Michael Barnes
I first encountered August Clarke's writing as H.A. Clarke in their young adult contemporary witches Scapegracers trilogy described as The Craft meets Mean Girls—except more heartwarming and queer a found family trope, but with teen witches funnelling their angst into reckless magic.
So I was excited to read Metal from Heaven and it didn't disappoint.
I am unapologetic communist and this book carries revolutionary theory and action in full. It begins with an organized labor strike and protest during a surge of unionization efforts by workers in this nation. Told at that time from the point of view of a young (around 12/13) factory worker Marney Honeycutt. The eponymous metal from heaven – ichorite – is part of Marney’s body from in-utero exposure to the substance making her lustertouched and interacting with the metal on a primal level (handling it can induce violent attaches like an allergic reaction, but it also gives her a measure of control over it. Those calling for a better world, Marney’s family and community, are all murdered at the orders of Chauncey, the man who discovered how to utilise ichorite. Like all capitalists didn’t care about his workers; they protested; he had them killed. After escaping Marney embraced by bandits known as 'the Highwayman’s Choir' and their community of Fingerbluffs. We follow Marney as grows up; and eventually masquerades as a noble to get close to Chauncey’s daughter, with the goal of killing Chauncey. And – because where would the story be if they didn’t? – things get complicated.
The author in an interview said they had never seen stone butches in genre fiction, given that they are one, or was at the time when I wrote this book so they explored what lesbianism means in terms of class and how messy and gender-transgressive lesbian masculinity is and has been and will continue to be.
And make no mistake this book is full of dynamic fierce and masc/femme queer women and what a joy, it is glorious. Cailen at the Lesbrary describes it as thus 'Metal From Heaven is gender-fuckery and untamed queerness, labour politics and workers’ rights, anti-capitalist and gloriously anarchist. What the fuck is femininity weaves through the story, a bright, hot pink ribbon with razored edges. Pink, pink is everywhere: pink is the colour of gender-fuckery, as we see when Amon paints his face not blue for men or black for women, but pink; pink is what Marney sees when she uses her magic, the world smearing and shining around her. This is political fantasy – fiercely, unabashedly political – where there’s nothing on the menu but the rich, the rich and those who’ll betray everyone else to serve them'.
In that same interview I referenced above the author went on to talk about the Ichorite which is a major narrative point. The author said "… comes from my anxiety that fossil fuels are like corpses, a very literal dinosaur body. Imagine plastic and oil and everything we derive from said corpses being haunted, and how immense and profound the scale of that haunting would be. Simultaneously, I’m a Marx nerd. Marx writes about the commodity fetish as this capitalist delusion where we think we’re having relationships with objects instead of with each other. What would it mean if there was a substance that, in interacting with it, it becomes immediately clear that this is not the case? There’s a lot of goofy Marx interpolation in my worldbuilding. I think other Marx-heads will recognize what I’m playing with".
One Marx head to another all I can say I bravo.
The final fifth of the book speaks of the revolution in detail but from an omniscient but third person point of view but still in Marney's voice and it’s a glorious conclusion in the sweet hereafter.
I began Catching Teller Crow one evening and the next thing I knew I was finished it. Short stories in spite of their shortness can be every bit as filling and satisfying Catching Teller Crow (a joy to discover where the title comes from once you discover it in the story) is one such short story.
Nothing’s been the same for Beth Teller since she died. Her dad, a detective, is the only one who can see and hear her – and he’s drowning in grief. But now they have a mystery to solve together. Who is Isobel Catching, her story is in poetic style leading itself to ask if it's true or metaphor and realising its both.
This for me was the most revelatory how sibling-author team Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina could use these tools to tell this brief, sharp story around the mysteries that have emerged after an incident of arson and a suspicious death at a children’s home. It deftly examines racism, violence, terrible historic injustices and corruption within the police force. This is a book that shows trauma and survival. Stories are vital, and Catching Teller Crow highlights and champions the transformative and nourishing powers of storytelling.
I had read an enjoyed Ambelin Kwaymullina's young adult series that began with The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf and am keen to read more of her work.
The summary of Butter by Asako Yuzuki is hard for me as it is such a dense story of different characters who grow and develop and our understandings of them change and how they understand themselves change throughout this Japanese culturally specific but fiercely feminist novel that I either provide a one sentence "it's about a woman journalist who interviews an imprisoned female serial killer, there are lots of recipes and cooking" or "A bright yellow book that champions butter, based on a true crime story combining thriller with gourmet cooking and gender stereotypes" or perhaps a multi paragraph synopsis focused on the stories of each of the characters and their relationships who grow and understand themselves and others more deeply as the story unfolds.
Also while much is made of it being based on a true person " Kanae Kijima known as The Konkatsu Killer, is a Japanese fraudster and serial killer, convicted for poisoning three would-be husbands and suspected of four more, spanning from 2007 to 2009. She was given her nickname for her frequenting of "konkatsu" (marriage-hunting) websites, with her case also being called with similar names (ex. Konkatsu Killings Case) I think this is more just a jumping off point.
In providing an overview I compromised with Yu Sim at the Straits Times "a narrative around Manako Kajii, an imperious 35-year-old gourmand locked away behind bars. She had been found guilty of killing three lonely men, whom she seduced with her cooking and then made away with their money. Butter is an addictively weird culinary romp that somehow brings to mind BTS’ song of the same name (2022), which opens with the line “Smooth like butter/like a criminal undercover”. In the novel, the dairy product is the omnipresent ingredient across the dishes featured, which transports readers from Kajii’s blogged recipes to Michelin-starred restaurants to dingy ramen joints. Kajii insists on using quality butter in her recipes, likening the sensation of eating good butter to one of falling: “The body plummets, starting from the very tip of the tongue. She refuses to speak to the media, but this does not deter the hard-nosed weekly tabloid journalist Rika Machida. Eventually, the lines between work and friendship get blurred as Machida gets reeled into Kajii’s vortex. She even promises to act as Kajii’s proxy in eating what she cannot get behind bars, and then regaling her with luscious descriptions of the experiences".
It’s the well-drawn depths to these characters that kept me reading and the protagonist Rika changes as she learns to unlearn so much of the internalised misogyny in culture, It's her friend Reiko who she knew from high school who I really enjoyed following her discovery of self who begins by accusing Rika of losing objectivity with Manako Kajii only to fall for her tricks as well.
Note if you do plan to read this I found a fair chunk of the early part of the story slow. Rika’s initial lack of interest in food, paired with Kajii’s manipulative hatred of other women, makes neither of them a comfortable target for empathy. And Reiko is equally complex: a capable, smart woman who has lied to everyone in her life. I urge perseverance as this attributes are explored and provide a sharpness needed to heighten the taste of this story ( I assure you the temptation to fill this with food puns is almost overwhelming).
Also the book whilst filled with meals, is not filled with recipes rather it is hunger inducting because it tells the sensations and experience of these meals, there is a sequence where author has described a simple recipe of butter rice with soy sauce thoroughly that I began salivating.
J Murry at Readings describes it thus "These mouth-watering descriptions of sumptuous meals and thoughtful commentary on the constricting expectations placed on women. Food becomes the vessel for this commentary, as Rika’s austere, functional dinners make way for decadent, unashamed feasts as her worldview slowly shifts, plate by plate. Rika and Manako are both complex, layered characters that are a joy to watch Yuzuki steadily unpick over the course of the novel, revealing more with each tense conversation. The lively and varied supporting cast of characters plus a dash of humour and Butter is the perfect read for anyone who wants a darkly compelling novel about the vital importance of high-quality butter.
I myself cook with Lurpak but I am tempted to seek out even more sumptuous butter after reading this.
It's obvious. The first thing to note about McBride's debut 'a girl is a half formed thing' is its use of language, grammar, syntax or lack thereof, and punctuation. I have seen it described as 'stream-of-consciousness' and that is as good a descriptor/warning as any. Read as fragmented gasps and spurts and appears childlike at first reading. Usually starting a new book I try to read the first fifty pages in a one sitting to decide if I want to keep reading and for this novel I needed that to feel that I had a reasonable grasp of what was being conveyed. Even when I was more comfortable reading I never got passed a sense I was translating or deciphering the prose, rather than just reading as I do with other books. Not since Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker have I had to put in so much effort to read understand what I was reading.
It was also a hard read because of the harsh unforgiving treatment these children receive in an earlier Ireland that the catholic church held sway. The country described in the Pogues song 'thousands are sailing' "The land that makes us refugees, From fear of priests with empty plates, From guilt and weeping effigies".
Central through our unnamed narrator (spoiler the final line of the book is "My name is gone") is her brother three years older than her suffering from a brain tumour as infant whose brain has been damaged by the cancer and the surgery never to recover toa full life and then to die in his early twenties.
Our narrators life is also horrendous she is raped by her uncle. Even with her conflicted sexual response it is certainly rape, for she is only thirteen, which makes it paedophilia as well. Following this recounts sexual encounters as joyless and violent compulsion reminiscent of nothing so much as the self-harmers who cut themselves as a form of release from unbearable emotional stress. Throughout the novel angry Catholic virtue of her virago mother, expressed in speech rhythms that catch with uncanny accuracy the way that people actually talk.
The protagonist's end is heart rending in its inevitability. Summarised by Mark Byron Senior Lecturer, Department of English, University of Sydney "The narrator is dragged under by her failure to coalesce an identity sufficiently resilient to the burdens of her experience".
This was not a pleasant nor enjoyable read for me but a worthwhile one none the less.
I breezed through Aiden Thomas’ debut novel, Cemetery Boys in a day. Is eminently readable and a fast paced tale of trans identity and Latinx culture cultures I know little about so can not speak to the stories authenticity but the author is trans and Latinx at least he isn't appropriating another's culture or speaking for someone else voice.
From Kayti Burt at Den of geeks " The novel follows Yadriel, a trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family, who all happen to be brujx, with the ability to see spirits. When Yadriel’s cousin is murdered, Yadriel decides to solve the mystery of what happened as a way to convince his family to accept his identity as a brujo. But when, instead of summoning the ghost of his cousin, Yadriel accidentally summons the ghost of (very cute) school “bad boy” Julian, who refuses to leave, Yadriel’s mission becomes much more complicated… especially once he realizes he might not want Julian to go".
I was delighted to discover the story continues in Espíritu which I have added to my to_be_read_ mastaba.
I haven't read any of Chuck Tingle's other 29 works listed on goodreads such 'Trans Wizard Harriet Porber And The Theater Of Love: An Adult Romance Novel', 'Pounded in the Butt by My Own Butt'. I first heard of him during the right wing nut job sad puppies campaign to 'de-diversify the science fiction awards' and nominated Tingle's 'Space Raptor Butt Invasion' thinking it would offend those who judge these prizes. Unsurprisingly narrow minded bigots don't know how most people think and many of the judges knew of Tingle and his work and were happy to nominate. Chuck Tingle himself played along followed up with 'Slammed In The Butt By My Hugo Award Nomination'.
"Set amidst the sprawling splendor of Montana, Camp Damascus immediately presents us with the first-person perspective of our protagonist, Rose, a devoutly religious twenty-year old who seems to live a heavenly life in the town of Neverton. Surrounded by loving friends and family, avoiding anything more dangerous than root beer and punny Jesus t-shirts, and set to be set-up with a heart-throb boyfriend, Rose has everything she could ever want, both spiritually and physically.
Obviously, since this is a horror novel, Rose might have to deal with some problems". Summary by Chris Kluwe at Lightspeed magazine.
I loved this book, the blend of Christian Mythology and Science come from the different world views of two of the main characters being a pivotal plot pot to resolving the story. The balancing of faith and scepticism in the second half of the book was well done. Whilst I don't think any of the major churches are going to be recommending it definitely carves out a space for those who truly believe but are still willing to question themselves.
Plus gotta love a resolution where folk are hoist by their own petard.
But if this novel is indicative of his writing sign me up for 'Turned Gay By The Existential Dread That I May Actually Be A Character In A Chuck Tingle Book'.
I could do a short review along the lines of 'people died' So it goes. Which trust me if you had read the book - would make sense. I understand it is a classic and certainly the non linear narrative fits the story within the story, and the aspects of meta narrative employed eg the author appearing in the story for 1969 would have been remarkable. It was a bookclub choice so I am grateful that it meant I have read another significant piece of modern western literature. I recall I watched the movie that was made of this and being more excited about the science fiction aspects.
I was introduced to Ilsa J. Bick's Ashes Trilogy by a couple of bookclubers (thanks Amanda and Greta) and it was a welcome suggestion. I am a fan of the zombie genre, looking over my books on Goodreads I have read fourteen zombie novels and series and this is certainly one of the first zombie novels in a series leaving me keen to launch straight into the second. That cliff hanger. The last time that happened was Mira grant's Feed and I have to wait a year before the next book dropped. This is much better since Shadows has been published (though it is currently on loan at my library).
Kirus reviews sums it up well "Splendidly paced apocalyptic zombie horror ends with a thrilling, terrifying cliffhanger and a number of unresolved mysteries"
"They think they’ve killed the last of us…
981 AD. The Viking King of Dublin is dead. His young widow, Gormflaith, has ambitions for her son–and herself–but Ireland is a dangerous place and kings tend not to stay kings for long. Gormflaith also has a secret. She is one of the Fomorians, an immortal race who can do fire-magic. She has kept her powers hidden at all costs, for there are other immortals in this world–like the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of warriors who are sworn to kill Fomorians. Fódla is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann with the gift of healing. Her kind dwell hidden in a fortress, forbidden to live amongst the mortals. Fódla agrees to help her kin by going to spy on Brian Boru, a powerful man who aims to be High King of Ireland. She finds a land on the brink of war–a war she is desperate to stop. However, preventing the loss of mortal lives is not easy with Ireland in turmoil and the Fomorians now on the rise…"
If you enjoyed stories set in this period of history (the turn of the millennium) in this part of the world (Ireland) and welcome the low magic of Irish myths of Tuatha Dé Danann then this is a debut novel for you. The narrative unfolds alternating between two different women Gormflaith and Fódla Gormflaith, one of the last of the Fomorians, will do anything to ensure her mortal son stays king. Fódla, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann who hunt and kill Fomorians, will do anything to protect her sister’s son and its these characters who give the heart to the story.
I welcomed the assemblage of true historical events with the elements of myths. In an epilogue the author explains the names and events history records. She discuss why she couldn't write a literary history novel, or a fantasy novel but required both elements to drive her writing. She alludes to the fact that it would have been easier for her publisher to market if it was one or the other.
Hild by Nicola Griffith is still my go to book on the middle ages but I look forward to reading the rest of this trilogy.
I borrowed Ava Reid’s Fable for the End of the World before the prompts for my friend's reading challenge had been given so I was fortunate that it satisfied 'Read a book set in a dystopian future'
Because a dystopic future it is, where earth has all but succumbed to the ravages of climate change, Inesa and her younger brother Luka run a taxidermy shop to eke out a meager living in Esopus, the half-sunken village in which rainwater runs so high, they travel by raft from their shop to their home. Everyone in these marginal spaces outside the city (read the capital in Hunger games speak) are forced to choose between essentials such as food or electricity, or else they have to incur debt. Even saying “thank you” is a practice that has faded away because to be in debt of any sort is something that these people cannot endure. Should you fall too far into debt, the masked collectors come knocking, and they don’t just want money repaid. Unbeknownst to Inesa, her mother has accrued an enormous debt as she seeks to escape from the life she believes she is trapped in. When the Masks TM come, they come for Inesa, and it is revealed that her mother has put her up for the Lamb’s Gauntlet, the livestreamed spectacle in which the debtor is forced to flee from an assassin whose one mission is to kill the debtor: the lamb. Thrust into a race to escape death, Inesa finds herself relying on the survival skills taught by years of living in the irradiated wastes of her homeland and the help of her hunter brother, whose skill with a rifle might be the only thing standing between her and the rapidly closing assassin, Melinoë.
Mel has been trained and modified to be the ultimate living weapon. After undergoing mental calibration and physical alterations, she has been honed into a creature whose one purpose is to track and kill the sacrificial lambs in the Gauntlet. However, despite being known for her cold, ruthless nature, Mel is desperate for redemption in this Gauntlet, as her most recent hunt resulted in her breaking down for all the world to see on their screens and now haunts her with crippling flashbacks.
As Mel chases Inesa through the dangerous forests, heading North toward her believed potential salvation, both girls realize that they may not be all that different, and that the systems that have pitted them against each other might be worth fighting back against. A contemporary projection of today’s heavy-hitting topics, from climate change and capitalism to fascism and exploitation, all the while exploring what it is to be human, to hope, to sacrifice and to love.
The narrative takes the televised-competition-to-the-death premise of The Hunger Games and infuses it with even more modern context and triggers, all the while centering on a queer romance and exploring themes of love, humanity, self-worth and what it means to truly live in a world forcing you to only focus on survival.
The Author succeeds in making a story about each of these girls, rooting for them as they take on the system that rules over their world, not so different from our own. I found it a moving examination of what life and love can be when we are forced into instinctual survival, versus what can thrive when we not only survive, but attempt to truly live.
I fear the ending may leave some unsatisfied I found it an enduring testament to hope, however be warned the story doesn't conclude with a victory over the evils of capitalism.
Victoria Thomas at the Book Raven summaries the story thus
"In Mersailles, “Cinderella” is more than just a fairy tale: It’s the basis for a harsh monarch’s throttlehold on his kingdom.
Sophia is turning 16, the age at which young women must attend King Manford’s annual ball, at which they are scrutinized by and married off to male attendees. Any young woman who has not been claimed after her third ball is destined to spend the rest of her days engaged in hard labor. But being chosen can be its own curse in a society where domestic violence is common. Sophia is a beautiful Black girl in love with dark-haired Erin, one of her best friends. While racial diversity is a natural part of this world, the same acceptance does not exist for those who defy rigid gender norms: Anything other than heterosexual desire is strictly forbidden, and while Sophia wishes to escape as a couple, Erin is too fearful. After fleeing the ball, Sophia stumbles across Cinderella’s mausoleum, hidden in the woods. There she meets rebellious Constance, an attractive young red-haired woman with a very personal motivation for sabotaging the monarchy. As the two grew closer—and sparks fly—they discover secrets that could end Manford’s cruel reign. This promising debut deals with themes around rebellion and empowerment as well as the toll that rejecting the status quo can take on relationships. The atmospheric setting is a particular strength, and the twists and turns will keep readers in suspense".
Reading the book within 24 hours is a testimony to it readability and the retelling of fairy tales has become a genre in its own right. This also tells a story about how 'history' and record keeping is written by the winners. I liked how those aspects of the tale like 'the wicked step sisters and wicked step mother ' are shown to be constructions even down to the woodcuts used to create the images in the books. The twist involving the 'fairy godmother' was another positive addition to the narrative.
I shows young adults Sophia is 16 challenging a dystopic government based on historical lies leading to wide spread misogyny and brutally enforced heteronormative standards. YA fighting oppressive governments is a staple in publishing these days so why was Cinderella is Dead the target in a number of censorship challenges in schools throughout the United States, including but not limited to Granbury and San Antonio, Texas. It was removed from school libraries after Rep. Matt Krause (R ) published a list of books that he deemed would cause students "discomfort" for addressing sexuality and race.
So the protagonist Sophia and other characters are black, she is also gay, which seems to be the criteria for Representative Krause's complaint but I wonder if the focus on the mistreatment and disregard of women in this story which is central to why Sophia and Constance resist is another significant reason why those such as Rep Matt Krause who benefit from hegemonic masculinity would not want young people to read these narratives. (Honestly I don't think Rep Matt Krause thinks that much about literature and it relationship to culture given their attitiude to removing anything about history, writing, photographs which hint at anything that doesn't suit their world view.)
In a review for The National of Scotland, McLaughlin called the book "the perfect mix" of a dystopian world and a new take on a classic fairy tale so I will include it on the Dystopia challenge list though I have already begun to read my choice for that category which I had borrowed from the library before the challenge was finialised.
Defekt is the companion novel to Finna, which I enjoyed, so I was happy to read another story centering this weird and twisty furniture store. While Finna quickly leaves the store behind, entering parallel worlds, Defekt is firmly set at the store and I was excited to discover other absurdities this furniture store has to show us.
When I first met the character Derek in Finna, where we only get a very brief glimpse of him, I can’t say I thought I was ever going to like this character. The more curious I was about reading his very own story though, wondering if that could change. Turns out there is a lot more to Derek than one first thinks, like… a lot a lot.
Finna and Defekt are both very different yet also very much the same. At their core, both stories are about self discovery and self-reflection. Derek’s story was just extra special in that way and very much hitting the spot. I just loved how he learns his own potential, that he sees who he can be if he wants to, that there is a lot more in life for him. Through his clones who are all very different people, very different personalities and also genders, he gets a chance to really explorer his true inner self.
Like Finna, the sheer madcap oddness of Defekt provides a lot of entertainment while the subtext introduces questions of what it means to not fit in with everyone else, finding one’s own identity, and how a group of seemingly powerless entities (for lack of a better word) can stand up to a corporate behemoth.
Sara Rauch over at Lamda Literary review sums it up better than I could thusly
"In E.K. Johnston’s new novel, That Inevitable Victorian Thing, world history doesn’t look the way we know it to today. There are some similarities, of course—as there are in all good speculative fiction—but it is the differences, the minor yet major tweaks, that define this new world. The biggest, from which the plot of this intriguing novel stems, is that Britain remained a super-power at the behest, and remarkably prescient forethought, of Queen Victoria I. This visionary new world is multicultural in a particular way: marriage matches are (most often) made by the omniscient Computer, transcending race and culture to pair couples by their genetic codes in an attempt to breed a stronger, more thoughtful empire. This situation has resulted in the kind of open and accepting society many people dream of. Biology (with love playing a somewhat more mysterious role) reigns supreme, resulting in a strong, united queendom (because, unlikely though it may seem to present-day readers sludging through the stew of misogyny, the monarchy hands down power via the first-born child, regardless of gender).
In this near-future world, Victoria-Margaret, a teenage girl and direct descendant of Queen Victoria I, is set to inherit the throne. But before she does, her parents have decided to give her one summer of freedom. Off she goes, “disguised” as Margaret of Sandwich, to Toronto, to stay with family friends and experience her “debut”: a teenage rite of passage, which, as in times past, signals a girl’s entrance into the marriage market, but not as in time’s past, is something all genders do. Margaret’s friend, Elizabeth, daughter of the Fleet Admiral of the Royal Canadian Navy, is in on the secret, and the two, though never particularly close up to this point, form a quick bond. On the night of their debut, Margaret and Elizabeth meet Helena Marcus, the daughter of one of the empire’s top geneticist. Helena has come down from New London by unexpected invitation, to debut in Toronto. Practical Helena, who from her childhood has expected to marry August Callaghan, a heir to a shipping conglomerate, accepts the invite out of duty, but upon meeting Margaret, very quickly begins to enjoy herself.
That Inevitable Victorian Thing takes a bit of time to catch—the first few chapters are focused on the large cast of (mostly female) characters and distinguishing between them can take some effort. The Computer’s dominance also requires getting used to: the fact that it borders on arranged marriage and begs questions of piety and fealty is softened by citizens’ acceptance and embrace of the system and offset by the occasional anecdote of marriages that blissfully exist outside of Computer influence. Quibbles aside, once this new world is adjusted to, the plot moves along at a nice pace. The Toronto and Canadian woods of the future are well rendered, and the open society is beguiling—citizens of this empire appear happy, well-adjusted, compliant. Perhaps this is because the book focuses mainly on the upper class and those that work for them. Or perhaps—and it seems entirely possible given the promise of the world Johnston has created—this is because everyone is, actually, content.
As the novel progresses, and Margaret and Helena’s friendship hurtles toward the inevitability of something more, That Inevitable Victorian Thing picks up a lot of steam. In parts, it carries some of the bright sweetness of Sarah Waters’ early books, and the deft manner in which it deals with its protagonists’ sexualities and gender identities is refreshing. Margaret, despite her remarkably privileged upbringing, remains grounded and level-headed throughout the confusion and trials of her summer “vacation,” and Helena, thrown off kilter by unexpected news about her identity, bears her own and others’ secrets with unending grace. Towards the last third of the novel, the plot twists can feel forced, and the main conflict resolves itself a bit quickly with a somewhat naïve pact—but it’s hard to object to young characters exhibiting intelligence, patience, and resilience, especially when their actions conclude with happiness and the continued well-being of the empire".
As a university student most of my friends have sought furniture from the Swedish founded big box store IKEA, the endless maze of showrooms I find it easy to imagine that there are hidden passages that lead, not to a secret shortcut to an exit, but to another world entirely.
Nino Cipri’s Nebula Award-nominated novella Finna (2020) takes that concept adds to it a timely set of social concerns, ranging from gender identity to the evils of capitalism generally and low-wage retail jobs in particular and wormholes.
The story is that of Jules and Ava to coworkers who are trying to resolve what they are to each other after a breakup. Jules explains to Ava why they volunteered for task. "A soccer mom enlisted me to help harangue her husband into shelling out money for a new bathroom vanity. She managed to misgender me four times in two minutes,” Jules said. They bent down to pick up the books they’d knocked off the shelf. “Two different pronouns, completely ignored my nametag, eventually settled on calling me ‘the kid.’
During one exchange the LitenVärld manager Tricia, (described as “Midwestern manager-class haircut” with blond highlights (could anything indicate a “Karen” more clearly?), practiced plastic facial expressions, and an utter disregard for the wellbeing of the workers she manages" after barely trying and completely failing to address Jules by their preferred pronouns decries 'It's too difficult, I guess I'm just a grammar Nazi" leading A to wonder, "not for the first time, why anyone would so proudly declare themselves to be any kind of nazi". Good question Ava
The descriptions Ava gives for the different show room set ups conjured the images for me The Nihilist Bachelor Cube, Coked-out Divorcée, Parental Basement Dweller, Newly Retired Swinger, the goth spinster room and others.
But it’s the compassion that describes these two modern people badly treated and exploited by our society that seems to say a 'better world isn't possible, but a worse on is" when they finally face wy Ava broke up with Jules that tugged my heart.
"“Because I don’t trust you to come back!” Ava hissed. “You always do this. You ignore inconvenient realities like your girlfriend is fucked up in the head and there are giant spiders in other worlds! Then when the problems get too big to ignore, you run.” “ … You dumped me,” Jules said numbly. “Because you never would,” Ava answered. “I would have just woken up and you’d be gone.”
Contemporary horror done well.
I was impressed by Kamilah Cole's debut novel in this duology, and I am elated to say the conclusion is satisfyingly wraps the story and these characters tales.
Becky of Becky's Book Blog sums it up well ".. picks up almost directly after the ending of So Let Them Burn. Faron and Elara almost swapping positions, with Faron now being bonded to a Dragon and Elara now the maiden Empyrean. Cole’s decision to flip their roles added an extra dimension to the story, not only allowing for the emotional aspects after the ending of book one, but quite literally putting the sisters in each others shoes. Allowing them to feel the weight each has carried, understand better the stresses both they and their roles put them under. We now see Elara in the role of protector, not simply of Faron, but the entirety of San Irie. She’s in the spotlight more than she ever has been, and now dealing with people who don’t think she should be allowed power at all. And Faron, going from being someone loved and prayed too, to someone everyone believes a traitor. She really grew in this book, acknowledging just how she abused her powers, but also acknowledging her trauma and how the God’s used her at only 12 years old to be the face of a war. I’ll always love these characters for many reasons, but the main one being just how human Cole makes them feel. They each have their flaws, their wants and needs that might not be seen as favourable by those they are trying to help, but what Cole does expertly is make them so real to their ages and the experiences that they have gone through".
For a book with some many characters who have suffered the horrors of war and occupation each dealing or denying have to deal with the trauma and horror and responsibilities for decisions they have to make there is also a lot of suprising heart between these characters.
The plot itself in the second book is more fast-paced especially in the last third of the novel, though allowing for these more introspective character building moments. It is compulsively readable with suspense and tension through the roof. Cole also expands on the already rich world-building here, furthering the lore and landscape of this immersive world. It feels like we could discover plenty more stories. All of this culminates in a brilliant conclusion that is powerful and poignant. As you may expect, it is not clean-cut. The road ahead will be difficult and Cole does not shy away from that.
This Ends in Embers solidifies Cole as a name to watch in the YA fantasy genre with exquisite characterisation and a layered yet deeply compelling plot with plenty to say.
This debut novel, the first in a duology by Kamilah Cole is a Jamaican mythos inspired sapphic young adult fantasy that delivered from beginning to end.
I signed up for this book as a pre-order after one of my favourites authors Xiran Jay Zhao revealed that Cait Corrain author whose debut fantasy novel Crown of Starlight was scheduled to be publish in 2024 had created multiple fake accounts on Goodreads to review bomb other authors of colour. Kamilah Cole's (So Let Them Burn), Bethany Baptiste's (The Poisons We Drink), Frances White (Voyage of the Damned), and K.M. Enright (Mistress of Lies). So I immediately pre-ordered these novels.
Natalie from the Lesbrary summaries the story bits well "…book switches between the POVs of two sisters Faron and Elara Vincent. Faron can channel the power of the gods, which made her the secret weapon of her country’s revolution against the dragon-riding Langley Empire. Faron is fiery, mischievous, and unwilling to play the part of wise and composed chosen-one. Elara is calm, diplomatic, and has felt like she’s been both living in her sister’s shadow while also being charged with “managing” Faron’s hot-headed emotions. At what was supposed to be an international peace summit, Elara ends up bonding with a Langley Empire dragon and the dragon’s other rider, Signey. Elara must then go to the dragon riding academy on enemy ground, both as a spy for her country and to try to figure out if there’s a way to reverse the bond so she can return home to sister. Among battles of gods and dragons, bubbling rage (against colonizers, the gods, the situation), and impossible choices, Elara and Signey find themselves falling for each other. Two badass dragon riders discovering enemy secrets, plotting revenge, and falling in love?"
I also liked the focus on the relationships a moment when the romantasy genre is taking off, I appreciated how in this book, the friendships were treated as equally important. So Let Them Burn is a YA fantasy novel with a lot to offer. Not only does it start at a different point in the story than a more typical novel might have started. There’s a whole unseen YA novel that happens before So Let Them Burn even starts. Where the island of San Irie is fighting the Langley Empire for it’s freedom. This story YA tropes and gives them a fresh viewpoint. If you’re looking for queer YA fantasy with something new to say then I would suggest this book.
Did I mention there are dragons.
This is the fourth in the Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal which began in 2018 with The Calculating Stars. I have enjoyed reading each with its blend of technical details of how in 1952
a meteorite strikes the eastern seaboard of the United States. Climate change from the disaster will make the Earth uninhabitable within decades and so the world begins to embark on a plan to build habitats off earth.
The previous books have seen lunar landings, a moon platform, a Mars landing and now in the 1970s the first steps of establishing a habitat on Mars.
The satisfactions of these novels for me is seeing how the technological achievements may exceed our own but catching up on the social issues which our world has worked through with the sexism faced by our protagonist Elma York, mathematician and pilot with attitudes I wish we could believe were left in the eras covered by the books. The racism so heightened as major plot driver in the previous novel with its repercussions a major factor in this book. One of the crucial points in this novel is trying to support scientists, engineers, etc from a coalitions dispart nations all while 43 minutes from communication of earth.
I look forward to reading more about this future.
This reads as a very confident and assured writer, I was so impressed to discover this was a debut author. I signed up for this book as a pre-order after one of my favourites Xiran Jay Zhao revealed that Cait Corrain author whose debut fantasy novel Crown of Starlight was scheduled to be publish in 2024 had created multiple fake accounts on Goodreads to review bomb other authors of colour. Kamilah Cole's (So Let Them Burn), Bethany Baptiste's (The Poisons We Drink), Frances White (Voyage of the Damned), and K.M. Enright (Mistress of Lies). So I immediately pre-ordered these novels.
The worldbuilding and the mythos of how magic works in the contemporary greater Washington, D.C., metro area id intricate and interesting, but it's the family and relations between the characters is a real strength. Leading off by the protagonist Venus’ mother, the formidable Clarissa Stoneheart, used to be the Love Witcher. From Kirkus review "She broke her pledge to only brew love potions, lost her magic as a consequence, and then turned her attention to teaching Venus, the new Love Witcher, “her 3-B philosophy…Get your bag, brew, and bounce.” When Clarissa is murdered, Venus is tested to her limits as she fights external forces by using her calling (her magical ability to brew) for political gain while also struggling to quiet the deviation (or trauma-inflicted corruption of her calling) that infects her. The deviation, which she calls It, can give Venus access to immense power, but she’s still haunted, in more ways than she realizes, by the first time it was uncaged, when she was 15. Patient readers will eventually encounter unexpected twists and turns that provide an exciting and satisfying ending.
A young adult novel very much in demand at my library. When it was chosen at the previous bookclub a month back I was No 12 on the list. By the weekend before book club I was down to No 6 which speaks to its popularity for a book published in 2005.
More lyrical than I expected - haven't read much WWII set in Germany literature. My exposure has been more Thomas Keneally 'Schindler's list', Primo Levi's 'If This Is a Man', and Art Spiegelman 'Maus'.
I was intrigued by the use of a philosophical, sentimental, melancholy grim reaper as the narrator, giving it a more resonant 3rd person perspective. Death was able to provide some of the more reflections, “I am haunted by humans.” "I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn’t already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race—that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.
This big, (552 pages depending on edition and font size) expansive novel is a leisurely working out of fate, of seemingly chance encounters and events that ultimately touch, like dominoes as they collide. The writing is elegant, philosophical and moving. I have read a few reviews that recommend it is to be read slowly and savored. Sorry not really my thing but I can understand why it was so well regarded.
I think Bill Capossere at Fantasy Literature website said it best
"Cutesy tag lines for a review of The Empire of Gold (2020), S. A. Chakraborty’s concluding novel for her DAEVABAD trilogy of humans, djinn, and water elementals, sort of write themselves:
“Chakraborty strikes gold with the final novel in … ”
“Chakraborty is on fire with her newest … ”
“Come on djinn, the water’s fine … ” .
The Empire of Gold is a fully satisfying conclusion to this excellent trilogy, even though there are definitely moments that many fans won’t like for whatever reason. But, as a whole, what matters is that this feels like a bittersweet close one that is both deserved and earned, for both good and ill. And that is something to be celebrated .
I found this a satisfying conclusion to this fantasy romance duology. While the focus of book one, CONSORT OF FIRE, was largely on the developing relationship between Ash, Sachi, and Zanya, this second book puts the brewing world politics more front and center. Our main characters and the rest of the gods in the Court of Dreamers are gearing up for a war on two fronts, and they’re fighting with every tool in their arsenal. There’s politicking to be had at royal banquets, training of latent magical gifts, and a truly impressive climactic battle scene on the scale of gods. Whilst there were fewer spicy scenes they were longer and more intense more Scotch Bonnet than Habanero I'd say.
I have read that Kit Rocha's is planning more stories in this world one focusing on Aleksi, the god known as the Lover. Certainly some of the characters in these stories were intriguing and the world building interesting enough to carry more stories.
Only 398 pages which for romantasy is more manageable than many (a work colleague put it to me "you'll finish it in 3 days"). The world building is sumptuous and on the Scoville scale of spicyness it's about a Habanero with the added bonus it's queer AF. Penned by cult-favourite writing duo Kit Rocha (Bree Bridges and Donna Herren who started out writing as Moira Rogers) in a world dominated by Sarah J Maas and Rebecca Yarros.
The sitch
For three thousand years, an ancient dragon god has protected the borders of the Sheltered Lands. In return, he makes only one demand: every one hundred years, the mortal ruler must send their heir to serve as his consort…for as long as they can survive.
Sachielle of House Roquebarre is the thirty-first consort to be sacrificed to the monster who guards the world. She is young, beautiful—and she has three secrets.
First: she’s a disposable orphan trained in seduction.
Second: her handmaid, Zanya, is an assassin and the only person she has ever loved.
Third—and most dangerous: she’s cursed. Sachi and Zanya have five weeks to murder the Dragon. If they fail, the mortal king’s curse will steal not just Sachi’s life, but her very soul.
The Dragon has only one secret: he is nothing like what they have been told.
A satisfying and epic conclusion to the trilogy. I enjoyed this novel especially because after the climatic cathartic third act Marvel battle the story continues, not just an epilogue but for a number of chapters. We got to see not just how all the players are recovering but instead of focusing on how societies and government are restructured we focus on the characters we have been following through these three books and get to see them find some resolution.
This novel won a metric frack tonne of awards, positive reviews and effusive praise. I can see why after I read this rich Middle Eastern fantasy, the first of a trilogy and the author Chakraborty’s intriguing debut.
"On the streets of 18th-century Cairo, young Nahri—she has a real talent for medicine but lacks the wherewithal to acquire proper training—makes a living swindling Ottoman nobles by pretending to wield supernatural powers she doesn’t believe in. Then, during a supposed exorcism, she somehow summons a mysterious djinn warrior named Dara, whose magic is both real and incomprehensibly powerful. Dara insists that Nahri is no longer safe—evil djinn threaten her life, so he must convey her to Daevabad, a legendary eastern city protected by impervious magical brass walls. During the hair-raising journey by flying carpet, Nahri meets spirits and monsters and develops feelings for Dara, a deeply conflicted being with a long, tangled past. At Daevabad she’s astonished to learn that she’s the daughter of a legendary healer of the Nahid family. All the more surprising, then, that King Ghassan, whose ancestor overthrew the ruling Nahid Council and stole Suleiman’s seal, which nullifies magic, welcomes her. With Ghassan’s younger son, Prince Ali, Nahri becomes immersed in the city’s deeply divisive (and not infrequently confusing) religious, political, and racial tensions. Meanwhile, Dara’s emerging history and personality grow more and more bewildering and ambiguous". -Kirkus review
In this syncretic, nonderivative and incredible backdrop, Chakraborty has constructed a compelling yarn of personal ambition, power politics, racial and religious tensions, strange magics, and terrifying creatures, culminating in a cataclysmic showdown that I did not see coming.
Can not wait to follow this in the next novel The Kingdom of Copper.