Another installment in the continuing adventures of cleric Chih and their companion bird, Almost Brilliant; in this volume Chih wanders into the violent Riverlands seeking tales of the folk heroes (and villains) whose fights became legend. As usual with Chih, they find out that there is more to the story than is generally told. I loved the Riverlands characters introduced in this story, and how their interactions with Chih added depth to their stories.
Tag: genre-fantasy
Wicked Wonders, by Ellen Klages
Short story collection. Klages’ narrators are often (but not always) children, and she is absolutely aces at a child’s narrative voice: authoritative, secretive, with an eye for details often missed by adults; The Education of a Witch is a prime example. The stories don’t always have fantastical elements, but they often feel as if they could, even the ones firmly grounded in fact. I loved Mrs Zeno’s Paradox, which clearly grew from watching someone help themselves to just half of whatever piece of food is left, as well as Amicae Aeternum, in which two girls find a way for their friendship to survive separation and reach into eternity.
The World We Make, by N.K. Jemisin
Sequel to The City We Became, this book shines with the same love of New York and its in-your-face attitude. The overall plot is a little less focused, mostly because Jemisin, having introduced a Big Bad, needs to find a way to a) explain its presence, and b) defeat it, which necessitates a certain amount of infodumping and handwaving. Although it’s all perfectly well executed, the events of the plot honestly feel like a distraction from the best parts of the book, which are the various incarnations of New York being extremely and wonderfully New York to one another and to the world at large. The antagonists are a bit cartoonish and flatly menacing (“Make New York Great Again,” Proud Men, etc), but honestly, I can’t deny that their real-world counterparts feel a bit like that in the real world as well.
The Golden Enclaves, by Naomi Novik
Triumphant conclusion (I think?) to Novik’s Scholomance series, this one following directly on the cliffhanger ending of the second novel. Grumpy heroine El, having found a way to rescue the entire student body from the deadly Scholomance, is consumed with guilt over the fate of her boyfriend Orion; however, she is reluctantly dragged back into action when she learns that monsters are threatening the protected enclaves of other magic-users. As she fights monsters while working on a way to rescue Orion, she uncovers deep secrets connecting the enclaves, Orion, and her own family history. Really impressive plotting, tying things together in unexpected ways, and the inevitable infodump filters entertainingly through El’s indignant viewpoint. Her character, which layers hostility and rudeness over a deep core of caring and righteousness, is delightful. (Actually, now that I think about it, she’s really just a teenage wizard Murderbot.) The interactions between the characters were good too. Very satisfying read.
Stories of the Raksura vol. 2, by Martha Wells
The two stories in this collection are “The Dead City” and “The Dark Earth Below.” The first is a prequel, which is an interesting adventure but doesn’t honestly add much to Moon’s character that we don’t already know about; we see yet again that he is slow to trust but quick to defend. The second deals with a threat to the neighbors of Indigo Cloud that coincides with Moon and Jade’s first clutch being born; the tension is kept high by Moon’s parenting issues and the real danger being presented by the attackers.
Stories of the Raksura vol. 1, by Martha Wells
The two stories in this collection are “The Falling World,” in which Moon has to mount a rescue party when Jade disappears; and “The Tale of Indigo and Cloud,” about the founders of Jade and Pearl’s court. In the world of the Raksura, queens are the biggest and baddest, with the biggest teeth and claws, so touchy that negotiations between courts are carefully ritualized dances of insult calibrated to fall just shy of actual violence; their counterparts, the male consorts, are expected to be more docile and nurturing, and find their way through negotiation and diplomacy. The first story explored the delicacy of the power balance in Indigo Cloud, and I liked seeing how everyone had to balance their desire for stability against their need to go after Jade; the second story was my favorite, as it was all about people trying their best to do the right thing without falling afoul of politics and the Raksura version of honor.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, by Axie Oh
The title is pretty, but should really reference the girl who jumped into the sea. Every year a beautiful woman is sacrificed to pacify the Sea God, whose storms ravage the villages; this year, the woman selected to be the Sea God’s bride is Shim Cheong, beloved of Mina’s brother. In anger and indignation, Mina throws herself into the sea in Shim Cheong’s place. Once in the spirit world, she finds unlikely allies who help her tell the gods exactly what she thinks of their neglect of humanity’s prayers. Mina’s narrative voice is wonderful, and the story moves along well.
Gallant, by V.E. Schwab
Spooky and atmospheric. Olivia, who cannot make sounds and has to communicate through sign language, is being raised at an orphanage for girls; she has nothing of her parents except her mother’s old diary. Unexpectedly, a letter arrives inviting her to her ancestral home of Gallant, a place her mother’s diary explicitly warns her against visiting. Of course she goes anyway, and uncovers deep dark family secrets. Although the writing is beautiful and creepy, the plot itself is fairly straightforward and predictable; the one little twist was the identity of Olivia’s father, which I thought was a nice touch. None of the characters grow or change much as they march through this gothic tale; the point is to defeat the monster, not to explore anyone’s inner development.
At the Feet of the Sun, by Victoria Goddard
Sequel to The Hands of the Emperor, which is one of my favorite books of all time and therefore admittedly a hard act to follow. Sadly, I found this one a bit of a drag. Both Cliopher and the former Emperor, layered and powerful characters from the previous books, find themselves struggling to come to terms with their new circumstances and relationship, which is doubly frustrating when you consider how effortlessly they managed to communicate in the prequel. Cliopher’s journey also expands, from reclaiming the myths of his heritage to actually expanding them, which (although beautifully rendered by Goddard) didn’t really work for me either. Although I liked the characters’ arcs, I feel like they could have gotten to the same place with half the melodrama.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess, by Sue Lynn Tan
Uses the legend of Chang’e, the Chinese Moon Goddess, as a jumping-off point. Xingyin, daughter of the imprisoned Chang’e, sets off on a quest to free her mother. I almost didn’t get past the beginning, in which Xingyin’s escape felt overwrought and melodramatic; however, as she bravely inserts herself into the court of the Celestial Empire, learns to be a warrior, and forges her own uncompromising way forward, I found myself really enjoying the story. The book reads like a wuxia drama, all silk and steel and smoldering glances, with the characters preoccupied with plotting and honor, and it’s such fun. Slow start, great finish. Apparently there’s a sequel but this book stands alone well.