Waiting on Wednesday 02/05/14

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can't wait to get our hands on!

Wendy's Pick

N.K. Jemisin's books are emotional rides that I have to take in very small doses. I own all of her books, but have been reading through them very slowly because it takes me so much time to recover from each. This will definitely be added to my shelves, and I will prepare myself for all the flails and tears that will go with it.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - August 2014 (Orbit Books)

This is the way the world ends. Again.

Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.

Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter. - See more at: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/n-k-jemisin/the-fifth-season/9780316229296/#desc

Mogsy's Pick

I can think of no situation that cannot be improved with dragons. Throw in magic, love, and adventure, and you have a winning combination. Just a couple more weeks until this book releases!

Moth and Spark by Anne Leonard - February 20, 2014 (Viking Adult)

"A prince with a quest. A commoner with mysterious powers. And dragons that demand to be freed—at any cost.

Prince Corin has been chosen to free the dragons from their bondage to the Empire, but dragons aren’t big on directions. They have given him some of their power, but none of their knowledge. No one, not the dragons nor their riders, is even sure what keeps the dragons in the Empire’s control.

Tam, sensible daughter of a well-respected doctor, had no idea before she arrived in the capital that she is a Seer, gifted with visions. When the two run into each other (quite literally) in the library, sparks fly and Corin impulsively asks Tam to dinner. But it’s not all happily ever after. Never mind that the prince isn’t allowed to marry a commoner: war is coming to Caithen.

Torn between Corin’s quest to free the dragons and his duty to his country, the lovers must both figure out how to master their powers in order to save Caithen. With a little help from a village of secret wizards and a rogue dragonrider, they just might pull it off."

Book Review: The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

Genre: Epic Fantasy, Magic

Series: The Inheritance Trilogy #2

Publisher: Orbit

Publication Date: November 2010

Author Info: www.nkjemisin.com

Wendy's Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

"Why do you think they bother with us? We teach them life's value.
So I would live, if only to spite them."

The first book in the Inheritance Trilogy was told by its main character, Yeine, in recollection. I read it a second time almost immediately and was blown away by all the clues to the slowly, deliciously unravelled mystery that Jemisin so carefully and subtly wove into the story. You’d think reading a book a second time within that many months would mean boredom, but instead, it was an eye opening experience.

The Broken Kingdoms is a similar and yet entirely different experience that takes dramatic irony to an entirely new level. Oree Shoth, like many of the other inhabitants of this world, has no idea what went on ten years ago in Sky. She knows only that politics and worship has changed by the say-so of the powers that be. No longer is Bright Itempas the "All Father." There are now two mysterious others. And the godlings have returned, though only in Shadow, the city beneath the World Tree that grew when the Gray Lady was born ten years ago. While curious, none of this is a surprise to the reader, not even the strange, mute man whom Oree has jokingly named “Shiny” because of the way his aura glows at dawn.

I am too emotionally involved in this trilogy now to determine this, but I would be curious to know if this book could stand alone. I would be curious to see how a reader reacts, reading this first, then going back and reading it again after reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Would they see it all with entirely new eyes?

Eyes. Sight. Seeing. This is a fascinating aspect of this book because Oree is blind. She is not merely unable to see, but her eyes are actually deformed. She is, as she is told, a very beautiful woman, but for this deformity that she refuses to hide. Jemisin establishes her blindness from the beginning, but makes it very clear that it is not a disability. She is not coddled by those around her and her other senses have done their duty and taken up the slack and Jemisin skilfully paints words of scent and sound and feel to help us see the world that Oree cannot.

But Oree is not completely without sight. She is able to see magic, which draws her to Shadow, which is filled with magic and with godlings. Unsurprisingly, she becomes very much involved with them. Jemisin uses this sixth sense to further paint the scenes and people, even including emotions and expressions. Painting is a very important part of this story, with each chapter named as if it were a painting or sculpture, complete with the kind of mediums used. Lee Moyer so perfectly brings Oree and her world to life in this image:

And with this image, the rational part of my review - as written within the first one hundred pages of the book - comes to an end, but I will spare you the flail and possible reaction GIFs this book elicits. Just assume that the rest of my review dissolves into the tears and emotional twirling that ought to explain why it's taken me a year to read The Broken Kingdoms, after the emotionally draining experience of its predecessor.

Cover Lover: #DiversityinSFF

Today's cover lover is inspired by the hashtag #DiversityinSFF.

In Conversations with Octavia Butler, my favourite author explains to her various interviewers that, when she began writing science fiction, the genre was dominated by 30 year old white male protagonists. Initially, she attempted to follow suit, but decided her work was crap. When she embraced a more diverse world and universe, an inspirational award winning author was born.

As a person of colour myself, I don’t actively hunt down books by PoC authors or featuring PoC characters, but it certainly makes me happy when I do find them. A new favourite  author, N.K. Jemisin inspired me to pick up and subsequently love love love her book, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, largely thanks to this quote:

This [fantasy] genre is rooted in the epic — and the truth is that there are plenty of epics out there which feature people like me. [...] So given all these myths, all these examinations of the possible...how can I not imagine more? How can I not envision an epic set somewhere other than medieval England, about someone other than an awkward white boy? How can I not use every building-block of my history and heritage and imagination when I make shit up?

But sometimes, all it takes is a cover to immediately attract my attention. I’m a sucker for a beautiful, vibrant, stunning cover and I most recently fell for the beautiful, vibrant, stunning ladies on the covers of these books.

Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone is now high on my to-read list, and you may have already seen Ascension: A Tangled Axon Novel a few times here at BiblioSanctum. Ascension’s diversity goes far beyond skin deep and impressed me so much that I had to interview author Jacqueline Koyanagi to learn more.

There is a growing number of books about and being told by diverse people. These are merely the two that recently caught my eye. Science fiction and fantasy, of all genres, give us the opportunity to step so far away from our prejudices, and I'm really glad to see authors (and now publishers) finally realizing that there is more to our world and beyond than stories about 30 year old white guys.

10 Authors That Deserve More Buzz

This list was originally inspired by the post I stumbled across by M.L. Brennan who in turn was inspired by a Top Ten Tuesday by Danielle over at Coffee and Characters. So, you know all those times you read an amazing, incredible book, but then when you rush out to hit up your bookish friends to find out what they think you discover that - SHOCKER! - hardly anyone has read it or even knows about it? You know what we mean! That idea evolved into this topic, in which Mogsy and Wendy list some authors plus the books they've written that we think should be getting waaaay more attention!

Wendy's Picks:

BLAKE NORTHCOTT: I discovered Northcott's first book, vs. Reality, via her Twitter feed, lured in by her sense of humour, obvious geek status and home girl pride. She writes novels about superheroes from a really unique angle. In fact, her first book was meant to be a comic, but when plans fell through, she converted it to a novel and has followed through with that concept for two more books in the series, plus an all new book, Arena Mode.

N.K. JEMISIN: The Killing Moon currently appears on numerous awards lists. I'm sure it's there with good reason, but I couldn't appreciate the book enough after reading her Hundred Thousand Kingdoms first. I loved that book so much that I read it twice within two months. A unique and diverse world with beautiful characters that have had a huge emotional impact on me. I haven't started the second book in her Inheritance trilogy because I'm not yet ready for the emotional trauma!

JASON M. HOUGH: If you're looking for a good place to jump into sci fi, or if you're already a sci fi fan, get started on Hough's new Dire Earth Cycle series. I think of it as down-to-earth sci fi that has all the necessary elements of space, technology and aliens, combined with action, drama, suspense and mystery. I love the diversity and the unpredictability that keeps me turning the pages.

MARTHA WELLS: Wells has already made a name for herself, writing within various popular fandoms, including the upcoming Star Wars: Razor's Edge. But she has a number of books of her own that I bought in one big rush after finishing The Cloud Roads. Her worldbuilding is amazing and I love the physical and cultural uniqueness of her characters.

KAREN LORD: I love the subtly of Lord's work. Her forays into science fiction (The Best of All Possible Worlds) and fantasy (Redemption in Indigo) might not seem to be science fiction and fantasy enough for some, but I really enjoyed her writing. Reading about her worlds and the characters within them made me feel like I was joining a bunch of friends on a comfy couch as they told me their tale.

Mogsy's Picks:

WILL McINTOSH: I recently finished a book that arguably was what motivated me to start up this post in the first place, Love Minus Eighty. If you're looking to read a sci-fi novel guaranteed to give you a strong emotional reaction, then this one is it. It's a very human story despite the futuristic high-tech setting, and it made me want to check out more of Will McIntosh's work. My mind is still blown.


M.L. BRENNAN: And speaking of motivation to write this post, my discovery of M.L. Brennan's own list was what clued me in on this topic in the first place. I thought, "How apropos!" because I knew if I had to make my own list of "Authors that deserve more recognition", M.L. Brennan would definitely be on it. I read Generation V this summer and it's already rocketed itself up my list of essential Urban Fantasy. She's so funny and creative, and it comes out in her writing and characters. I just cannot stop raving about this book to everyone I know who loves UF!

BEN H. WINTERS: Being the author of the New York Times bestseller Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Ben H. Winters has already made quite a name for himself, but I still couldn't help but notice that while a lot of my friends have his books on their to-read lists, only a few have actually taken the plunge! Though his "humor" books are probably still more well known, I personally adore his Last Policeman series which I'm glad to see is gradually gaining more attention.

TERESA FROHOCK: Seriously, whenever the topic of Miserere comes up, I find it really difficult to shut up about how amazingly good this book is. So, before I forget myself and write a whole essay about how much I love Teresa and her book, let's just say that she single-handedly reaffirmed my decision to always finish every novel I start. Miserere takes its time to build up, but then rewards you in spades! The story is just so, so beautiful. And freakin' look at that gorgeous cover! Read this, you must!

DJANGO WEXLER: You know how there's epic fantasy, and then there's EPIC fantasy? The latter goes beyond just transporting you to a different world and time, it also sweeps you up into an experience that's truly grand, immense and awe-inspiring. Django Wexler's The Thousand Names that I read earlier this year was one of those books for me. Keep an eye on this author and his series, because I have a feeling he's gonna go places!

Character Appreciation Post: Nahadoth

Nahadoth by sorskc

Who is Nahadoth?

Nahadoth is the first born of the Three gods of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. He is chaos and darkness incarnate; a true weapon of mass destruction that would consume all if he could. But when we first meet him, he is only a fraction of himself, imprisoned within mortal flesh by day, bound to the whims of the ruling mortals.

“The Nightlord cannot be controlled, child. He can only be unleashed. And you asked him not to kill.”

But who is he?

"Face like the moon, pale and somehow wavering. I could get the gist of his features, but none of it stuck in my mind beyond an impression of astonishing beauty. His long, long hair wafted around him like black smoke, its tendrils curling and moving of their own volition."

Nahadoth oozes sexuality and seduction as much as he does darkness, violence and chaos. He inspires these kind of thoughts and reaction GIFs, but, while I appreciated the tastefully done erotic moments, I loved more the tenderness, the pain, the loss, the loneliness, the heartache.

“...and when I lift my head to scream out my fury, a million stars turn black and die. No one can see them, but they are my tears.”

The rage and violence had their place too, but it was the moments spent as a father to Sieh,  and the moments of peace that Yeine coaxed out of him that had that much more meaning for me. The image I hold in my head is of him comforting her through her tears or letting her fall asleep on his shoulders.

Wendy: The Best Book I've Read This Year

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

This was actually  my favourite book of 2012, but after reading the ebook, I had to have it (and all of N.K. Jemisin's books) on my bookshelf. When it arrived early in 2013, I intended only to skim through to dog ear and highlight all the moments and quotes that had kept me up at nights during my initial read. Instead, I got sucked in all over again. It was even better the second time through, knowing what I did from my first read through. All the little things suddenly had that much more meaning.

Aside from the images and thoughts spilling across Tumblr, one of the things that really attracted me to the book was the author herself who is a woman of colour. It is rare to find people like yourself creating the things that you love so, while I try not to dwell on the paleness of science fiction and fantasy, it increases my enjoyment to be entertained by something that far better reflects life as it could and should be, rather than the reality that sometimes is. It disturbs me that science fiction and fantasy of all things remain bound to our prejudices when the worlds and creatures you can create within these realms should be limitless. It turns out, Ms. Jemisin has much to say on this subject herself:

This genre is rooted in the epic — and the truth is that there are plenty of epics out there which feature people like me. [...] So given all these myths, all these examinations of the possible...how can I not imagine more? How can I not envision an epic set somewhere other than medieval England, about someone other than an awkward white boy? How can I not use every building-block of my history and heritage and imagination when I make shit up?

I have not yet written what I would consider a proper review for this book because my thoughts are just too muddled with emotion, speculation and lots of spoilers. I haven't started the next book in the trilogy because I'm not quite ready for the emotional commitment. Both times I read THTK, it encompassed my thoughts for long hours - days afterward, which is enough for me to say that it is most definitely  five star book in my eyes. I've recommended it to everyone I know!

FanArt: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

Hundred Thousand Kingdoms Yeine by Jemisin 

by *DubuGomdori

From The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin

The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin

This was a good but disappointing book. I blame my likely unfair review on N.K. Jemisin for writing The Inheritance Trilogy first. Comparisons inevitable happened, mainly over the way The Killing Moon was crafted and presented. Where The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms – a book I have now read twice and loved all the more the second time – focused deeply on the main character and her emotions and relationships, with the politics being a secondary issue, this book focused more on the politics and religion, as viewed through its main characters. The problem, I think, is that it really only skimmed the surface layers of these politics, as well as the characters. As a result, while I liked both characters and the world, I did not fall in love with them because I was not able to get to know them well enough.

The Killing Moon takes place in an Egypt-based realm where dreams hold magic and those who wield the magic are, of course, the ones in power. At the beginning, Jemisin apologizes to Egyptologists for anything she may have gotten wrong, though she did not intend this fantasy world to be exactly like the real Egypt. At the end of the book in an amusing interview with herself, she commented that basing the world on reality was difficult and that she’d rather create her own worlds. I’d have to agree. There wasn’t an overindulgence in making everything like Egypt, but perhaps it became too much of a focus along the way.

One thing that disappointed me was the need to discriminate based on colour. The third major player in the book is introduced so:

The black ropes of his hair had been threaded with cylinders of gold and strings of minute pearls, and this mane surrounded a face that was fine-planed and flawless, apart from the misfortune of his coloring. 

I had to reread that a few times to make sure I’d understood it correctly, and as the book proceeded, such discrimination over skin tone occurred several times more. As there were many other ways that the various peoples were categorized (ie castes, religious beliefs, location, occupation), I was surprised that Jemisin would choose to make this such a prominent issue. I am not familiar enough with Egypt and the surrounding area to know if this discrimination is common in reality, but in a fantasy setting, I wish Jemisin had chosen not to make discrimination by skin tone such a prominent factor in her story telling. Especially since one of the reasons why I fell in love with her works initially was because of her views on race and culture in fantasy. While she enjoys the fantasy books that have come well before her, she has, as I have, grown tired of the Euro-centric stories and characters. My friend and I are currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire and are amused by George R. R. Martin’s constant need to review his thesaurus in order to describe people of various colours from the lands outside of his main realm of Westeros. In Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, I was so pleased to find a world filled with people of all different colours and cultures yet, save for one or two moments, descriptions of skin colour served only to identify characters – not to discriminate against them.

None of this disappointment is enough to prevent me from reading the second book in the Dreamblood series. As I said, this was a good book and Jemisin has already proven herself to me through her first book and through her blogged thoughts. The characters and plot were interesting enough to keep me reading and enjoying. But I will do The Shadowed Sun a favour and read it before I continue on with The Inheritance Trilogy.

Final verdict:

3 of 5 stars

Musings: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

I adore this book. I could not sleep after reading it - after staying up ridiculously late to finish reading it - my mind was too busy. I bought the trade paperback of the book and read it again within two months because I love this book so much. It was even better the second time through, knowing what I knew now about the events and characters.

Perhaps one day I'll write a proper review for this, but for now, I can only tell you that I give this book five stars and I recommend it to everyone.

For now, some of the many thoughts inspired by The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. (SPOILERS)