Review - Tomorrow's Children by Daniel Polansky

 

Review - Tomorrow's Children by Daniel Polansky

I quite enjoyed this book as something different, edgy and fast paced. In a near-future New York, one of its main islands has become separated by an ever-present supernatural fog ('the funk') from the rest of the world. Because of this isolation, over time its own distinct society has developed, structured around gang-like clans held in a balance of power, homebrew religious sects and a need to survive. This strange location is disrupted by the arrival of an outsider, and what follows is a violent, often amusing, rapidly paced romp filled with lots of action and snappy dialogue.

The story begins with the death of a local clan boss and many of his followers, which disrupts the power balance. A hardened veteran, Gillian, is chosen as the Sheriff to investigate the disturbance. We are also introduced to a varied group of characters during the course of her investigations and manipulations. The Kid is a chain-smoking, tough but mysterious hitman and soldier, whose relationship with Gillian is eventually revealed. Swan is a virtually blinded, drunken samurai-type fighter, who despite his weaknesses and world-weariness is nevertheless seemingly invincible. Maryland Slim is an extravagantly portrayed underworld figure, probably the strongest in the novel. He is lecherous, scheming and overweight, but also a telepath who can wage psychic war on others. There are a number of other interesting side characters, including Nelly the cat lady, who can use the viewpoints of cats' eyes for spying, and Dade and Ariadne the tunnel dwellers, whose own society is vividly imagined. And Ael is another swordsman, whose ridiculous obsession with becoming the very best sparks one of the most rollicking sequences in the book.

One of the religious groups, the Honey Swallowers, is framed for wrongdoing and a climactic battle ensues. While this is developing, Gillian and The Kid must deal with the King of TriBeCa, a mysterious leader of mutants who also wields strange powers over the funk. This fading King is trying to acquire a young boy, Newton, who he believes is the heir to his powers. Meanwhile, the outsider, Mr Simpson, who has been pulling strings behind the scenes, tries to kidnap several of the psychically talented people of the island in a violent attack.

The story is strongest when its merely enjoyed as violent, fast paced romp. It is darkly funny at times and many of the goings-on are coldly absurdist in tone, which certain readers will enjoy. The social norms, dialects and odd vocabulary of the island's residents are elaborately imagined. There are many startling incidents you'll encounter while reading (which is definitely a worthy achievement in any current book). The chapters are short and are structured with small sections within them. This is a neat example of "show me, don't tell me" storytelling, and once you can piece together the connections between the sections and the story being told, you can appreciate some clever achievements. 

I didn't really mind the use of emoji symbols in the text. Perhaps it has a deeper meaning, regarding the degeneration of future people's language. But I did ask myself: if there's not much electricity available, how would anyone use emojis to communicate with each other on a powered device?

I could also see some influences or similarities between this book with other works: the kind of amoral "ultraviolence" like in A Clockwork Orange; a weird future with unusual residents like in the Viriconium series; and the future street culture with its mannerisms as Gibson's Sprawl trilogy. And action scenes reminiscent of what you'd see in the Mad Max movies, or any pumped-up Hollywood blockbuster.

There were a few things that didn't quite settle in the mix, however. Like some other readers, I found the beginning difficult to get into, with the many characters we're introduced to and the unfamiliar slang to understand. The dystopian story with its characters inclined to instant violence lacks an emotional heart; it's not a world I could imagine really living in. And some of the female characters weren't rounded or that convincing; I found them a bit too tough and unemotional. But all these flaws can be set aside, as mentioned, if you take the story for what it is: a darkly amusing tale with much action, as long as you don't think about it too deeply.

Thanks to Angry Robot books and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

 

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

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Book review - A Rival Most Vial by RK Ashwick

Here we have it: a cosy fantasy by an indie author, which must contain something special in order to make it to the final round of the current SPFBO competition.

 

Review: A Rival Most Vial by RK Ashwick

A Rival Most Vial by RK Ashwick is a book which is most attractive because of its general light-heartedness and the engaging, playful interactions between its characters. Two merchants in a fantasy town must learn to co-operate with each other, as part of a joint potion-making project they agree to undertake. There are some misunderstandings, sad personal histories and difficulties that the main characters must overcome. But the support they receive from those close them results in a feel-good tale with some sweet romance and 'Yes!' moments. There's also a novel, curious magical system that seems derived from baking (yes, baking) in the real world.

The story takes place in the area of Rosemond St, where we are introduced to group of shopkeepers who all know and support each other like one big, diverse family. Ambrose is a potion seller and a half-elf, and had been given away by his family at an early age to be an apprentice to an emotionally cold potions master. Because of this, Ambrose was virtually raised by the other merchants of the street. He is scholarly and introverted, preferring to remain isolated in his potions shop. He reacts with upset and suspicion when a stranger moves into the vacant shop across from his. This is Eli, a human from another area, Kolkea, and he quickly comes into competition with Ambrose as he, too, is operating a potions shop.  Eli is his opposite: he is sociable and a lover of sports and adventure. We also meet Dawn the wand maker, Ambrose's overworked and stressed-out best friend.  

At first, Ambrose and Eli take part in a tit-for-tat bitter rivalry to entice the most customers to their own shops. This ruthless competition, instead, merely drains them and their finances. However, they then find they both must agree, because of the financial rewards offered, to a commission that involves working together. They must brew a special, difficult potion for the mayor's daughter, Beatrice, whose birthday wish is to be able to fly like a dragon with purple wings for one day. To complicate matters, Ambrose and his friend, Dawn, have a falling out, and Eli and Ambrose find their feelings for each changing. There is a bit of danger to face several times, and Eli must face against his natural drifter's inclination, and decide on a future career.

What happens next follows basically an enemies-to-lovers trope, as attraction blossoms between Ambrose and Eli. It's a cute romance, as they grow closer together over the course of the commission's challenge. Some of the winning parts of the story are the book's chapter titles, which are cleverly reminiscent of recipe step instructions and provide insight as to the current state of the characters' relationship development. I found the elaborate potion-mixing stages which Eli and Ambrose go through engaging and interesting. The overall tone or story elements made me think of the Dungeons & Dragons world maybe combined with a sweet Hallmark movie. Or something like the new breed of Netflix rom-coms with LGBTQ characters.  

I did find a few of the fantasy concepts slightly awry. For example, characters seemed to be able to just wave (any number of) wands a bit too conveniently in order to solve a problem, or just swig a magic potion. And I would've liked some more lore and background about the characters and location. But my main issue was that the central romance was just too predictable; there were lots of hints given and anyone could see it coming early on. But these are minor concerns.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

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Book review - The Dragons of Deepwood Fen by Bradley Beaulieu

 

I found The Dragons of Deepwood Fen to be strong in the areas of plot, world building, action and the involvement of two of the main characters. It's an epic fantasy, make no mistake, and it has a considerable amount of complexity and switching points of view. It's a fairly good example of a modern epic. But I also found there were some "rough edges", and it could have done with some improvement in the areas of fantasy creature aesthetics (let's face it, that's one of the main things fans love the most!) and style/narrative elements.

The backdrop is a long history of conflict between an unscrupulous empire and its would-be vassal, the people of the Holt, the Kin. The story centers around a number of heroic main characters and also several horrid villains. Ryland is a spy/thief masquerading as a "dragon singer". I found that Ryland was the most interesting character, as he must navigate between two worlds, that of the Kin and the Holt (including their freedom fighters, the Red Knives) and the empire and the city of Ancris. Rhiannon is a teenage prodigy of the Holt folk, her skills with magic craft making her a pivotal character who must choose between support for her resurrected mother and her own conscience. Lorelei is a inquisitor of the empire, who must find her way through the political knots around her to uncover and fight for the truth.

These characters must struggle against a hypocritical Church of the empire, which has been compromised by an evil god, Faedryn, who has been imprisoned but is sending out his sinister will in order to escape. The history of the empire is bound up with the Church of Alra, full of war, many lies and oppression. I thought the Hissing Man was a detestably good cloak-and-dagger villain, who serves the Church in morally dubious ways. There is also the ruthless Llorn and his extremist followers of the Red Knives to face.

This novel definitely has its moments: particularly the magic and ideas behind the "vyrds", which are Stonehenge-like portals allowing faster travel. The magic system with its concept of duality and light/dark powers behind everything is well thought out. Some of the interior scenes and the characters interactions and the atmosphere established were effective too. I also enjoyed the action sequences like dragon battles, brawls and chases quite a lot.

But there was also room for improvement. I thought the plot and storytelling components were a mix of grimdark, traditional epic fantasy and oddly, cosy fantasy. Blending some of these together meant some of the story didn't quite gel for me. Likewise with some foul language and darkly explicit violence, which probably didn't suit the rest of the story. And treating dragons, the staple of fantasy creatures these days, like cute, unusually intelligent, adorable dogs was an unusual technique. It might work in middle-school novels like How to Train Your Dragon, but in a story for adults or older teenagers...? And I thought some of the details could be clearer, and as part of the long story readers could do with some reminders of who a character mentioned earlier was; for example, I had forgotten who Yeriel actually was by the time she actually turned up. 

This book is focused on plot, but it is a long and slow story. Sometimes there is just too much going on. One of the main issues I had were that some of the characters (Azariah, Rhiannon, Lorelei) failed to really capture my interest and imagination. And it's apparent sometimes how Beaulieu borrows bit of other authors' ideas and styles. In a crowded epic fantasy market, readers might expect a bit more for a new book to make into the "top tier". 

Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus publishers for an ARC of this book.

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐

Book review - The Last Fang of God by Ryan Kirk

This has been another enjoyable holiday read for me. In The Last Fang of God, a father (Kalen) and his daughter (Sascha) must journey together through dangers to reach a tree that is sacred to a god, which will grant them a way forward for her future. It's fast paced and features several dastardly villains, dark "skeletons in the closet", action, a neat magical system and engaging, rounded characters.

The story begins in a village where Kalen has been living for many years, making a new life for himself and his family. Inadvertently, he and his daughter, Sascha, must leave their home in the face of her true nature being revealed: she is "called" to the special tree of the fading old god, Vilkas. This is because of her "wolf" clan blood, and she must undergo trials there to meet the potential of her rune-crafting ability. What follows is a quest journey in order to attain the tree.

Both Kalen and Sascha are still dealing with the death of the mother, Embla. They must also face Sascha's blooming abilities and the need for training on the trek. Secrets long kept by her father are disclosed, revealing Kalen's grimdark past, his running from his history of violence and killing, and his own weakness. In part, it's a coming of age story in which Sascha must learn to build trust again with her father. She must reconcile her comfortable, familiar experience of him with his god-granted, formidable killing ability. And Sascha must make the decision to undergo the grueling trials set by Vilkas herself, and handle the issues of taking other lives as her responsibility.

The magical system is solid and revolves around the ideas of arcane runes provided by the gods to certain peoples. These symbols can enhance, heal or conceal the characters, endowing superhuman abilities. Each god's power is contained in a certain area, and is associated with their believers. Some areas like a forest glade provide "sanctuary", and there are mystical, hidden paths between these areas. I very much enjoyed the visits paid to the main characters by these supernatural beings. Their main message is that the world is cruel; this cruelty can be avoided or forgotten for some time, but eventually it will not be denied.

The villains of the story are members of the "scorpion" people, motivated by their darkly vicious god, Kunama. Naga is the first foil for Kalen: he believes his people were betrayed by him, and has sworn revenge for his perceived crimes. It turns out to be tragic how Naga has fallen under sway of a dark god like Kunama, even though he has the martial skill and special abilities to match Kalen. Jolon is the leader of the scorpions, and he provides another more conceited, arrogant foe to face.

The focus/strength of the novel is its fast pace, the exploration of the feelings of the main characters and their dilemmas, and the violent action. However, there was a bit of room for improvement. In the beginning, there are several references to "Bonde" and I was left puzzled for a while until details emerged as to who that was. Descriptions in the story are very minimalist, in regards to people and setting. (I would have liked to be able "see" far more often what the characters were expressing, and their appearance. I found something similar with John Gwynne's first novel.) At times I found the vocabulary a bit limited, for example on one page I encountered the same basic word, "food", three times. And the character, Sascha, seems to have thoughts mainly in relation to males in her life. She's a teenage girl: why didn't she say goodbye to and miss other female friends when she left the village? 

This book is apparently a standalone, a fact for which I hope Kirk will change his mind some time. Because I, for one, would really be keen to read more about Kalen and Sascha's experiences.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

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Book review - To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

 

I found this to be a strong young adult fantasy novel about a girl who attends a dragon rider academy. What separates it from every other book that has done this before is its refreshing native American viewpoint and deep allegorical messages about the effects of colonialism.

It begins with the main character, Anequs, living with her native community on the island of Masqupaug. This is a fantasy world with many parallels to the real America of the 19th century. On encountering a dragon's egg and bonding with the new hatchling, she is quickly thrust into a very different society when she must enrol at the 'Academy of Natural Philosophy and Skiltakraft'. There she must learn to adapt and deal with the rules and expectations of the peoples who had conquered the land, the Anglish and the Vaskosish. Anequs manages to retain a sense her tribal identity, develop relationships with those students willing to engage with her and also progress in the academic studies, all despite the prejudice and exclusion she encounters.

The characters are pleasingly well portrayed. Marta is her wealthy white roommate, blissfully ignorant of her own prejudices despite having good intentions. An accurately detailed picture is given to us of Sander, an autistic student who struggles to behave as expected around other students. Theod emerges as a native character with a tragic past, missing his cultural background and identity since he had been stolen from his family when many of them had been executed by the colonial power. Liberty, a black laundry maid, provides some romantic complications for Anequs. And her older brother, Niquiat, is always supportive but must deal with his own need to reconcile with their father.

I have to admit, I definitely found the main story engaging and the developments kept the pages turning. There were also some surprisingly profound comparisons with the ravages of colonialism and racism in real American history, as is the phrase used by the native characters, to 'the great dying'. We see the trauma and loss from conquest and suppression passed down through generations of the native characters. Anequs herself must deal with and speak out against what her people have encountered: dispossession, injustice, racial slurs, slanted history and the greed of the Anglish settlers. Theod's character, in particular, must get past the erasure of his own name and heritage, and relearn who he is.

Not every novel is perfect, and there were a few rough spots. At times, the writing flips from the direct, simple speech of Anequs's community to highly literary 19th century-style dialogue, which takes some getting used to. (Would a 15 year old really talk  that way?) There is an interesting magic system (skiltakraft), which is surprisingly quite complex. There are a long array of knotty Scandinavian names in the novel and alternative terms for things, for example History is 'erelore'. At times I thought there were an unnecessary amount of details being given, and some portions of dialogue rambled a bit.

But these are minor concerns! It's so good to read a book this refreshing, and willing to try something new, even adding some steampunk technology into the story's mix. My favourite part of the novel was the community feeling in Anequs's native village and the harmony between the locals on the island. Since I couldn't put this book down, I really hope book 2 in the series is not long in coming.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

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Book review - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

 

I really enjoyed this book and would like to recommend it highly. My favourite book published in 2023.

The setting is early twentieth century Europe. An intrepid lady academic, Emily Wilde, travels to a (presumably fictional) Scandinavian island on her own on a mission to add research findings to her 'Encyclopaedia of Faeries'.  The story is told in the style of a scholar's journal entries, and is elegantly executed.

Once there, Emily must learn to fit in with locals of the village, Hrafnsvik. There is the gruff grandmother, Thora who possesses surprisingly deep knowledge of the local hidden 'folk'; the competent headwoman, Auda;  a desperately sad couple dealing with a child replaced by a fairy changeling; and Finn, her landlord's son.

What follows is a series of comical / cringeworthy misadventures, revealing her practical inexperience and ignorance of the local norms. Emily initially explores Ljosland on her own, before being joined by her male research colleague, Wendell Bambleby. He is her friend, rival and also a source of both amusement and annoyance.

Several revelations emerge about Wendell and his character as events progress. Emily must deal with the Hidden King of the fairies and an enchantment she is affected by.  There are interludes in the main story with several convincingly authentic fairy tales included. I also enjoyed the sections written by a different character (Wendell), and playfulness with dates and times (i.e. as if fairy tale magic itself is influencing the structure of the story).

One of the novel's strengths is its descriptions of remote islands settings and the faeries themselves. It establishes a wonderful atmosphere. For example, the main character encounters a brownie with needle-like fingers who 'seemed to step into the landscape as if it were a door'. There are magical trees, hidden paths and kingdoms, and enchanted objects such as cloaks and slippers.

Fawcett shows she is well-versed in fairy tales and folklore. There are vivid characterisations, particularly the characters of Emily, Thora, Auda and Wendell. I enjoyed the refreshing humour, fairy tale cleverness, and the understated 'snarky' romance.

As a side-note, I have to admit I'm baffled as to why some other reviewers found some of the plot hard to follow. All seemed absolutely clear to me, and the occasional footnotes throughout the novel provided some added interest and could be skipped easily if desired. I was surprised, though, to find no mention of female scholars being disadvantaged and looked down upon (these were a common experience by female researchers in the time period). There were also a couple of incidents of violence that appear almost out of nowhere in the story. (Casually bloodthirsty...part of the humour? Revealing the true, wild nature of the faeries?) I did find it unusual to hear of a female-female wedding being planned in this time period (but well, this is fantasy...). And just why is the final fairy tale, 'The Golden Ravens', included at the end of the book?

We'll have to wait for book 2 to find out. I look forward to it.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)
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