Queen Victoria's Book of Spells

Queen Victoria's Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

“Gaslamp Fantasy,” or historical fantasy set in a magical version of the nineteenth century, has long been popular with readers and writers alike. A number of wonderful fantasy novels, including Stardust by Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, and The Prestige by Christopher Priest, owe their inspiration to works by nineteenth-century writers ranging from Jane Austen, the Brontës, and George Meredith to Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and William Morris. And, of course, the entire steampunk genre and subculture owes more than a little to literature inspired by this period.

Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells is an anthology for everyone who loves these works of neo-Victorian fiction, and wishes to explore the wide variety of ways that modern fantasists are using nineteenth-century settings, characters, and themes. These approaches stretch from Steampunk fiction to the Austen-and-Trollope inspired works that some critics call Fantasy of Manners, all of which fit under the larger umbrella of Gaslamp Fantasy. The result is eighteen stories by experts from the fantasy, horror, mainstream, and young adult fields, including both bestselling writers and exciting new talents such as Elizabeth Bear, James Blaylock, Jeffrey Ford, Ellen Kushner, Tanith Lee, Gregory Maguire, Delia Sherman, and Catherynne M. Valente, who present a bewitching vision of a nineteenth century invested (or cursed!) with magic. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

Oh Datlow and Windling, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Your anthologies, especially The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest, are astoundingly good and helped to cement my love of folklore and speculative fiction. Not only do you collect stellar stories from many of the best authors writing today, but you do so with lovely cover art and FANTASTIC essay/forewards that are enlightening and entertaining. *deep contented sigh*

Can you tell I loved this one? I love Gaslamp Fantasy anyway (Stardust is one of my favorite books of All Time), not to mention 19th century writers like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and let me just head this sentence off before it gets away from me, shall I? This is worth reading for the editors' essays at the beginning alone, but luckily several of the stories are memorable and wonderful and full of period details- and magic, of course. 

I loved Delia Sherman's "Queen Victoria's Book of Spells" (hey, isn't that the title of the book?), the story of a modern day researcher/spell detangler working his way through a previously undiscovered journal/spellbook belonging to the young queen. A story about the Great Exhibition was a little tricky to get into, but offered a tantalizing description of that spectacle. One of my favorites was about a certain author's (never named, but strongly hinted at) attempts to photograph the last nights of an unelectrified London. There was a story about Edison being a Grade A jerk (as we know he was, all hail Tesla, the true Electric King), and one about the last days of Ebeneezer Scrooge, post-Christmas miracle. There's even another story based on Pre-Raphaelite artists, as if the world knew how delighted I was with Patricia A. McKillip's "The Kelpie" from Wonders of the Invisible World and deigned to nudge another similar story my way. Bliss.

Brew some tea, put on your favorite fingerless gloves, dim the lights, and settle in.

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What's on my hold list?

Hey guys. It's been a whole month since my last review! Sorry about that, job applications and reading some more adult stuff again has cut into my teen reading and blogging time. Speaking of, I highly recommend the following!

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan

Vaughan, author of Y: The Last Man, Pride of Baghdad, Runaways, and many more is one of my very favorite graphic novel authors of all time. His characters are full of life, his dialogue is right up there with Whedon and Palladino, and his stories are all about real people (or, you know, lions) caught up in sweeping stories. Saga does not disappoint, and if anything the intergalactic scale just ups his game. The art, done by illustrator Fiona Staples, is gorgeous and enhances both the characterization and the action. It reminded me at different times of The Compleat Moonshadow, Firefly, and Vaughan's other stories. And this is only the first volume!

(Apparently, Saga is currently topping several user-voted list on Goodreads of best graphic novels, beating out classics such as Watchmen, The Sandman, and Maus. I'm not saying that Saga is better or more important than those, but it does suggest that this is a series to watch out for!)

Anyway. I thought I'd list some of the books on my To Read list for the summer. Some are sequels to books I've already reviewed, others are brand shiny new. You may notice a certain color trend...

The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar
Out now

Fluffy paranormal romance with a boy genie? Sure, sounds interesting, and there are good murmurings on Goodreads about this one. Cute cover, too!

Unnatural Creatures: Stories Selected by Neil Gaiman
Out now


All stories in this collection have been previously published, and the authors range from E. Nesbitt to Diana Wynne Jones. Some creatures you've heard of (griffins, werewolves, manticores), while others are likely new (sun-birds, cockatucans, and more). Hurray!

PODs by Michelle K. Pickett
June 4th

What time is it? Apocalypse time! A virus has savaged the earth, with a few survivors huddled in goverment-built underground shelters. When they finally emerge, it is to the horrifying discovery that the virus has mutated the remaining human population, creating a race of monsters. Honestly, I think I've read one apocalypse/dystopian story too many, but this has an interesting premise and the chance for some good Fallout vibes and action.

Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross
June 11th

Plain Maude is hired to be a "friend" to beautiful and aristocratic Isabelle- really, she's there to make her look better in comparison, which sounds exactly like something that could have happened in the bizarre 19th century. It's also set in Paris, which doesn't really matter except that it's a nice change from another historical fiction book set in London. This book promises social intrigue, romance, and ballgowns. Sign me up!

Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood
June 18th

A corner of my brain has been in a quiet frenzy for this ever since I read the first book, Born Wicked, last summer. Alternate 19th century New England! Secret witches! A creepy Puritanical government! A bookish love interest! *swoons*

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
June 18th

The first Neil Gaiman novel for adults since Anansi Boys. 'nuff said.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
August 15th

Here are a few keywords from the plot summary: "sleepy, seaside town... crumbling estate... eerie, grim things... crooked-smiling liar... Grandmother always warned her about the Devil." Hooked yet? 

How about this? "Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch." Yeah. I'm excited. :D

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
August 20th

 Set in the year 2059. Paige works in the criminal underworld and is a "dreamwalker"- an ability that is punishable by death if caught. I can't get much of a handle on this one but it sounds interesting.

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake
September 10th

Gods from classic mythology start wasting away, struck down by a bizarre illness. Their search for a cure leads them to Cassandra, a mortal girl who had been a prophetess. The "Goddess Wars" are beginning. 

Blake gifted us with the Cas Lowood/Anna Dressed in Blood series. If she said "read my new book, it's about paint drying" I would wonder "oo, what's the story with this paint? Is it that green arsenic-laced Victorian stuff? Does it drive people mad? What's going on??" and happily place a hold. The fact that we're getting classic mythology starring Athena is just gravy. 

Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGann
September 24th

More post-apocalyptic survival! Sign me up!


.... for the book. Not trying to survive in a dehydrated terrorscape. I would not do well there.






So there you have it! These are some of the books I'm really looking forward to reading this summer. Don't even get me started on the fall, when we get books like The Dream Thieves (the sequel to Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys), Across a Star-Swept Sea (book 2 in Diana Peterfreund's For Darkness Shows the Stars series), Kinslayer (the follow-up to Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff), AND The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente (book 3 of September's adventures in Fairyland!). Eee!

What's on your hold list?

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The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

There's been a LOT of buzz about this one (the phrase "the next Hunger Games" has been tossed around, and for good reason), so by rights I should have posted this weeks ago. Ah well.  

This was an intense read, and since so much of the tension relies on knowing as little as the characters, I'll try not to give anything away. Cassie is a fierce and believable heroine- I've seen some critiques of her character, but honestly I think given how quickly and brutally she was forced to grow up, I think it makes sense. The alien invasion aspects are pretty damn scary, as is much of the human response to it. I didn't love the romance, but what are you going to do? For the most part, this is a gripping thriller that may help ease the pangs of waiting for Catching Fire and the new season of The Walking Dead.

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Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci

Acclaimed authors Holly Black (Ironside) and Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof) have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr.

With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers. Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on! -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

This was a fun, fairly quick read that did touch on most aspects of fandom (cosplaying, cons, fic, online communities, bonding with people over weirdly specific things, etc), as well as mentioning most of the big geek touchstones (Star Trek, Buffy, Doctor Who, Star Wars, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and so forth).  None of the stories were AMAZING, but they were mostly at least entertaining, and some stood out. I really enjoyed the Klingon/Jedi love story, and the one about a Buffy fan defending Dawn (no she's not my favorite either, but is she really deserving of so much hate, especially after Season Seven? I think not.) If you want to enjoy some geek nostalgia, or learn what some of your favorite writers fangirl about, this is the place to do it.

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Review: Beauty Queens

"The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.
What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?
Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness." 

-Goodreads

Stats:

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: May 24, 2011

Page Count: 396

Unique Elements: The Corporation interrupts the book to bring you delightful commercials

Favorite Quotes: 

"Lady 'Stache Off. Because there's nothing wrong with you...that can't be fixed."

"My platform's called Don't Even Think About It. I go into schools and I say, 'Whatever bad thing it is you're thinking of doing, don't even think about it. 'Cause I can see into your soul, and I will hide in your closet and come for you in the night, and the last sound you ever hear will be my sharp teeth popping through the flesh of my gums, ready to eat you.' Their eyes get all big. It's awesome. I love little kids, man. They're the cutest."

"Wanna rock you, girl, with a butterfly tunic./No I'm not gay, I'm just your emo eunuch...Let those other guys keep sexing./You and me, we be texting/ 'bout unicorns and rainbows and our perfect love./Girl, we fit together like a hand in a glove./Now I don't mean that nasty, tell your mom don't get mad./I even wrote 'You're awesome' on your maxi pads."

"Issuing this voluntary recall shows how much we care, and it is hard to dislike or take legal action against those who really care...If you purchased a Git R Done 447, please do not fire the weapon. Do not exhale or laugh within a five-foot radius of the 447...you will receive a discount on the purchase of The Corporation's Home Weapon Containment Robot."

"Together, the sisters had sailed out over the creek on a tire swing tied to a fat tree limb by a knotted fist of rope. One Thursday in March, the circus had come to Humble, Humble, Nebraska, like a rogue spring wind, the kind that kicks pollen into the air and sends the shoots up too early."

I finished this book a week ago. Normally I don't have motivation to write a review after that long, but this book was so funny and memorable! I can't remember laughing so many times with one novel. Libba Bray has such a sense of humor, and I will now proceed to get every other book by her. She is the master of the freaky dream sequence.

Stranded beauty queens. Hot pirates from a widely acclaimed soap opera. Secret agents. Boy bands. Ginormous people-swallowing snakes. Evil plotting dictator whose best friend has been stuffed by the taxidermist. Girls with attitude, and girls obsessed with continuing to practice for a pageant (who would have thought it'd be Miss Texas??), even when they should be building shelters and looking for food. Anything you've ever wanted to make fun of about the 21st century, this book has (and some things you've never thought of).

The dialogue makes this book a success.  Each character's personality is developed after just a few instances of speech.

Every reader will find a character to connect with: there's Adina, the chick with a brain; Mary Lou, the wild girl trying not to follow in her sister's unfortunate footsteps; Jennifer, the juvenile delinquent who was really second runner up; Sosie, who's deaf; Petra, who can't survive without her medicine; Nicole, whose mom lives vicariously through her; Shanti, the Indian girl known for being able to make popadam like her mom and grandma...and there's a whole cast of guys too! 

Oh, and Miss New Mexico has a meal tray lodged in her forehead the whole book-- that's pretty cool. 

Final Verdict: If you want a good laugh about the ridiculousness of pop culture, run, don't walk, to the nearest bookstore for a copy of Beauty Queens. 

 

 

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The Lost Girl

The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna

Eva's life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination--an echo. She was made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her "other," if she ever died. Eva spends every day studying that girl from far away, learning what Amarra does, what she eats, what it's like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.

But sixteen years of studying never prepared her for this.

Now she must abandon everything and everyone she's ever known--the guardians who raised her, the boy she's forbidden to love--to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive.

What Eva finds is a grief-stricken family; parents unsure how to handle this echo they thought they wanted; and Ray, who knew every detail, every contour of Amarra. And when Eva is unexpectedly dealt a fatal blow that will change her existence forever, she is forced to choose: Stay and live out her years as a copy or leave and risk it all for the freedom to be an original. To be Eva. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads


I'm not going to write a nitpicky review because I LOVED this book. I loved the concept, which is very sci-fi and by that I mean, something I can certainly believe people would do if technology allowed. And, as in the best sci-fi, Mandanna asks a lot of hard-hitting questions about the implications, and consequences, of what this technology would mean. She writes elegantly about life, love, loss, the lengths people will go to to protect their own, and what it means to be human. After reading so many Hunger Games clones, I was honestly surprised and relieved to find something new (and no, this is not a dystopian novel, although readers who enjoy them will very likely love this as well).

At 432 pages, this not a short read, but I was so caught up in Eva's story that I read it in just a few sittings. The characters are complex and very, very human, and I don't think I've wanted a heroine to succeed so badly since Katniss. Eva is wonderful. I also loved all the ties to Frankenstein, which could have been heavy handed but instead feel like a natural progression, and prove that it's still a relevant book to this day.

There are a few tiny issues, like the ending feeling slightly rushed, but I don't care. I was fully invested in the story and at no point did Mandanna let me down. I'll be on the lookout for more of her books and I definitely recommend this one.

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Ask the Passengers

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions . . . like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl.

As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives--and her own--for the better. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

I was all set to love this book, and for the first few chapters I did. It is a mostly uplifting read, and it does have a lot going for it, but ultimately I think it is flawed, and just not what it could have been. Let's break it down by pros and cons. 

Pros
-It's compelling. I read it in one day, completely buying into Astrid's story and narrative voice.
-The tone is well-balanced, moving believably from tense, emotional drama to humor to pathos and back again
-King addressed bullying, specifically of GLBTQ teens, in very direct terms. Truly awful, hateful things are said to/about Astrid and her friends, and King does a good job of showing what happens when people turn a blind eye to such reprehensible behavior. Also, bonus points for showing that teachers can be at least as gossipy and negative as their students.
-Astrid's inner conflict, questions and development ring true, and she gets major props from me for standing up for herself in the face of pressure and prejudice
-There is an emphasis on the need people have for respect, privacy, and space. Bonus points for King emphasizing that gay relationships are no different from straight relationships, and that it is problematic for people to assume it's all about sex
-I liked the idea of Astrid "sending love" to plane passengers, and their vignettes served to give the story a sort of all ages appeal, and to remind readers that everyone has their own unique set of emotional challenges, no matter their age, gender, background or circumstances
-Astrid's family is complicated, flawed, and fascinating. There are dynamics here I've seen in real families, and watching the four of them interact with each other was one of the most interesting things about the book.

That all sounds great, yeah? And those parts are. Unfortunately, the book has some issues that detract from all that a bit.

Cons
-Several relationships are problematic to me. Astrid's girlfriend Dee pressures her to move more quickly than Astrid is comfortable with- and Astrid does speak up. All well and good. But Astrid goes from feeling uncomfortable with this and unsure if she really likes Dee to being madly in love. Umm... k... Something similar happens with Astrid's friends. In one chapter it seems as though they have had a major falling out, and in the last it seems as though things are perfectly normal. 
-Astrid makes everything about her. Sure she's the main character, but even allowing for that conceit it gets old fast. Nothing is ever her fault (in her eyes), all the other characters need to take things at her speed when she says so, and god help them if they move too fast or slow for her. She can be preachy, and while she does develop in some ways (comes to terms with her own sexuality), she doesn't in others (keep an open mind, act more generously, give back). Here's an example of what I mean by missed opportunities- towards the end of the book when Astrid is resolving her baggage, she is portraying Socrates for her humanities class, going around the school and militantly debating people. Ok, great, if pushy. However, she had previously remarked that it was only "other, possibly fictional schools" that had GLBTQ clubs. I couldn't help thinking that it would have been better for her to work on starting one of these, especially since her humanities teacher, one of the only Allies she mentions, would have been the perfect faculty advisor. Maybe that's a weird quibble to have, but it would have been nice to see Astrid stepping up to help others instead of making herself feel smart. 
-Speaking of the school, and the students.... Other than Astrid and her friends, everyone seems to be a small-minded hateneck in this town. Worse, they're all decades old stereotypes. The jocks are oversexed, meat-headed bullies. The cheerleaders are superficial, snipey gossips. Where's the complexity? The acknowledgement that high school is tough all around, and that while that obviously does not excuse bullying, it goes partway toward explaining it? I'd have been much happier with some shades of grey, some discussion of why kids lash out at each other, and what can be done to improve things. Instead we get Astrid deciding to tune out the unpleasantness, without any change or growth.


Overall this was an absorbing read with plenty of realistic teen angst and some moving relationships, but it's weighed down by stereotypes and missed opportunities. I think Emily M. Danforth did a far better and more nuanced job of portraying a girl in a conservative small town questioning her sexuality in The Miseducation of Cameron Post, and for a better look at issues of high school cliques and bullying I'd recommend Before I Fall and The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth.

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