try these!’ No. Very few authors are like that, but she is definitely one of them.

An Apex Author, if you will.

So I have no doubt whatsoever that I am going to love this book (whichever cover my copy ends up having). But what makes me especially excited for Nettle & Bone is that…it sounds, from the description, like Kingfisher is moving out of the space that is Just Hers. This book is being presented, marketed, not as a Kingfisher Book, but a Fantasy book.

I think she’s moving out of the territory that is unquestionably hers…and is coming to conquer what we might call more ‘traditional’ fantasy. I think Nettle & Bone is being camouflaged as Respectable Traditional Fantasy – albeit with a wink and a nod to those in the know – so that fools who dismiss Kingfisher as Just The Funny Writer (she is funny, but it’s not even a fraction of all she is) will be tricked into picking it up. And then they’ll be hooked.

(Also, readers who have just never heard of her, because they don’t engage in the spaces where everyone knows her, are more likely to be reached by Nettle & Bone. Because it’s camouflaged as what they’re familiar with, and is slipping neatly into their spaces, and they’ll pick it up.

And then they’ll be hooked.)

This got long.

TL;DR: I can’t wait to see Kingfisher take Respectable Traditional Fantasy and make it her own. This is gonna be awesome!

The post I Can’t Wait For…Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #68

We have SEVEN new releases to feature this week, from wolf races to queer Sleeping Beauty retellings to spellcasting anarchists!

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long
Published on: 11th January 2022
Genres: Sci Fi
Goodreads

After angering a local gangster, seventeen-year-old Sena Korhosen must flee with her prize fighting wolf, Iska, in tow. A team of scientists offer to pay her way off her frozen planet on one condition: she gets them to the finish line of the planet’s infamous sled race. Though Sena always swore she’d never race after it claimed both her mothers’ lives, it’s now her only option.

But the tundra is a treacherous place, and as the race unfolds and their lives are threatened at every turn, Sena starts to question her own abilities. She must discover whether she's strong enough to survive the wild – whether she and Iska together are strong enough to get them all out alive.

A captivating debut about survival, found family, and the bond between a girl and a wolf that delivers a fresh twist on classic survival stories and frontier myths.

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Let’s be honest, ‘the bond between a girl and a wolf’ is really all I need to hear. And I can’t stop staring at that cover!

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
Representation: Achillean MC, Hawaiian MC, queernorm
Published on: 11th January 2022
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

From the author of the classic A Little Life, a bold, brilliant novel spanning three centuries and three different versions of the American experiment, about lovers, family, loss and the elusive promise of utopia.

In an alternate version of 1893 America, New York is part of the Free States, where people may live and love whomever they please (or so it seems). The fragile young scion of a distinguished family resists betrothal to a worthy suitor, drawn to a charming music teacher of no means. In a 1993 Manhattan besieged by the AIDS epidemic, a young Hawaiian man lives with his much older, wealthier partner, hiding his troubled childhood and the fate of his father. And in 2093, in a world riven by plagues and governed by totalitarian rule, a powerful scientist’s damaged granddaughter tries to navigate life without him—and solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearances.

These three sections are joined in an enthralling and ingenious symphony, as recurring notes and themes deepen and enrich one another: A townhouse in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village; illness, and treatments that come at a terrible cost; wealth and squalor; the weak and the strong; race; the definition of family, and of nationhood; the dangerous righteousness of the powerful, and of revolutionaries; the longing to find a place in an earthly paradise, and the gradual realization that it can’t exist. What unites not just the characters, but these Americas, are their reckonings with the qualities that make us human: Fear. Love. Shame. Need. Loneliness.

To Paradise is a fin de siècle novel of marvellous literary effect, but above all it is a work of emotional genius. The great power of this remarkable novel is driven by Yanagihara’s understanding of the aching desire to protect those we love – partners, lovers, children, friends, family and even our fellow citizens – and the pain that ensues when we cannot.

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Apparently Yanagihara is very well known for her contemporary fiction? I don’t know about her earlier books, but this one goes into alternate history and futuristic sci fi, which is how it pinged my radar!

Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom Duology, #1) by Sue Lynn Tan
Published on: 11th January 2022
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

A captivating debut fantasy inspired by the legend of Chang'e, the Chinese moon goddess, in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm.

Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.

Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor's son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.

To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting, romantic duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.

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I’m always so happy when we get mythology retellings that aren’t Ancient Greek, and I hope this is a wonderful introduction to Chinese mythology for Western readers!

Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore
Representation: Sapphic MC
Published on: 11th January 2022
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Science Fantasy
Goodreads

In modern day Los Angeles, a shadowy faction led by the Governor of California develops the arcane art of combat linguistics, planting the seeds of a future totalitarian empire in Scotto Moore's Battle of the Linguist Mages.

Isobel is the Queen of the medieval rave-themed VR game Sparkle Dungeon. Her prowess in the game makes her an ideal candidate to learn the secrets of "power morphemes"—unnaturally dense units of meaning that warp perception when skilfully pronounced.

But Isobel’s reputation makes her the target of a strange resistance movement led by spellcasting anarchists, who may be the only thing stopping the cabal from toppling California over the edge of a terrible transformation, with forty million lives at stake.

Time is short for Isobel to level up and choose a side—because the cabal has attracted much bigger and weirder enemies than the anarchist resistance, emerging from dark and vicious dimensions of reality and heading straight for planet Earth!

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You can say ‘power morphemes’ all you want, what I’m hearing is ‘magic words’! And ‘spellcasting anarchists’?! Who can resist THAT? And any hesitation I might have had over the video games angle is negated by the fact that this is a Tordotcom book, which means it’s pretty much guaranteed to be awesome. I’M MAKING GRABBY HANDS AT THIS ONE!

The Bone Spindle (The Bone Spindle, #1) by Leslie Vedder
Representation: Lesbian MC, F/F
Published on: 11th January 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Sleeping Beauty meets Indiana Jones in this thrilling fairytale retelling for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and All the Stars and Teeth.

Fi is a bookish treasure hunter with a knack for ruins and riddles, who definitely doesn't believe in true love.
Shane is a tough-as-dirt girl warrior from the north who likes cracking skulls, pretty girls, and doing things her own way.
Briar Rose is a prince under a sleeping curse, who's been waiting a hundred years for the kiss that will wake him.

Cursed princes are nothing but ancient history to Fi--until she pricks her finger on a bone spindle while exploring a long-lost ruin. Now she's stuck with the spirit of Briar Rose until she and Shane can break the century-old curse on his kingdom.

Dark magic, Witch Hunters, and bad exes all stand in her way--not to mention a mysterious witch who might wind up stealing Shane's heart, along with whatever else she's after. But nothing scares Fi more than the possibility of falling in love with Briar Rose.

Set in a lush world inspired by beloved fairytales, The Bone Spindle is a fast-paced young adult fantasy full of adventure, romance, found family, and snark.

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A queer take on Sleeping Beauty??? An axe-weilding huntress??? HI YES GIMME!!!

The Girl in the Corn by Jason Offutt
Published on: 11th January 2022
Genres: Horror
Goodreads

Beware of what lurks in the corn.

Fairies don't exist. At least that's what Thomas Cavanaugh's parents say. But the events of that one night, when he follows a fairy into the cornfield on his parents' farm, prove them wrong. What seems like a destructive explosion was, Thomas knows, an encounter with Dauðr, a force that threatens to destroy the fairy's world and his sanity.

Years later, after a troubled childhood and a series of dead-end jobs, he is still haunted by what he saw that night. One day he crosses paths with a beautiful young woman and a troubled young man, soon realizing that he first met them as a kid while under psychiatric care after his encounters in the cornfield. Has fate brought them together? Are they meant to join forces to save the fairy's world and their own? Or is one of them not who they claim to be?

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I said I wanted to read more horror this year, and this sounds right up my alley – fairies! Fairies can definitely be terrifying, but I get the sense that The Girl in the Corn might be something I can handle without nightmares, and that blurb has my attention!

Elixir: Stories of Hope and Healing by Elizabeth Jeannel, Cate Pearce, Shawna Barnett, Evalyn Broderick, Mel Miranda, Lea Falls, Toni Mobley, Amber Denwood, Arianna Emery, Jonathan Fuller, Hester Steel
Representation: Queer MCs
Published on: 14th January 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi, Science Fantasy
Goodreads

For those looking to escape, discover, heal, and believe, Elixir will take you to worlds where light always finds its way.

Elixir is a collection of LGBT science fiction fantasy stories themed in hope and healing. If you've ever wanted characters to go through the ringer but end happy regardless, this is the escape you've been looking for. Featuring space travelers, aliens, witches, alternate realities, alternate planets, mermaids, and demon hunters, Elixir very well has something for everyone.

With original stories from:
Hester Steel
Toni Mobley
Mel Miranda
Lea Falls
Amber Denwood
Jonathan Fuller
Cate Pearce
Shawna Barnett
Arianna Emery
Evalyn Broderick

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I love optimistic SFF, and these stories are queer too! Sounds like a wonderful book to curl up with, especially on a grey day.

That’s it from me! Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any books I should know about? Let me know!

The post Must-Have Monday #68 appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Joyful and Dark In Equal Measure: Nophek Gloss by Essa Hansen

Nophek Gloss (The Graven, #1) by Essa Hansen
Representation: Asexual MC, genderfluid secondary character
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

In this dark, dangerous, roller coaster of a debut, a young man sets out on a single-minded quest for revenge across a breathtaking multiverse filled with aliens, mind-bending tech, and ships beyond his wildest imagining. Essa Hanson’s is a bold new voice for the next generation of science fiction readers.

Caiden's planet is destroyed. His family gone. And, his only hope for survival is a crew of misfit aliens and a mysterious ship that seems to have a soul and a universe of its own. Together they will show him that the universe is much bigger, much more advanced, and much more mysterious than Caiden had ever imagined. But the universe hides dangers as well, and soon Caiden has his own plans. He vows to do anything it takes to get revenge on the slavers who murdered his people and took away his home. To destroy their regime, he must infiltrate and dismantle them from the inside, or die trying.

Finalist for r/Fantasy Stabby Awards for Best Debut!

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~freckles = superpowers
~the ‘laws’ of physics are more like guidelines, really
~what if you could fly around in your own personal universe
~you can’t blame an animal for being an animal
~alien cuisine is very weird and very delicious

Neophek Gloss is, at its heart, an ode to Science Fiction. What comes through more strongly and clearly than anything else is Hansen’s sheer love of the genre; there’s a joy to the unbridled imagination that’s been let loose in this book, a joyfulness and a beauty. It’s as if Hansen has spent a long time waiting for a story that grabs hold of all the possibilities open to the genre and runs with them – and eventually decided to write it herself.

Caiden grows up completely ignorant of the multiverse he exists in: all he knows is the enclave where he and everyone he’s ever met work various jobs all geared around taking care of cattle. He doesn’t know about other planets. He doesn’t know about other universes. He doesn’t even know about the sky.

Until one day, the Overseers come and take everyone away to be slaughtered.

He plodded on, not worried about the beasts. They had eaten his whole world: they had to be full.

Caiden survives the bloodbath due to his mother’s quick thinking and sacrifice; he makes it through the subsequent arrival of thousands of aliens and their ships by finding a ship of his own – buried and abandoned, but magically, still functional. Even more magical is its ability to generate its own tiny universe – a universe where not all of the laws of physics Caiden knows apply, and where others are drastically changed. But the ship can’t fly itself, and it’s only due to a rag-tag crew of strangers – whose own ship has been downed for good – that Caiden is whisked away to (relative) safety. They’re the ones who give him a crash-course in the basics of interstellar reality: there are thousands of universes, not just one, each of which has their own unique take on physics and biology; and while each universe also has its own kind of people, there are groups whose work or domain stretches over multiple universes. The main powerhouses are the Cartographers, who gather and trade in knowledge from all sources, and who more-or-less regulate the lawless explorers known as Passagers; the Dynast, rulers of the first and central universe, officially a non-violent group who study ancient technology and wield enormous influence; and the Casthen, a corporation so huge and with their fingers in so many pies that they make Disney look like clumsy toddlers playing at capitalism.

It’s the Casthen who owned the world Caiden was born on; the Casthen whose brand Caiden has on the back of his neck; and the Casthen who fed his parents, sister, and everyone he’s ever known to monsters.

Caiden is a fourteen year old with virtually no knowledge of how anything works, and he’s dropped into the middle of a breaking news story: the Casthen’s operations on Caiden’s homeworld were completely illegal, but they have enough political weight that they’re likely to get away with it.

Caiden decides he can’t let that happen.

“I’m not the boy who ran away. I’m the man who’s coming to avenge.”

I can understand why the official description of Nophek Gloss is so short and sparse on details, because once you start trying to explain this story, you realise how much context a person needs to be able to appreciate it. And there’s no getting around the fact that most of this information isn’t conveyed very elegantly to the reader; there is a lot of info-dumping, and while I could forgive that in the beginning of the book – Caiden does need those info-dumps just as much as the reader does – it’s something that continues throughout, and we’re not talking about smooth, well-done info-dumping, either. It starts clunky and continues that way. The other big weakness of this book is the dialogue; although all of the characters feel very distinct, almost every character, almost all of the time, sounds robotic and quite lecture-y when they talk – or else like the most cliched of cliche villains, in the case of a few of the bad guys.

So no, I’m not going to try and sell you on the idea that Nophek Gloss is perfect. It’s not. But I still think it’s a really incredible book, one that has fun with the things that it does, the concepts and species and worlds Hansen has created. It’s so wildly imaginative that I really couldn’t care less if the dialogue made me wince occasionally; I’m here for working astrology and aliens that aren’t made of meat and shapeshifting spaceships! For fluffy painkillers and mouth-watering galactic food and coats that alter in texture and style according to your mood! For white freckles and aging six years in an hour and ancient alien ruins made of materials that only exist under special conditions! Hansen doesn’t play it safe or ask whether something is sensible; she took the idea of a multiverse and legged it, making each universe unique and strange and special, and then she populated them with everything she could dream up, and why the hell not? A multiverse means literally anything could exist, right? Finally, a Sci Fi writer who realised that and just went for it!

And what an amazing cast of secondary characters! The group who rescues Caiden are a hard-won found-family, a fabulous and diverse unit, and I didn’t blame Caiden one bit for wanting them to adopt him – I’d want to be a part of what they have too. Laythan, Kisne, En, Panca, and Taitn fit together wonderfully, and I was impressed at how well each of them stood out from the rest, and had their own responses to discovering a fourteen-year-old in the midst of a massacre. They’re also our first glimpse at the enormous diversity of species Hansen has created; Kisne has skin that changes colors and patterns to reflect his emotions; Panca has a kind of jewel embedded in or grown out of her forehead. Not long after meeting them, Caiden sees thousands more not-humans, and if most of them are humanoid, well, Hansen’s worldbuilding justifies it – every new universe has split off from the central, first one, and since that first one was populated by humanoids…you get thousands of different kinds of humanoids, each a little or a lot different from the next.

Hansen has put just as much thought into her sci fi technology; Caiden is fourteen when the book opens, but trades his memories of what happened to his home for his physical and mental development to be sped up by six years, making him twenty for most of the novel. He also gets a lifetime’s worth of knowledge sort of downloaded into his brain and body, and I loved how drastic the difference was between the Caiden encountering the capital city of the multiverse for the first time, and the aged-up Caiden who could understand what he was seeing;

With new languages, he could read the colorful light-script, no longer the signs of foreign terrors but hawking mundane things like respiratory implants, motile tattoos, and exotic cuisine.

As someone who has, many times, been in countries where I can’t speak or read or understand anything around me, Caiden’s relief and excitement once everything makes sense read as both completely legit and genuinely wonderful. I have to admit to being hugely wistful for the idea of tech that can just give you knowledge, though!

Wonder started to unstitch his anxiety.

From a writing perspective, I thought the choice to start with Caiden as a child and then age him up was interesting; because humans are weird, we get more upset when things happen to kids than to adults (I would argue that age is irrelevant and we should be equally upset no matter how old the victim is, but that’s a rant for another time!), so it makes sense to have the massacre happen to child!Caiden if what you’re going for is that emotional gut-punch. But fourteen-year-old Caiden wouldn’t be able to carry a book, so aging him up – and giving him maturity and knowledge in the process – lets you have the whole revenge arc, which I don’t think would be as easy to pull off with a younger character as it is with a twenty-year-old.

That being said, I really didn’t enjoy the revenge arc. Initially I was really excited, because Hansen first makes it clear that even if it were possible to destroy the Casthen, that wouldn’t necessarily be a good thing;

“What would happen if the Casthen were destroyed?”

After a moment of processing, its words re-formed: One million species expired.

He blinked at the letters. “How?”

Countless aspects unfolded, showing how the Casthen’s influence or ownership would deteriorate industries. “Machine spirit” cloning operations would cease without the Casthen’s proprietary germination techniques. The lack of new spirits would result in existing ones being forcefully desenescized–aged backward–to prolong their life span: beings wrung out and re-sopped like rags.

Five thousand other species would lose the ecological factors that sustained them. The cessation of predator harvest in five universes would threaten another twenty thousand species, each of which provided critical exports. Ecological links all over cascaded into catastrophe the moment a few key species were lost. Then a 3 percent drop in fuel-prism production would limit access to worlds in need of aid.

I WAS SO EXCITED WHEN I READ THIS! Finally, a take-down-the-bad-guys story that acknowledges that it is just not that simple; it’s not black and white, it’s extremely messy grey! Nor is it a head-of-the-snake situation; killing the CEO doesn’t dismantle the corporation, because in reality it just doesn’t work like that. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what Caiden would do, what kind of approach he would take towards the Casthen, or if he might turn away from revenge (as Laythan and the others urged) entirely, and build a new life for himself.

…So I was massively disappointed when the entire second half of the book became all about killing Cydanza, the Casthen Prime, aka the CEO. It was confusing; it’s already been established that the Casthen is an immensely complex machine, and that removing Cydanza is unlikely to change anything, but nonetheless Caiden buys into the spiel of a smaller villain and agrees to dedicate himself to taking out Cydanza. I’m not sure if we’re supposed to infer that it’s Caiden’s trauma (of which he has a lot) that makes him so easily led and so easily convinced – if he believes it because he wants to believe it – or if Hansen started out trying to show how complex this kind of situation is and then let the plot devolve into cliche. Either way, this would have been an easy four stars without that sudden 180.

The obvious knock-on effect is that the second half of the book is then pretty damn dark; Cydanza is unremittingly Evil with a capital E, and Caiden and his sort-of-ally have to do some pretty terrible things in order to get close to her. Laythan and the rest of Caiden’s maybe-found-family aren’t present, because Caiden runs away from them – you can’t really call it a metaphor for turning away from love and family in favor of revenge and bloodshed, since that is literally what he does. It didn’t really make me like Caiden very much, but it’s impossible not to understand why he makes those choices; he never stops feeling like a real human person, complete with human weaknesses, blindspots, and the capacity for making mistakes.

He grows, though. It’s much more than the six years he used in the aging chamber; the Caiden at the end of the book isn’t the same person as the one who started it – and that’s how it should be. Between the character growth, and the absolutely dazzling imagination on display, and Hansen’s prose? It’s a book I adored the first time I read it, and I still enjoyed it the second time around. I want to read book two, not so much to follow Caiden, maybe – although the ending of Gloss gives you an immense amount of incentive for staying invested in his story! – as to see more of the world(s) that Hansen has created. Yes, it has flaws, but I’d still recommend it, especially to anyone who’s feeling like their usual sci fi fare is a little stale.

And you’ve still got time to read Nophek Gloss before the sequel is out next month!

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