I've been a fan of Shannon Hale for years, ever since reading The Goose Girl and Princess Academy, not to mention the romantic comedy Austenland, so II've been a fan of Shannon Hale for years, ever since reading The Goose Girl and Princess Academy, not to mention the romantic comedy Austenland, so I try to check out almost everything she writes. But I had some trouble getting into this one at first and set it aside for about a year. It's different - low fantasy rather than high - and the main character is very lost at first. Once I finally decided to just read it, though, I thought it was excellent!
Josie is a high school senior, an excellent singer who dropped out of school to pursue her big dream of being on Broadway. It didn't work out. She ended up staying in New York several months to try to make it work, going deep into credit card debt and ashamed of where she's ended up. Now she's a nanny for a 4 or 5 year old girl in Missoula, Montana, whose divorced mom travels most of the time, and trying to pay back her debt without her mother finding out.
An intriguing bookseller loans Josie a few books and she ends up getting lost in these stories ... literally: sinking into a dream world where she's the main character. It's more fun and fulfilling than her real life. And then there's Josie's struggles to figure out where her relationships are at with her high school boyfriend and her queer best friend. What to do?
Josie's angst and poor choices were a little much for me at first (the reason I set this book aside for months) but once the plot gets rolling it's fascinating, an unusual low fantasy novel with some really great insights into life and friendship. Recommended for people who like YA coming-of-age novels with a touch of fantasy.
Full review to come! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC....more
This 1930 British novel is a witty and often very insightful story, somewhat a coming-of-age novel about a young woman, Ann Laventie. Ann is from an iThis 1930 British novel is a witty and often very insightful story, somewhat a coming-of-age novel about a young woman, Ann Laventie. Ann is from an intellectual, snobbish and rather pretentious family, just wealthy enough to consider themselves above all of their neighbors in Sussex. Ann is the youngest and doesn't quite fit the family mold. She's more down to earth and caring about others' feelings than her siblings and father (her mother is an invalid and pretty much a non-entity; until the very end you have very few clues as to what's going on in her head).
The question is whether she'll break the mold completely or be fully absorbed into the family's social sphere and way of life.
[image] The rhododendron pie of the title is a great symbol: Ann's family’s tradition is to have a birthday pie filled with fresh flowers instead of fruit. Beautiful but inedible. Everyone loves it except poor Ann, who's just dying for a good old apple pie.
There is a little romance here, but it's a minor element. Mostly it's about social standing and the way people view and treat each other. That may sound simple, but Margery Sharp had a gift with words that made this a joy to read even when events were rather slow-moving and (seemingly, at least) mundane. It's very self-assured for a first novel, and well worth reading if you enjoy this type of historical, personality-driven novel, especially for the $2.99 Kindle price.
May 2021 group read with the Retro Reads group....more
Kiki’s Delivery Service, a 1985 children’s fantasy novel first published in JaOn sale July 7! Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
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Kiki’s Delivery Service, a 1985 children’s fantasy novel first published in Japanese as Majo no Takkyūbin (or “Witch’s Express Home Delivery”), is best known outside of Japan as the basis for a 1989 Studio Ghibli anime film directed by Hayao Miyazaki. In fact, the book won several prizes in Japan and Kadono has published five sequels over the years (unfortunately none of the sequels are currently available in English translations). Kiki’s Delivery Service was first published in English in 2003, but a new translation is now available.
Twelve-year-old Kiki lives in a small town with her mother Kokiri, a witch, and her human father Okino. Her coming-of-age day is nearing, and tradition requires young witches like Kiki to strike out on their own and find a town or village that doesn’t have a witch and needs their magical services. Witches’ powers have been growing weaker over the years, though, and Kiki’s only magical abilities are flying on a broom (at which she’s quite adept, in fact) and being able to speak with her black cat Jiji.
Once Kiki decides to leave she does so quickly, soon landing in the seaside town of Koriko. Initially downhearted because of the dismissive attitudes in this large town, Kiki cheers up when she meets a friendly and very pregnant baker who gives her a place to stay and an idea: she can go into business as a delivery girl. Her delivery service leads to a series of adventures, a few new friendships, and a growing feeling that Kiki has found a place and people that she cares about.
Kiki’s Delivery Service is a warmhearted and whimsical children’s story, told in eleven fairly easy-to-read chapters. It differs from the Miyazaki film in many of its plot points, and it’s much more episodic and understated in its approach. Kiki deals with the typical difficulties of growing up and gradually gaining self-confidence and independence. Her adventures tend not to be dramatic, life-and-death difficulties. It’s the more mundane, ordinary issues that mostly concern her: a worried mother; a thief who swipes her broom; a group of musicians whose instruments were left on the train; a boy who may or may not like her. Jiji’s sarcastic comments add a little humor and spice to the underlying sweetness.
The magical elements in Kiki’s Delivery Service are low-key and pure white witchcraft — there’s no real evil or meanness at all in this book. People may be annoying but fundamentally they’re all goodhearted. It’s about ordinary people going about their lives, sometimes frustrating each other, but more often connecting with and helping one another. In a foreword to the novel, Kadono comments, “[Kiki] is a witch, but she’s also a perfectly ordinary girl. She has the same worries, disappointments, and joys as anyone else … And as I continued writing Kiki’s story, I realized that magic is something everyone possesses. Even if you can’t fly through the air like Kiki, you have your own unique power that is equally important.”
And as Kiki herself realizes:
"Of course, with my new business I’m usually delivering things in a hurry, so I need to fly. But sometimes it’s good to walk. When you walk, you end up talking to all sorts of different people even if you don’t want to, you know? … And when people see a witch close up, they realize that we don’t all have pointy noses and gaping mouths. We can discuss things and maybe come to understand each other."
Kiki’s Delivery Service is a charming tale with a timeless feel, giving readers an enjoyable and authentic glimpse of Japanese culture. I recommend it for fans of children’s fantasy.
Initial post: I just picked this up on NetGalley! It's a brand new translation of the Japanese children’s novel that inspired the Miyazaki anime film. Sounds fun!...more
4 stars because, when all is said and done, I think this is a well-crafted fantasy novel with an important story to tell. But it’s intensely grimdark,4 stars because, when all is said and done, I think this is a well-crafted fantasy novel with an important story to tell. But it’s intensely grimdark, and more like 2.5 stars for how much I actually enjoyed reading it. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Fang Runin (Rin) is a war orphan living with opium-dealing foster parents who physically abuse her and treat her like a slave, which is miserable enough. But when they arrange a match for her at age fourteen with a twice-divorced merchant three times her age, Rin has finally had enough. She comes up with an escape plan, managing to hold off her foster parents’ marriage plans for her for the time being through a combination of threats and promises. Rin spends every spare waking moment during the next two years studying for the Keju, a national test to find the brightest students in the empire to admit to the Academies, even burning herself with hot candle wax to keep herself awake and focused as she crams for the test. And it works: Rin does so well on the Keju that she’s admitted to Sinegard, the military school for the most elite students in the Nikara Empire.
It seems like a dream come true, but Rin’s problems are far from over. As a dark-skinned peasant with no family name or wealth, she’s shunned and mocked by most of her classmates. Characteristically, Rin fights back both physically ― which only gets her more ostracized ― and scholastically, by throwing herself into her class studies like she’s fighting a war. She finds a teacher, Master Jiang, an extremely peculiar man with an unusual gift for the art of shamanism, and begins learning from him how to access higher powers.
If the story thus far sounds like a fairly standard, if Chinese-inspired, road to triumphing over adversity, debut author R.F. Kuang has far more in mind in The Poppy War, a Nebula and Locus award-nominated novel. When Rin finishes her studies at Sinegard we’re only two-fifths of the way through the book, and terrible experiences await her as a member of the Empress’s militia, particularly when she’s assigned to the infamous thirteenth division. The Nikara Empire has already had two Poppy Wars against the Federation of Mugen, a land divided from their country by only a narrow sea, and hostilities between the countries explode in the latter half of The Poppy War.
The similarities to the conflicts between China and Japan are readily apparent, and in fact Kuang has deliberately created a fantasy version of the twentieth century conflicts between these countries, complete with an analog of the Nanjing Massacre. The Poppy War is a close look at the underside of war, all of the cruelties, treacheries, and suffering that war brings with it, and the prices people pay, both individually and as a society.
Kuang does not pull her punches: the brutality and cruelty continue to build throughout the pages of this book, building a terrible picture of the worst that’s in humanity. The triggers are almost too numerous to list, but include self-harm, physical abuse from an admired superior, drug use, rape, vast amounts of violence, human experimentation (a la the Third Reich ... but Japan was doing similar things), murder, and even genocide. The addition of fantasy elements to this tale ― the magical powers that come when people are god-chosen ― are not comforting or charming; rather, they magnify the effects of the hatred and revenge that are in the hearts of Rin and other characters.
Rin is a difficult character to like ― even Master Jiang tells her that she’s too reckless, holds grudges, and cultivates her anger and rage until it explodes ― though there’s much to admire in her determination and sheer grit. She fights with her foster family, fellow students, teachers, enemies, fellow soldiers, and even the gods. She totally rules at rote memorization and sheer willpower, though! But her single-minded determination plays a negative role as well as a positive one in Rin’s life, and her anger and resentment lead her to some incredibly dark decisions.
The Poppy War is an extremely intense, grim and gritty military fantasy in a Chinese-inspired country. Bitterness, betrayal, pain, death and genocide haunt the characters and the pages of this book. It wasn’t really an enjoyable read for me (grimdark fantasy is aggressively not my thing), but I have to acknowledge the scholarship that went into the creation of this novel and the power of its storytelling. Rin’s story will be continued in The Dragon Republic, due in August 2019, and a third book in the series is in the works....more
Starting off on my adventures with Binti, a mathematically brilliant, 16 year old member of the technically advanced but socially isolated Namibian HiStarting off on my adventures with Binti, a mathematically brilliant, 16 year old member of the technically advanced but socially isolated Namibian Himba tribe. Binti decides -against massive family pressure - to accept a full-ride scholarship to the Oomza University on another planet. So she sneaks off in the dead of night, without telling her family. On the spaceship ride to Planet Oomza (or whatever its name is), disaster strikes, and Binti is forced to change and grow as a result.
This Hugo and Nebula award-winning novella has a serviceable SF plot (with several rather noticeable holes in it) but an amazing heroine that, for me, more than makes up for the plot’s weaknesses. She's unusual and complex and feels real to me. Nnedi Okorafor’s writing style is also appealing.
$1.99 Kindle sale for the whole Binti trilogy! Aug. 12, 2021. 3.5 stars for this collection of the three Binti novellas, plus a new short story. Revie$1.99 Kindle sale for the whole Binti trilogy! Aug. 12, 2021. 3.5 stars for this collection of the three Binti novellas, plus a new short story. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature (along with several other reviews from my co-reviewers there; we have a whole range of opinions on the BINTI stories):
As Binti, a mathematically brilliant, 16 year old member of the African Himba tribe, sneaks away from her home in the dead of night, I felt almost as much anticipation as Binti herself. Binti has decided, against massive family pressure, to accept a full-ride scholarship to the renowned Oomza University on a planet named ― wait for it ― Oomza Uni. (Perhaps the university sprawls across the entire planet? Certainly it covers several cities many miles apart.) Himba tribe members are technically advanced but socially isolated from other people, and Binti’s breaking away from her tribe evidences her courage, but leaves her isolated, an outsider.
On the spaceship, Binti has found several like-minded friends among the students traveling to Oomza Uni (and even a new crush) when disaster strikes in the form of a proud, militant alien race, the large jellyfish-shaped Meduse. The Meduse massacre all of the humans on the ship except the pilot, who is necessary to their plans, and Binti, who is not, but who is mysteriously protected against attack by her edan, an ancient metal artifact that she carries with her. Binti is forced to deal with the aftermath of this catastrophe and the constant threat of death from the Meduse who are lurking outside her room. As she searches for a way to not just survive but to resolve her deep anger and distress, Binti herself grows and changes as a result.
This theme of personal growth and change continues through the second and third novellas in this collection, Home and The Night Masquerade, as well as the new short story, “Binti: Sacred Fire.” In “Sacred Fire,” Binti is dealing with the emotional aftermath of the massacre that she experienced first-hand on the spaceship, and is experiencing rage incidents and trouble developing relationships with others. She takes on an impromptu personal retreat to the desert, searching for inner peace and understanding, and finds new friendships in the process.
Binti: Home follows Binti as she leaves the university for a period to return to her home on Earth, with her Meduse friend Okwu accompanying her. Trouble awaits them there, not just from Binti’s choice to attend Oomza University rather than accept the role her family intended for her, but from Okwu’s presence. The Meduse have a long history of war with the Khoush people, and though there is currently a tentative peace treaty, Okwu’s being in their territory has inflamed emotions. Meanwhile, Binti is also having issues with her ongoing PTSD and with new revelations about her life and ancestry.
At the beginning of Binti: The Night Masquerade, Binti has just found out that her family and home are under attack and is rushing home to her family and tribe as fast as possible. The Night Masquerade deals with what she finds when she gets home, and the fall-out from all of the problems that have been building up. It’s up to Binti, with the help of her friends (including the obligatory new love interest), to try to prevent an all-out war between the Khoush and the Meduse.
The first novella, Binti, won both the Hugo and the Nebula awards, I believe largely on the strength of its highly unusual minority main character (who, to be fair, is a great YA heroine) and its incorporation of current social issues. Binti is amazing and complex, with mixed motivations and emotions that she doesn’t always understand. She felt real to me, though her continual emotional outbursts and PTSD did get tiresome to read about after a while. But it was delightful learning more about her tribe’s culture, including the Himba women’s practice of covering their skin and hair with otjize, a red clay mixture ― a practice Binti follows with dedication, even when she is lightyears away from her home.
At the same time, Okorafor takes on multiple social issues like cultural insensitivity, finding connections with those who are different, and standing up for yourself against social pressure. The Himba are looked down on by the Khoush, the Arab (per Okorafor) people who are the majority, and the Himba in turn look down on the Desert People, or Zinariya, who are actually far more advanced than anyone outside of their tribe realizes. Binti’s best human friend at Oomza Uni is Haifa, a Khoush girl who was born physically male and transitioned to female at age thirteen.
Binti also contains some intriguing science fictional concepts and devices, like the astrolabe, a multi-functional mobile device, and the living spaceships, which are closely related to shrimp and can give birth to new spaceships. It’s also got a little of the “Africa power” vibe of Black Panther ― high technology hidden from the view of outsiders ― which I enjoyed. There are the bones of some good world-building here.
But, other than the unusual minority heroine and the Africa setting, the BINTI trilogy struck me as a fairly standard YA fantasy/SF novel, with many of the typical tropes. There’s the special snowflake main character who saves a world (at least part of it) despite her youth, a love interest or two, the patriarchal establishment that the main character fights against, and more.
The science fiction plot is serviceable but has several rather noticeable plot holes in it. Some examples (warning: spoilers for the first novella are in this paragraph): Binti’s edan device mysteriously poisons the Meduse, thus saving her life … and then Binti’s otjize, a mixture of clay and plant oils, just as magically heals the Meduse’s wounds and scars. No good reason is ever given for either of these key plot devices. The Meduse keep the spaceship pilot alive so that he can get them through security and land the ship on Oomza Uni, but any ship pilot worth his or her salt would refuse to cooperate, perhaps even suicide or crash the ship, to avoid a worse massacre on the planet. Forgiveness for the Meduse’s terrorist murders of hundreds of innocent people on the spaceship is quickly given, with no lasting repercussions, because … their rage was justified by a thoughtless insult given the Meduse chief, a failure to respect his culture. Really? And in The Night Masquerade, two separate, deeply emotional crises occur … and then the punches are pulled, in both cases in rather far-fetched ways. Some additional foundation-setting or foreshadowing might have helped with my ability to accept these events.
Perhaps Okorafor’s focus on Binti’s internal growth and turmoil and on social issues led her to not think through the logic of the plot as carefully as she might have. Still, for me the delightfully unique heroine and her culture and story of personal growth more than make up for the plot’s weaknesses. Just don’t think about the plot too hard.
I received a free copy from the publisher for review. Thank you so much!
Initial post: The publishing gods love me!! I requested this on NetGalley and got a hardcover in the mail today!...more
In this 1958 novel by Rumer Godden (one of those once well-known authors that I’d never heard of before I started han4.5 stars.
[image] Greengage plums
In this 1958 novel by Rumer Godden (one of those once well-known authors that I’d never heard of before I started hanging out online with GR friends who love older books), five English children, ages 5 to 16, are taken by their mother to France for an educational vacation - touring the battlefields of France so they’ll have more appreciation for the sacrifices of others. The kids will get a life lesson, all right: it’s just not the one their mother intended.
Their mother is bitten on the leg by a horsefly just before the trip and winds up in the hospital; the children end up living largely unsupervised at their hotel for a few weeks. A gentleman who’s sleeping with one of the proprietors of the hotel takes them under his wing, at least to some extent, but it’s clear from the start that he has his own reasons for keeping them around.
The Greengage Summer is a coming of age story, narrated by 13 year old Cecil (a girl), that starts out very languid and slow-paced, but then the tension starts building as they realize something is very off with one of their friends at the hotel, and (view spoiler)[some horrifying events happen (hide spoiler)]. I couldn’t put it down for the second half.
The greengage plums used in the title have an interesting symbolism: they're so sweet, but these phrases and words were typically used in connection with them:
"we made ourselves ill from eating the greengages" "as if the first greengage had been an Eden apple, I was suddenly older and wiser" "There were a few, on the trees, overripe in the sun but still firm under the leaves; I ate both kinds and they added to the chaotic feeling in my stomach." "Greengage indigestion!"
This summer was a definitely a loss of Eden experience for the Grey siblings.
It’s a rather sobering look into human nature and our weaknesses. The characterization is excellent, subtle and with depth, and sometimes disturbing. If you like I Capture the Castle, give The Greengage Summer a read.
Well worth reading, but there’s a ton of mostly-untranslated French in it. Good thing the Kindle has a translation feature! I used it constantly.
January 2019 group read with the Retro Reads group.
Content notes: some adult material, though not explicit, including lots of swearing in French that mostly went over my head because the Kindle translated it into pretty innocuous words. 😂...more
Maybe one of the lesser lights in the universe of Georgette Heyer novels, but I still found it charming!
Gilly is a 24 year old duke, orphaned at a yoMaybe one of the lesser lights in the universe of Georgette Heyer novels, but I still found it charming!
Gilly is a 24 year old duke, orphaned at a young age. Raised by his concerned but overbearing uncle and a slew of devoted servants, he’s been coddled and ordered around all his life. Gilly is a kindhearted guy and doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but he’s had enough of it.
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When his cousin Matt confides in him that he’s being blackmailed for breach of promise to marry Belinda, a beautiful young girl of no social status (and the foundling of the title), Gilly decides that rescuing Matt from his indiscretions is his chance to be on his own and do something. Or, as Gilly puts it, “to see if I am a man, or only a Duke.” Matt unwisely wrote some incriminating letters to Belinda and Gilly is determined to get the letters back so that Matt can't be blackmailed by Belinda's associates. Crazy adventures ensue.
Belinda is an original character, sweet and easily swayed, but stubbornly fixed on certain specific items. Like, say, getting a purple dress.
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'What in heaven's name am I to do with you?' said the Duke, looking harassed. Belinda said hopefully: 'You did say that you wished you might give me a purple silk dress.' He could not help laughing. 'No, no, that is not what I meant.' She sighed, and the corners of her mouth drooped tragically. 'No one ever gives me a purple silk dress,' she mourned, a sob in her voice.
The Foundling starts off slow and takes about 1/4 of the book to really get rolling, but I'm glad I stuck with it! It's mostly a coming-of-age story, with lots of adventure, a good amount of farcical humor, and a dollop of romance.
I'd still recommend several other Heyer novels over this one (Venetia, Frederica, The Grand Sophy and Devil's Cub are all good places to start), but if you're a Heyer fan this is one that's worth looking for....more
3.5 stars for this MG/YA fantasy. Full review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Anya is an orphaned young princess, about twelve or thirteen years ol3.5 stars for this MG/YA fantasy. Full review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Anya is an orphaned young princess, about twelve or thirteen years old, and a bookworm (as many of the best princesses in literature seem to be). She and her fifteen year old sister Morven are orphans under the dubious care of their stepmother, a botanist who is enthusiastic about plants but completely uninterested in and uninvolved with the girls, and Duke Rikard, their stepstepfather (which is what you get when your stepmother remarries after your father dies). Morven is supposed to be crowned as the queen when she turns sixteen in three months, but she’s far more interested in handsome princes than in ruling. This suits Duke Rickard just fine: he’s a black-hearted sorcerer who’s intent on making his control of the Kingdom of Trallonia permanent.
Duke Rickard is also given to transforming unlucky servants and hapless princes into frogs. Morven asks Anya to do the dirty work of changing his latest frog victim, Prince Denholm, back into a human with a kiss (kissing frogs, even if they’re really handsome princes, is definitely not on Morven’s agenda). Luckily their librarian has a magical Transmogrification Reversal Lip Balm that will reverse the transformation spell without the otherwise necessary ingredient of true love. Unluckily, Anya kisses the wrong frog with the last of the lip balm, and although that prince was happy to no longer be a frog, it does still leave Denholm in a frog-sized bind, and making more lip balm involves assembling several tricky ingredients, like a pint of witches’ tears and six pea-sized stones of three-day-old hail from a mountaintop.
Coincidentally, at the same time Duke Rickard announces to Anya that he’s sending her far away to a school for royalty, on a journey that seems likely to be fatal for Anya and leave Morven alone and in danger. Tanitha, the senior royal dog, tells Anya that she must leave the palace and seek help from others to defeat the Duke. So Anya embarks on a twofold Quest: searching for the elusive ingredients to the Transmogrification Reversal Lip Balm, and also searching for those who can help to overthrow Duke Rikard and stop his evil plans. Anya is assisted in her quest by Ardent, a young and excitable royal dog; Shrub, a junior thief who’s also been shape-changed by a sorcerer into a huge, bright orange talking newt ...
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(two shout-outs to Monty Python and the Holy Grail for the price of one!); a Good Wizard who tries to evade her obligation not to directly help Anya; Snow White ― who is NOT what you’d expect ― and seven dwarves; and many others. Anya’s quest turns out to encompass more than she expected, as several people that she meets strongly encourage her to do even more to change their society ― in particular, to bring back the All-Encompassing Bill of Rights and Wrongs.
Garth Nix has a lot of fun with Frogkisser!, weaving in various fairy tales and fantasies, both old and new, and twisting them in humorous ways. Besides the aforementioned Monty Python references, there’s a Robin Hood figure, Bert (short for Roberta, which is only a couple degrees of separation from Robin), leader of the Association of Responsible Robbers, who steal from the rich and give to the poor in time-honored fashion. I never read Lloyd Alexander‘s CHRONICLES OF PYRDAIN series, so it took me a while to realize that there was a shout-out to Gurgi behind the Wallet of Crunchings and Munchings that Anya is offered by the semi-helpful Good Wizard.
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And OF COURSE magic carpets have to wrap you up in a tight roll so you can hardly breathe don’t fall off them when they’re zooming around. [image] Frogkisser! is a little long-winded for a middle grade novel, but then winds up in an unexpectedly rushed manner. It didn’t entirely captivate me, and I never really lost myself in the story. But it’s a reasonably fun middle grade fantasy with some weightier elements. Nix pays attention to diversity: the Good Wizard, like Bert, is dark-skinned woman; Snow White is an old man (nicknamed for his snowy white beard) who previously was known by another familiar name; the seven dwarves include three females. Nix also works some important life lessons into the plot.
Bert and Dehlia had planted the seed of thought in her mind, and it was growing away busily and putting out new shoots of thought, all of which were quite bothersome, because they were about things like responsibility and fairness, and thinking about others, and why being a princess perhaps should be about more than just having a nice library and three meals a day, particularly when other people didn’t have these things …
These periodic discussions of the previously unexamined privilege that Anya enjoys as a wealthy princess, her responsibility to others, and the need to recognize their rights, can get a little clunky and heavy-handed, but the book’s heart is in the right place.
Frogkisser! was a finalist for the 2018 Locus Award for Young Adult Book and is a current nominee for the 2018 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature. ...more
DNF. I read several chapters, started suspecting that it wasn't going to be my type of read, and skimmed about half of the rest of the book, which conDNF. I read several chapters, started suspecting that it wasn't going to be my type of read, and skimmed about half of the rest of the book, which confirmed my suspicions. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Thirteen-year-old Elliot is pulled from his geography class one day, packed into a van with three other students, and driven to a random field in Devon, England, where he watches his French teacher exchanges money with a woman standing next to a high wall.
The woman in odd clothing “tested” him by asking him if he could see a wall standing in the middle of a field. When he told her, “Obviously, because it’s a wall. Walls tend to be obvious,” she had pointed out the other kids blithely walking through the wall as if it was not there, and told him that he was one of the chosen few with the sight.
When the woman asks Elliot to come with her to the magical land on the other side of the wall, he promptly tells her no one will miss him (Elliot’s problematic home life is explored later in the book) and heads over the wall with her. There he finds, somewhat to his disappointment, that he’ll be attending school to be trained as either a warrior or councilor. Elliot, more inclined to using sarcastic words than his fists for fighting, quickly opts for the council course. He equally quickly begins to mock Luke, the handsome blond guy who seems inclined to act as the leader of the group of new students at the Border, and Luke’s smiling sidekick Dale, mentally dubbing them Blondie and Surfer Dude. And Elliot immediately falls in love with an “elvish maiden” warrior who introduces herself as Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle.
So begins Sarah Rees Brennan’s In Other Lands, which has been nominated for the 2018 World Science Fiction Society award for best Young Adult book ― a new category for the WSFS, which administers the Hugo awards. It’s a magical school set in a magical land peopled with the usual suspects: pointy-eared elves, short dwarves with beards and hammers, unicorns, mermaids. The fantasy worldbuilding is paper-thin; Brennan’s real attention here is focused on teenage relationships and growing pains. We follow Elliot and his friends and classmates over the next four years as they learn to navigate magic school, friendships and romances. There’s lots of sleeping around, and Elliot’s emerging bisexuality is one of the things he explores through several sexual relationships with both sexes. Gay, bi and straight relationships and sexual exploration are all accepted in this magical world with equanimity.
Elliot is a deeply insecure protagonist who gets along by being relentlessly antagonistic, hurling sarcastic insults at others at every opportunity. Many readers may enjoy his constant snark; it got old for me fast because there was so much anger and meanness underlying it. It takes Elliot years, not to mention way too many pages of this book, to grow up emotionally. Elliot’s dedication to obnoxiousness, combined with the superficial, chatty writing style Brennan uses in this book (one review I read compared it to fanfiction) and the lack of any originality or depth in the fantasy aspects of In Other Lands, were enough to make me abandon the book. I wasn’t ever able to lose myself in the story.
In Other Lands wasn’t my type of YA book, but if bisexual characters, gender-bent societies (the elves have a firmly matriarchal society where the women are the warriors and the men keep house), and a primary focus on teen relationships are particularly interesting to you, give it a shot.
Content notes: lots of teen sex, but nothing beyond the kisses is explicit....more
On sale now! 3.5 stars, rounding up. Final review, first published on Fantasy Literature:
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With Tempests and Slaughter, Tamora Pierce launches a On sale now! 3.5 stars, rounding up. Final review, first published on Fantasy Literature:
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With Tempests and Slaughter, Tamora Pierce launches a new series set in her beloved Tortall universe, which includes over twenty books. Pierce backtracks several years to relate the youthful experiences of Arram Draper, who plays a key role in other TORTALL books, particularly the IMMORTALS series, as the powerful mage Numair.
When Tempests and Slaughter begins, Arram is a ten year old boy, just beginning a new year at the School for Mages, part of the Imperial University of Carthak. Arram is much younger than most of his schoolmates at his level, and he feels the age difference keenly; in fact, he claims to be eleven, but that does little to narrow the social gap. One day Arram gets in trouble in a water magic class for doing a spell far beyond the capabilities of most students at this level and then losing control of the water. He thinks he might be kicked out of the School for Mages, but instead he’s moved to more challenging classes, and to a more private room rather than a large dormitory. His new roommate is Prince Orzorne of Carthak, a thirteen year old boy who is the emperor’s nephew, and whose magic is particularly attuned to birds and animals. Arram and Orzorne develop a close friendship, shared by Varice, a lovely and clever twelve year old girl with an interest in magical culinary arts.
Tempests and Slaughter relates Arram's experiences over the next several years as he develops relationships with others as well as his magical craft. We get an in-depth look at several of Arram’s magical classes, particularly those that involve private instruction from various mage masters, such as water magic, fire magic, and healing. Arram’s only close friendships are with Varice and Orzorne, who is initially about eighth in line for the throne of Carthak … except that accidents keep happening to other heirs.
Tempests and Slaughter is a charming book, if episodic in its approach and rather meandering as we follow Arram through the years. In the last third of the book the plot begins to gel to some extent, particularly when Arram is drawn into a dark secret that may put him and others in danger. Carthak is a brutal country, with internal political conflicts, slavery, and popular gladiator battles to the death. Arram has the opportunity to help heal gladiators of their injuries and to assist the poor when there’s a major outbreak of the plague. Experiences like these help confirm his antipathy toward slavery and oppression. Arram believes he can influence his friend Orzorne for good, perhaps even convince him to end the practice of slavery in Carthak, but Orzorne has ambitions and ideas of his own.
Arram is an appealing if rather earnest boy who is sometimes incautious in his enthusiasm for magic and ferreting out the truth. The details of his magical instruction and experiences are engaging enough that I never got bored. Somewhat amusingly, Pierce elects to include some of the physical details about puberty from a boy’s point of view. It’s a very minor addition that struck me as a little clunky and off-beat in the context of this book, but perhaps a younger reader will appreciate it more than I did. We also get to know Varice and Orzorne quite well, as this new Tortall novel sheds light on two characters who will later play a significant role in the third and fourth books of the IMMORTALS series, Emperor Mage and The Realms of the Gods.
Tempests and Slaughter is written on an older middle grade level, but both young and older fans of the TORTALL books will enjoy learning more about Numair’s pre-teen and early teenage years. Now that the scene is set, I’ll be anxious to reading the next book(s) in this new NUMAIR CHRONICLES series.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review. Thank you so much!
Initial post: Guess what just arrived in the mail today? I am seriously excited!!...more
I pulled this YA fantasy romance up out of the depths of my Kindle app last night and reread it. As an antidote to stress it worked very well, even ifI pulled this YA fantasy romance up out of the depths of my Kindle app last night and reread it. As an antidote to stress it worked very well, even if it kept me up until 1:30 am. :) The Trouble with Kings will appeal to readers who are looking for a fairly light young adult fantasy adventure with a side of romance (of the squeaky clean variety). If you've read Sherwood Smith's Crown Duel, this is much in the same vein. I like that one even better, so if you haven't read either I'd go for Crown Duel first, but The Trouble with Kings has its own appealing charm.
Princess Flian wakes with a case of amnesia, surrounded by people she doesn't recognize. She's assured by Garian, the lord of the castle where she's staying, that she's among friends - in fact, she's due to be married to Jason, Garian's friend, in a few days. This is rather alarming to Flian, not just because she doesn't recognize Jason (or anyone else) but also because he's distinctly sinister-looking. So perhaps it's a good thing that Flian is abducted just before the wedding! But that's only the beginning of her adventures.
What I especially like about this one is the way Sherwood Smith plays with tropes: The heroine, Flian, gets kidnapped so many times (including twice before the book even picks up the plot!) it'll make your head spin. And it's because of her wealth and use as a political pawn, not because of any amazing beauty that she has - which Flian realizes full well. She's a very ordinary-looking person, with the type of hair that my mother used to refer to unflatteringly as dishwater blonde.
Flian is also a shy person, rather an introvert, who considers herself to have no people skills. It's fun to see that part of her personality develop through the course of the book. And the people she meets in the course of her adventures sometimes turn out to be not at all the type of person she originally judged them to be. Her ultimate romantic interest (view spoiler)[turns out to be a particular surprise, given Flian's first impression of him. It was fun to see that trope completely turned on its head (hide spoiler)].
Full review to come.
Content advisory/TW: There's one nasty character who thinks it's okay to slap around and physically abuse women....more
On sale now! Unfortunately it's a weak 3 stars for me, maybe 2.5. I'm an outlier here, so if you love the idea of a young, idealistic, and passionatelOn sale now! Unfortunately it's a weak 3 stars for me, maybe 2.5. I'm an outlier here, so if you love the idea of a young, idealistic, and passionately impulsive gay character fighting against evil religious oppression in a medieval setting, this book will be right up your alley. Full review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
In Heloise’s land, the foremost rule of the Order is clear: “Suffer no wizard to live.” For the exercise of magical powers, it is said, will open a portal to hell through the eyes of the wizard, allowing devils to come through and wreak destruction among men. But all sixteen year old Heloise can see is the oppression of the religious Order, which allows its Sojourners and Pilgrims to bully and oppress the common people. Anyone even suspected of using magical powers, or protecting those who have such powers, is immediately executed by the flail- and chain-bearing Order members, who act in the name of the Emperor.
Heloise Factor lives with her parents in the small medieval-type village of Hammersdown, where families are named for the father’s profession: Factor, Trapper, Fletcher, Grower, and so forth. Heloise’s best friend Basina Tinker comes from a family of metalworkers, who form metal ox yokes and other items for the villagers. But the Tinkers also create secret weapons and war-machines under Imperial commissions, like giant suits of armor that give the wearer immense strength, speed and endurance.
When a cruel Sojourner, Brother Tone, forces the villagers to participate in a manhunt, killing innocent people accused of engaging in (or harboring sympathy toward) wizardry, or even just being a person with a mental disability or such a person’s relative, Heloise rebels against Brother Tone and the Order. Her actions spark a village rebellion that may prove the destruction of her family and even her entire village.
Myke Cole’s The Armored Saint (2018) is a magical fantasy set in a harsh, unfair medieval world. It’s a familiar type of setting and, personally, it wasn’t a world I particularly cared to experience. The sadistic, quasi-religious Order members who embody the Emperor’s brutal government were distasteful and play into anti-religious stereotypes. Like Inquisition agents run amok, the Order terrorizes and murders villagers in order to enforce the social order. The religious oppression theme is continually hammered home, bolstered by scripture-like quotes at the beginning of the book’s chapters.
Heloise is a rather frustrating protagonist. She makes several questionable choices due to her immaturity and impetuosity, gravely endangering her family and her entire village as a result. She’s tremendously passionate, but not terribly bright, at least not in a practical sense. Heloise is nonetheless a sympathetic character, coming of age in this story and coming to terms with her feelings toward her best friend Basina, which is all in a furtive Love That Dares Not Speak Its Name kind of way, due to their culture. Basina is betrothed to a village lad, and it’s not at all clear that she feels anything more for Heloise than deep friendship. But The Armored Saint is ultimately very affirming of Heloise’s sexuality:
Never be sorry for loving, Heloise. No matter who it is, no matter how it is done, no matter how the person you love receives it. Love is the greatest thing a person can do. Most go their entire lives knowing only ritual and obligation, mistaking it for love. But you have loved truly, as few can ever hope to do. This pain you are feeling is a triumph, Heloise.
This is Message Fiction, which clearly has its place, but it’s not a subtle message. Still, The Armored Saint is a novel that may be helpful to the self-acceptance of teens who are gay or otherwise feel marginalized.
I give The Armored Saint props for one seriously eyebrow-raising twist that I in no way expected. Unfortunately the reader isn’t given a full explanation for why and how this event occurs, but maybe that will be disclosed in the sequels. The second book in THE SACRED THRONE series, The Queen of Crows, is scheduled for publication in October 2018.
I was given an advance copy of this book by Tor for review. Thank you!...more
Seika and Ji-Lin are the twelve year old twin princesses of the Hidden Islands, a group of a hundred iFull review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Seika and Ji-Lin are the twelve year old twin princesses of the Hidden Islands, a group of a hundred islands cut off from the rest of the world by a magical barrier created by an ancient volcano dragon. Seika is the heir to the throne, while Ji-Lin is being trained as an imperial guard, dedicated to protecting her sister from any danger. For the past year they’ve been separated while Ji-Lin is in training at a mountain temple, with the winged, talking lion Alejan as her partner and closest friend.
Ji-Lin’s training is unexpectedly cut short when she is called to return to the imperial city. The emperor, their father, tells Seika and Ji-Lin that the next day they will begin the ritual five-day-long Emperor’s Journey to visit the Dragon’s Shrine. There they will renew the traditional bargain with the volcano dragon to keep the barrier around the islands, which protects their land against invaders and koji, vicious magical monsters feared by the people. Seika and Ji-Lin are mystified ― they didn’t expect to take the Emperor’s Journey until they were much older ― but obedient. Besides, they’re thrilled to be able to spend time together again after a year apart, and they’ll be flying through the air on the back of Alejan as they journey.
But their epic journey turns unexpectedly dangerous: the islands are being shaken by earthquakes, and their magical barrier is beginning to break down. As Ji-Lin, Seika, and Alejan travel from island to island, they tangle not only with flying koji monsters and some semi-piratical explorers who’ve slipped through the failing barrier, but also with the expectations of their strict royal father and the breaking of traditions and expectations.
Journey Across the Hidden Islands (2017) is an enchanting middle grade fantasy, a journey adventure that celebrates the bond of sisterhood and the need to take chances in life. The setting is inspired by feudal Japan, but elements of Venice, Italy, and Polynesian island culture have found their way into the mix of creating this unique fantasy world.
The two young sisters are a contrast in their characters: Seika is softer and more deliberate, careful and concerned about the people of the kingdom; Ji-Lin is more fierce, physical and adventurous. But both show great courage in their different ways, and both gain in wisdom and maturity as they deal with the trials of their journey. The girls are joined by Kirro, a ship captain’s son, for most of their journey, which is initially a trial for all three of them, with Kirro’s different background and occasionally abrasive personality. Ji-Lin’s flying lion Alejan will charm readers with his delightful sense of humor and love of flying and adventure. Although he has a more youthful personality, he reminded me of my beloved Monster in Durst’s book The Girl Who Could Not Dream: slyly humorous, always loyal, and wise.
Journey Across the Hidden Islands blends in some insights and life lessons with the adventures. A waterhorse (not a hippopotamus-type of animal like I first envisioned, but a magical horse literally made out of water, with whirlpool eyes and sprays of foam for his mane and tail) informs the young travelers:
Stories are how we understand who we are and who we wish to be. Heroes. Traitors. Both at once. We define ourselves by the stories we tell. We shape ourselves by the stories we hear.
The children come to realize that life can be complicated, and that others’ motives and even personalities may not be as easily categorized ― good or bad, traitorous or heroic ― as they initially thought.
I recommend Journey Across the Hidden Islands for young readers in the 10-14 age range, as well as older readers who enjoy middle grade fantasy adventures with a coming-of-age element. It’s a delightful and enchanting journey.
I received a free copy of this book from the author for review. Thank you!!...more
3.5 stars for this magical, imaginative YA fantasy. (Love that cover image!)
It has black-eyed witches, and white roads. [image]
Also ghosts and somethin3.5 stars for this magical, imaginative YA fantasy. (Love that cover image!)
It has black-eyed witches, and white roads. [image]
Also ghosts and something really cool called a "fire horse," a wild horse with tusks and clawed feet. This may sound like a spooky story, but it's really not. Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
In The White Road of the Moon (2017), a YA high fantasy filled with magic and ghosts, 15 year old orphaned Meridy lives in an isolated mountain village with her aunt and cousins, all of whom despise her (and the feeling is mutual). It’s partly because Meridy’s mother Kamay raised her with a love for books and old languages and stories, partly because Meridy is the daughter of a man her mother never named, who bequeathed Meridy her duskier skin and black eyes, and partly because Kamay had the audacity to die when Meridy was 11, leaving Aunt Tarana with the inconvenient obligation of raising Meridy. To make matters worse, Meridy’s black eyes are a sign of a witch, someone who can see ghosts and bind them to our world ― a magical ability that the practical-minded and suspicious Tarana detests.
So when Meridy’s aunt informs her that she’s to present herself to the village soapmaker under a binding apprenticeship contract the next day, Meridy runs away. After barely escaping trouble with brigands, she finds a wagon company of traveling merchants who are willing to let her travel along with them, and meets her first real friend, the merchants’ daughter Jaift, who has a few secret magical abilities of her own.
Meridy is also helped along on her trouble-fraught journey by a mysterious man who introduces himself only as Carad Mereth (“Storm Crow”) and a few ghosts, including a long-dead prince and a delightfully friendly and protective ghost dog. But as it turns out, they also need help from her, with a grave danger arising from the distant past that threatens their entire kingdom. And Meridy comes to realize that her differences, which have caused her so much pain and trouble in her life, may be a key to saving their land.
The White Road of the Moon is an imaginative, slow-building YA fantasy, appropriate for younger readers as well as older ones. There’s a well-thought out but initially somewhat murky and ponderous magical system, as Rachel Neumeier explains the rules that govern this world: The differences between witches, priests and sorcerers (whose powers may overlap). The ethereal world of dreams, magic and memories, which exists side by side with the real world, but in a separate dimension, accessed by those with magical powers. The nature of ghosts, the spirits of people and animals, who can not only linger in our world, but can temporarily be made semi-tangible ― a very useful trait when you need a sword-bearing ghost to fight enemies for you. And the legendary White Road of the Moon, part of the ethereal world, that leads ghosts away from our world to “the God” … when the ghosts are ready and able to go, which some aren’t, or can’t. It’s quite spiritual, in a general sense.
Neumeier also weaves in the loyal friendship that develops between Jaift and Meridy, choosing to focus on this relationship and other bonds of friendship and respect between the characters rather than romance. It’s a refreshing change of pace from the pervasive romance-oriented young adult fantasies. The plot also incorporates a well-integrated sense of history. Initially it seems rather extraneous to be told how, in ancient times, the witch-king Tai-Enchar betrayed the High King, resulting in the kingdom being shattered into conflicting principalities. But it builds an atmosphere of a land fallen from a time where deeds of prodigious magic were performed. And as Meridy and her friends learn more about the danger threatening both their land and themselves, what seemed to be only ancient history gains current significance, and she and her friends will have to make personal sacrifices to prevail against the forces of evil.
Neumeier’s The White Road of the Moon has a traditional, almost retro vibe, like her book The Keeper of the Mist. Both books reminded me distinctly of Robin McKinley‘s style of writing, in her more accessible stories. The pacing is somewhat deliberate, especially at first, but this coming-of-age tale builds to a satisfying and meaningful conclusion.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a review. Thank you!...more
Dragon and Thief blends dragons and space opera in an exciting middle grade science fictional adventFinal review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Dragon and Thief blends dragons and space opera in an exciting middle grade science fictional adventure. The dragon in the title is Draycos, a warrior-poet of an alien species called the K’da, who are able to shift from a three-dimensional being to a two-dimensional tattoo that attaches to your skin, moving around your body at will. The K’da are also a symbiont species, requiring a host to attach themselves to at least every six hours, or they fade away and die. In return, they offer their host protection and companionship.
The K’da have been linked with the humanoid Shontine people for years, but recently both have been under attack from a vicious people called the Valahgua, who are doing their best to exterminate the K’da and the Shontine and gain control over their part of space. Fleeing the Valahgua and their powerful weapon of mass destruction, the Death, the K’da and Shontine are seeking to colonize an empty planet when they run into an enemy ambush. Draycos’ ship crashes on the planet Iota Klestis, where he is the sole survivor … but not for long, if he can’t find a new host.
Enter Jack Morgan, the 14-year-old thief ― or, more accurately, reformed thief, since his Uncle Virgil, a lifelong con man and Jack’s sole family member, died and Jack decided to go straight. Before his death, Uncle Virge uploaded his personality into their shipboard computer, where his voice keeps Jack company and helps him to avoid being forced into foster care. Despite his reformed ways, Jack has been falsely accused of theft by a megacorporation, and he is temporarily hiding out on Iota Klestis while he and Uncle Virge try to figure out who has framed Jack and what they should do next. When Jack sees the wreck of Draycos’ spaceship and goes to explore it, Draycos literally leaps at the chance to adopt him as a new host. The two of them have a lot to get used to with their drastically different ways of life, but perhaps they can help each other with their respective problems.
Dragon and Thief is a fast-paced adventure, moving from spaceship to planet to spaceport and back to spaceships, with dangerous villains stalking our heroes while they try to evade capture and resolve their troubles. Jack is an enjoyable main character, quick-thinking and courageous, and Uncle Virge’s cynical virtual personality provides some humorous relief as well as adding to the tension of the story. The real star of the book, however, is clearly Draycos. Young readers will be enchanted with this fierce but noble warrior who shifts into a flat gold-and-red tattoo, and Jack and Draycos figure out some creative uses for Draycos’ unusual abilities during the course of their adventures.
Dragon and Thief is a quick read at less than 250 pages. I especially recommend it for younger teen boys, but anyone who enjoys YA space adventures is likely to appreciate this book. Even though the main character is a 14-year-old boy, Timothy Zahn writes with enough complexity to engage older readers, while keeping the plot and language clear enough that younger readers won’t get lost. While Dragon and Thief doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, not all of Jack’s and Draycos’ problems are resolved by the end of this volume, and enthusiastic readers will want to check out the remaining five books in this DRAGONBACK series.
Dragon and Thief is a 2003 book that was recently reissued in trade paperback. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review. Thanks!...more
I'm not the target audience for straight-up YA romances any more, but I probably would have adored this book when I was younger. It's a charming storyI'm not the target audience for straight-up YA romances any more, but I probably would have adored this book when I was younger. It's a charming story. There's a little too much teenage relationship drama for my taste, but Stephanie Perkins did a great job evoking the world of an international, posh boarding school set in France. That, and her skill in drawing realistic, flawed but sympathetic characters, are what really set this book apart from your standard teen romance novel.
Anna Oliphant is a high school senior from Atlanta, Georgia, forced by her father to go to the "School of America in Paris" ... even though she speaks no French. In her first couple of days at SOAP, she makes some new friends, a very varied and interesting crowd, including Étienne St. Clair, a short but very attractive guy, who's in a long-term relationship with a former SOAP student who's now graduated. The book follows Anna through her year at SOAP as she deals with friendships, an almost-but-not-quite romance with St. Clair, and learning to appreciate living in Paris.
The main characters have a hard time communicating clearly about important things and give each other SO MANY mixed signals, though that's actually not hard to believe with high school-aged characters. There's some emotional relationship cheating involved that's troubling; I could have done without that plot element. But overall, definitely a worthwhile read for me.
Content note: high school relationships with sex. It's realistically done, and there's nothing explicit, but not for "clean reads only" readers....more
Review first posted on Fantasy Literature. But first, let's take a moment to admire one of my favorite book covers ever:
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The Tiger and the WolReview first posted on Fantasy Literature. But first, let's take a moment to admire one of my favorite book covers ever:
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The Tiger and the Wolf (2016) immerses you a Bronze Age/early Iron Age world, where every human is a shapeshifter. People divide into clans according to the animal they change into, which happens instantly and, for the most part, at will. Their shapeshifting animal informs their clan’s physical appearance as well as the nature of their society. It’s a brutal life, with the stronger tribes like Tigers and Wolves fighting for supremacy. Groups like these dominate the weaker clans like the Deer and Boars, using them as subject people, servants and thralls, and even human/animal sacrifices.
In this harsh world, Maniye, a girl of the Winter Runner Wolf tribe in the northern area known as the Crown of the World, grows up isolated and friendless. Though her father is chieftain of their Wolf pack, he is distant and disapproving. Her mother was the queen of the Tigers, captured by the Wolves during the Tiger-Wolf wars and forced to marry Maniye’s father, Akrit Stone River, for political power. Akrit promptly had her killed off as soon as she produced a child. Because of her dual heritage, unlike most, Maniye can shapeshift or “Step” into the shape of either a Wolf or a Tiger, though only the Wolf priest in her tribe is aware of her secret.
Her dual spirit animals, however, cause issues with fitting in and conflict within Maniye’s soul, and in a moment of personal triumph she’s ready to disavow and bury the Tiger part of her and become pure Wolf. But hard on the heels of that proud moment comes her callous father’s disclosure of his plans for her, which finally pushes her over the edge. Maniye goes on the run, taking a Snake priest ― the Wolves’ latest planned sacrifice to their Wolf god ― with her. Her outraged father sends Broken Axe, his best hunter and his intended husband for Maniye, after her. As Maniye twists away from her intended fate, her actions cause ripples in the Crown of the World, and eventually not just the Wolves, but others, are seeking to capture her.
It’s a cruel but fascinating world, and Maniye has had a bleak life. As she travels, she finds loyalty and friendship, but also terrible brutality. She also finds that she can be much more, in both understanding and abilities, than she ever imagined. To some extent The Tiger and the Wolf is a coming of age novel, but it’s far more than that.
It’s a world where beliefs that initially sound like superstitions ― your name has power that can be taken from you; if you die in human form rather than in your animal form, your spirit may wander forever and be lost ― turn out to have a solid basis in fact. If you are collared around the neck, whether by a rope, a torc or the arm of an enemy, you are instantly forced to shift into human form and to stay that way until your neck is free. The animal gods worshiped by each tribe really do keep an eye on their doings, and will intervene if sufficiently motivated.
The worldbuilding here is impressive: There’s a clear echo of various historic Native American cultures in most of the tribes we see up close, but also a glimpse of some different cultures as well, suggesting that in the south there may be South American, African, or other influences. Each tribe is culturally distinct, some (the Tiger) with matriarchal societies, others (the Horse) with a trading-based culture. There’s a sense of history as well: bygone civilizations that built cities of carved stone; stories that once all people could shift into multiple animal shapes; tales of the Plague People that drove people to a new land; spiritual leaders foreseeing a time of war and great troubles to come.
It was an old tale, and she had heard it many times, in various incarnations. Not like this, though. Grey Herald spoke as though it was a true article of faith to him, deeply and directly relevant to every day of his living. This ancient tale had no dust on it, for him.
In the same way, The Tiger and the Wolf may be a story set in an ancient type of setting, but the themes it explores ― thirst for power or revenge, forgiveness, honor ― are relevant to each reader. This tale has no dust on it.
The Tiger and the Wolf didn’t appeal to me as much as Adrian Tchaikovsky‘s last novel, Guns of the Dawn, which hit my personal Jane Austen-esque sweet spot, but I tend to think that’s a limitation of my own tastes. This was a very different type of fantasy, set in a somber, conflict-driven world, with innumerable hand-to-hand fights (though: shapeshifting fights!), and with a deliberate pacing that at times can start to feel slow. I almost bogged down and gave it up, but in the end I’m very glad I didn’t. For the right reader, this is definitely a worthwhile, epic read. The sequel in this two-part series, The Bear and the Serpent, has just been published, and I hope to read it soon.
Initial comments: Wow, this book was a change of pace. It's a little slow in places, in that epic fantasy kind of way, and I almost bogged down and gave it up, but in the end I'm glad I didn't. I don't think this will be everyone's cuppa tea, but those who enjoy this type of book will really like it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. Thank you!...more
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