“Wyrwood” – “The Way of Thorn and Thunder” #2 by Daniel Heath Justice
Title: “Wyrwood” – “The Way of Thorn and Thunder” #2
Author: Daniel Heath Justice
Publication Date: October 2006
ISBN: 9780973139679
Number of Pages: 227
The Sevenfold Council stands firm against Dreydmaster Vald’s treaty terms—they will not surrender the Everland. Their will is strong, but there is a traitor in their midst, and Vald intends to win this struggle…by any means necessary.
As the Everland is torn apart by invasion and the threat of civil war, the young warrior-Wielder, Tarsa’deshae, and the Tetawa Leafspeaker, Tobhi Burrows, travel to Eromar City, the centre of Vald’s influence, in hopes of rescuing the diplomats who have long languished in the shadows of Gorthac Hall. But only one remains alive, and he knows all too well the price for fighting the Dreydmaster’s will. It will take all their strength, courage, and good fortune to escape with their lives.
Whether they have a home to return to is another matter entirely…
Source: Daniel Heath Justice’s web site
“Zahrah the Windseeker” by Nnedi Okorafor
Title: “Zahrah the Windseeker”
Author: Nnedi Okorafor
Publication Date: February 2008
ISBN: 9780547020280
Number of Pages: 320
In the northern Ooni Kingdom fear of the unknown runs deep, and children born dada are rumored to have special powers. Thirteen year old Zahrah Tsami feels like a normal kid – she grows her own flora computer; has mirrors sewn onto her cloths; and stays clear of the Forbidden Greeny Jungle.
But unlike other kids in the village of Kirki, Zahrah was born with the telling dadalocks. Only her best friend, Dari, isn’t afraid of her – even when something unusual begins happening to her – something that definitely makes her different.
The two friends determine to investigate, edging closer and closer to danger. When Dari’s life is endangered, Zahrah must face her worst fears all by herself, including the very thing that makes her different.
Source: Nnedi Okorafor’s web site
TSS: I’ve been neglecting my blog… (but still reading!)
I apologize for neglecting my blog and disappearing for almost the entire month of February! I let myself get distracted by 100 other things going on around me. It’s not even that I didn’t have time to write reviews but put them off while I did other things.
However, despite my lack of posting, I did finish two more books and am now half way through a third. Reviews for the three books (1 from January I never reviewed) will be up as soon as possible – I hope before March 1st but I’m not making any promises. I know I could just write up a mini-review for each book and post it here but I don’t want to do that as I think they each deserve their own post.
I’ve also been neglecting to comment on people’s blogs like I said I would – something I failed to do in January as well! I’m not going to promise I will do better in March but I do promise to try harder.
TSS: January Wrap Up
Reading
I managed to read three books in one month. Granted they were all 300 pages or less so that helped. Still I think I’m off to a good start.
- “So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction and Fantasy” edited by Nalo Hopkinson & Uppinder Mehan
- “Kynship” – “The Way of Thorn & Thunder” #1 by Daniel Heath Justice
- Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor – to be reviewed sometime this week
Watching
I’m still watching my shows, but I haven’t been posting about them. I’m not sure if I will after this post as I’ve said previously I don’t usually have a lot to say about individual episodes – I’m more likely to comment with overall thoughts about what’s been happening on the shows.
Fringe is still my favorite show and I’m loving the characters, but the episodes don’t feel as exciting this year. I liked how much information we got last year about what was happening – yes we got more questions than answers but we were still getting a lot of information about the overall plot of the alternate reality. This year has been a lot of filler episodes that don’t have a lot to do with the overall plot. There has been some new information but mostly the focus has been on the individual stories.
White Collar is all about being fun. I love the friendship between Neal and Peter that is developing. Also love how they are handling Peter’s wife, Elizabeth. She never complains about all the stuff that goes on and is very understanding of her husbands job. She also likes Neal wants him and Peter to be friends. There is one plot line that I wish they’d hurry up and resolve as I think it’s hurting the show. I get that they want some conflict but the plot line doesn’t really do the characters any favors.
Castle is still fun and I’m enjoying it a lot, but I’m hoping they don’t go much further when the romance between Castle and Beckett. It would change the tone of the show if they did. Yes they are attracted to each other but that shouldn’t be what the show is about.
As for movies I recently watched Avatar, which proved that I’d rather read a book than watch a movie. With books you can gain a deeper understanding of the characters – who they are and why they behave the way that they do. Movies are superficial and are more about special effects and visual excitement than the story and characters. Books let you get into the characters head in ways that shows and movies never can. Yes, you get a bit more with TV shows as you learn more over time, but it’s still not the same. I don’t know that I will bother to review any more movies on this blog. I don’t have a lot to say after watching them and I’d rather read/review books.
Blogging
I totally failed in my goal to comment on more blogs last month – hopefully I’ll do better in February. I have, however, been reading several blogs where various issues have been discussed and linking to a couple. Going to try to do more linking though and more commenting on blogs!
“Kynship” – “The Way of Thorn & Thunder” #1 by Daniel Heath Justice
Title: “Kynship” – “The Way of Thorn & Thunder” #1
Author: Daniel Heath Justice
Publication Date: September 2005
ISBN: 9780973139662
Number of Pages: 220
Kynship tells of the Everland, home of the forest-dwelling Kyn and the other Eld-Folk since time immemorial, a deep green world of ancient mystery and sacred shadow. The wyr-powers of the Kyn and the other Eld Folk have preserved this lush region from the ravenous imperialism of Humanity for over a thousand years, but those powers are now under siege, as the assimilationist Kyn Shields seek to purge their people of the wyr, seeing only savagery in its mysteries and in its guardians, the Wielders. As the power of the Shields grows—and as the hungry eyes of Men turn once more to the Everland and its rich bounty—the leaders of the seven nations of the Folk gather in Sheynadwiin, the Kyn capital, to seek a way of surviving the growing storm.
Born into a town dominated by the Shield creeds, Tarsa’deshae, a headstrong Kyn warrior, awakens to the long-suppressed wyr -ways after an act of courage goes horribly awry. Exiled from Red Cedar Town, and struggling to understand her new calling as a Wielder, Tarsa is swept into a dangerous world of political and spiritual struggle, where the old wyr-ways of the Greenwalkers clash with the fragmenting intrigues of the “civilized” Shields and their allies. As the Everland is torn apart by treachery and the ever-encroaching threat of Humanity, the Redthorn warrior arrives at the Sevenfold Council in Sheynadwiin to help find a way to heal the ravages of her wounded world.
The fragile days of peace are at an end…
Source: Daniel Heath Justice’s web site
“So Long Been Dreaming”, edited by Nalo Hopkinson & Uppinder Mehan
Title: “So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction and Fantasy”
Editors: Nalo Hopkinson and Uppinder Mehan
Publication Date: October 2004
ISBN: 9781551521589
Number of Pages: 304
“Arguably, one of the most familiar memes of science fiction is that of going to foreign countries and colonizing the natives, and as I’ve said elsewhere, for many of us, that’s not a thrilling adventures story; it’s non-fiction, and we’re on the wrong side of the strange-looking ship that appears out of nowhere. To be a person of color writing science fiction is to be under the suspicion of having internalized one’s colonization…”
“So, a little while ago, Uppinder approached me about co-editing an anthology of postcolonial science fiction short stories written exclusively by people of color…”
“What you hold in your hand is the result: stories that take the meme of colonizing the natives and, from the experience of the colonizee, critique it, pervert it, fuck with it, with irony, with anger, with humor, and also, with love and respect for the genre of science fiction that makes it possible to think about new ways of doing things.”
Source: Nalo Hopkinson in the introduction to So Long Been Dreaming
I really enjoyed reading this book and I felt that most of the stories the various authors came up with were all interesting in their own ways. There were a couple I ended up skipping for one reason or another (I discuss the stories individually later in this post). Some may say that the ideas expressed are heavy handed but I didn’t think so, mainly because I thought the authors were being honest about how they feel. I also enjoyed it because this is the kind of science fiction I love – the kind that makes you learn something about someone unlike yourself, and makes you think.
I think that any science fiction fan would do well to read more stories like these, the stories that look at the other side of the same old story. The ones that deal with what it’s like to be on the wrong side of that strange-looking ship that appears out of nowhere. It’s easy to find the stories that are all about the white hero going out and doing battle with unknown worlds and people. That gets boring after a while, don’t you think? Science Fiction is about thinking of new ways of doing things – how about thinking about someone other than yourselves?
There are 19 stories in all, written by leading African, Asian, South Asian, and Aboriginal authors, as well as North American and British writers of color. Some of the authors I’m familiar with from Nalo Hopkinson’s other anthology – “Mojo: Conjure Stories” – which I reviewed previously, while others are new. Once again I have several new authors to check out and I intend to see what else they’ve written.
TSS: Book Covers That Lie, Yet Again…
Looks like book publisher, Bloomsbury, is at it again. A recent book, “Magic Under Glass” by Jacyln Dolamore has a cover that depicts a white woman on the front cover. However, the main character is describe within as being black. You my remember my other post from July: Book Covers That Lie about the controversy over the book “Liar”, where same publisher did the same thing.
Ari at Reading in Color has more information about the book, “Really Bloomsbury? I’m Done. The Publishing World Needs to Take Note”:
It sounded decent but I probably wouldn’t have read it. I would have read it however if I had known the main character, Nimira was dark-skinned I would have read since I review YA books about poc. But wait! Look at the cover. Hmmm does the model look dark skinned to you? I think not.
Angela at Bookish Blather also posted about the book, “Book Thoughts: Racefail on Magic Under Glass Cover”, and how we all should be paying more attention to the covers of the books we read:
I think we do have an obligation to comment when a cover egregiously doesn’t match the main character. Sure it’s mildly annoying when a character is described as a brunette and then there’s a blonde chick on the cover, but hair color can be changed with a box of dye. Skin color and ethnicity can’t be, and those identities are integral to a person, whether they’re a fictional character or a teenager looking for a representation of herself in the bookstore.
I will definitely be trying harder to pay attention to the book covers of the books I read this year. I said I would in the original post about “Liar”, but I know I haven’t been doing as much as I should have been. It’s easy to put up a blog post commenting on how you don’t like something or wish something was different. But actually doing something about it takes effort. I promise to try harder this year. If something isn’t right I’m going to say something about it. After I post this I’m going to email Bloomsbury and let them know that I’m bothered by the cover.
ETA: Another review by someone who knows the author of the book. In the comments the author and the poster discuss the cover and that it was created before the Liar controversy.
ETA2: More links to others who have posted:
GAL Novelty
Things Mean A Lot
Black-Eyed Susan’s
Abby (the) Librarian
Good Books & Wine
The Book Smugglers
Welcome to 2010!
Primary Goals
- To read and review 25 books by the end of the year. The reviews must be longer than one or two paragraphs and need to be written in a way that explains more than just “I liked this book”. I will also include links to other reviews.
- To visit and leave good comments at least three different blogs each week – and they can’t always be the same three blogs each week. Good comments means more than just “I agree with this” – I will give feedback, ask questions and/or add to the discussion with relevant information
- To listen and learn about various issues that occur throughout the year and to link to important posts on those topics.
- To follow the tips provided by James of Speculative Horizons in his post Things I’ve learned about blogging…
- And most importantly: to continue having fun reading books and participating in the book blogging world.
Challenges
- Science Fiction Experience 2010 – Created by Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings, which runs from January 1, 2010 through February 28, 2010, without a specific goal other than having fun reading or watching science fiction.
- The Diversity Rocks Challenge – with a goal of reading more books by Asian, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American authors, and not just books by black authors.
- The Year Long GLBT Reading challenge – Created by Amanda of The Zen Leaf, with a goal of reading at least 4 books about GLBT topics and/or by GLBT authors.
- Self Challenge: Authors/Characters with Disabilities – As a goal for myself I’m going to read at least 4 books by or about people with disabilities with an emphasis on choosing books that do a good job of portraying disabilities. I think I will end up reading a few biographies or memoirs for this challenge.
