Resurfacing - Temporarily At Least

It's been a pretty rotten winter as far as health has been concerned so far. Pisces and I have both been sick, not always at the same time although we did manage two weeks together when we were both very sorry for ourselves. A few weeks ago I thought we had seemed to have turned the corner now, at least as far as seasonal viruses are concerned but no. If there's something around to catch I have managed to catch it. When you factor in my long-running - and yet to be found a solution to -  ailments, it hasn't been much fun at all. With luck we will be spared the 'flu having both had our 'flu shots but with the possibility of multiple surgeries still hanging over my head - when and how I have no idea as yet given there are more specialists to be consulted - I hope you'll forgive me if I sound a little pessimistic at times.

It's not only health issues. In the last week we've discovered a massive leak in the garage which in itself wouldn't matter all that much except that it's where we have stored a large amount our household stuff in preparation for the new floors being laid and it's going to have to slowly fester away until the weather clears.

In the spirit of the way life is around here just now I give you this link. Thanks, Annalou, for reminding me about it.

AWWC 2013: Reunion by Joanna Fay

Reunion, the sequel to Daughter of Hope, the first book in the Siaris quartet, continues the wide-ranging story of the magical world of Siaris. Despite its beauty and the Immortal Guardians who spend their lives protecting it, evil continually battles for control and it's not only the Morraeth the Guardians have to worry about. Cultural differences are causing growing rifts between them and the others they care for.

In Reunion, we learn more about the world of Siaris and the sprawling and fascinating stories of its inhabitants. Clever, multi-layered world building draws us into the complexity of life on the planet and the lives of all those who live there. There is magic but it is not always the best or even the only option. Vividly drawn, rounded characters make their own choices, whether for good or ill, for reasons that are entirely believable. Added to this, the author's use of language is beautiful and evocative with a lyrical rhythm that I found a joy to read.

This is rich fantasy but don't mistake that for soft. The author's eye for realistic detail lifts it above most similar works. I recommend it highly and am waiting impatiently for Book Three in the series.

Reunion was published by Urania, the fantasy imprint of Musa Publishing, in February, 2013 and is available as an e-book from Amazon.com and the publisher.

Joanna Fay blogs at her website here.

AWWC 2013: Daughter of Hope by Joanna Fay

In Siaris, a world contained under the outer shell of a planet, life is a continual battle between the winged Guardians, an immortal race, created eons ago and imbued with magical spell powers and the Morraeth. In an eternally snow and sleet swept fortress with an endless need for slaves captured from among elden, another immortal race less resilient than the Guardians, and humans, these ancient gods are served by the traitor Guardian, Xereth. Fuelled by an implacable hatred for his family he has allied himself with their enemies, becoming the lieutenant of their fortress.

Life in the fortress is as bleak and cruel as the eternal winter that surrounds it and those who live within it, whether they are half Guardian, human or elden, are all slaves to the Morraeth.

But something unexpected has happened in the Morraeth fortress. An elden slave is about to give birth to Xereth's child. Revetia (her self-chosen name means daughter of hope) is a unplanned child who should never have been conceived and her birth signals changes - for her siblings, her father, the Morraeth and her extended family.

On her website the author says the world of Siaris has been part of her imagination since she was a young girl and it shows in the way she evokes the brutal, freezing land of the Morraeth as cleverly as she does the more gentle world of the other parts of Siaris. Her language is lyrical, almost poetic, but never slips that step too far so we lose a sense of reality. Revetia's story is part of the larger one of Siaris and in a wide-ranging story where old wounds fuel actions that affect the whole of the world she is a catalyst for change.

I loved this book. The beautifully described world with its rich detail, the well drawn characters and the complex and satisfying story line drew me in and I was delighted to find it was only the first of a quartet of stories. I will certainly be revisiting Siaris.

Daughter of Hope was published by Urania, the fantasy imprint of Musa Publishing, in 2012 and is available as an e-book from Amazon.com and Musa  Publishing.

Joanna Fay blogs at her website here.

Blogs That Have Something to Say To Me

This is by no means a definitive or complete list but these are just a few of the blogs I check in on at least once a week, often more frequently. They're all, in my opinion, worth a look at for many and varied reasons. Some are writing related, some are social commentators - some are both as you'll see if you visit them, some are genre related and some are simply people blogging about things that catch my interest. I enjoy them all because they make me think or entertain me. I hope they do the same for you. They are in alphabetical order by title for ease of listing, not because of any particular importance.

A Conversational Life: My Life in Family, Friends and Books

Baroque in Hackney

Champagne and Socks

Hoyden About Town

Jim C. Hines

Jo, on Food, My Travels and a Scent of Chocolate

Peter M. Ball

Satima Flavell

Stitching Words, One Thread at a Time

The Bloggess

Tropic Temper

Whatever

Yarn Harlot

There are, of course, many more blogs I visit - and enjoy - regularly but this post is already quite long enough so I'll do another with more at some time in the future.

AWWC 2013: According to Luke by Rosanne Dingli

When Venetian art conservator, Jana Hayes, is presented with an ancient icon by a fellow Australian, priest, Rob Anderson, to assess its authenticity on behalf the Catholic Church she is excited. She delights in her work and when she discovers another older painting beneath the so-called St Luke Madonna, she is even more intrigued. Then things start to get messy - very messy - and Jana finds herself in danger as she tries to unravel the mystery of the icon. This is the beginning of a thrilling mystery which sees Jana and Rob find themselves in a dangerous race across Italy and beyond to Malta as they try to find out exactly who wants to stop the investigation and why. The story twists and turns with Jana's complex relationship with her mother as well as with Rob adding to it.

The author has obviously researched her subject deeply and I found the descriptions of the processes involved in art conservation, woven as they were into the narrative, fascinating and not intrusive. Setting is important in this story and the author skilfully evokes modern Italy and Malta with enough detail to make the reader feel as if they are there.

This is not a simple by the numbers thriller. It is built up with detail and peopled with characters who are rounded and believable. It would be enjoyed by those like their thrillers to involve intellect and more than just a wild ride.

According to Luke was published in 2012 and is available both as a paperback and an e-book from Amazon.com and the author's website. 

Rosanne Dingli blogs at www.rosannedingli.blogspot.com.au 

AWWC 2013: Shadow Queen by Deborah Kalin

Shadow Queen by Deborah Kalin was published by Allen & Unwin in January 2009.

Matilde, heir to the House of Svanaten, is nineteen, of age and more than ready to take her place on the throne but her regent grandmother is unwilling to hand over the reins. But it is not as simple as a desire for power. Matilde has visions of the future and her grandmother's skill at hiding this is all that keeps her granddaughter from being claimed by the church and losing her throne forever. When her long estranged aunt arrives with her young son for a festival, Matilde is delighted until a moment of prescience comes too late and she loses family, friends and throne in one horrific attack. Alone and desperate to survive and eventually regain her throne, she agrees to be bound in marriage to the man who has wiped out her family. Her new husband, though, wants more than a wife and uses magic to secure her loyalty. Matilde finds herself despised by those she cares about as she struggles to subtly undermine her conqueror.

Shadow Queen is in many ways a coming of age story. Tilde may be restlessly wanting her throne at the beginning of the novel but she is also immature and naive and her prescience is potentially dangerous to both her and her throne. When her whole world is destroyed she is forced to grow up fast and, although she makes mistakes - and there are many of them, she learns quickly that he new husband's ruthlessness must be matched by her own.

The author keeps a tight grip on a complex story of politics and psychological manipulation that reveals itself slowly as Tilde learns more about herself, her family and her kingdom and its enemies. The characters are well-drawn with a blend of strengths and weaknesses and, often, surprising sides to them. As it should be, no-one is perfect in this world where betrayal is commonplace.

Shadow Queen is gritty fantasy set in a realistic quasi mediaeval world and should appeal to those who enjoy novels by Jennifer Fallon and Glenda Larke. There are no elves, fairies or vampires but there is magic - and it's powerful and dangerous.


Shadow Bound, the sequel to Shadow Queen, was published in 2010 and, although the author says she has no plans for a further book in the series, she has left it enticingly open. I intend to post a review of Shadow Bound soon.

Correction: I said incorrectly that Shadow Queen was no longer in print and only available as an e-book on Amazon.com. Deborah Kalin has informed me in the comments section that Shadow Queen is still available in A4 paperback through the Allen & Unwin website online bookshop if your local bookshop doesn't have it in stock.

Deborah Kalin's website is at deborahkalin.com

GoH speech by N K Jemisin, Continuum

N. K. Jemisin's Continuum 9 speech (for those not part of the SFF world, Continuum is a science fiction convention held in Melbourne in Victoria, Australia) should be required reading for all of us - and by that I mean a universal "all".

I greatly admire N. K. Jemisin's writing - her original ideas and her prose are inspiring and I'd recommend her books highly - but what she has to say here is even more inspiring, in particular what she has to say about the silent 90%. I recently had my own epiphany about how silence makes everyone who doesn't call people on racist or other hateful remarks complicit in what is said. The truth is if we don't speak out we are as guilty as those who are making racist, anti-semetic, misogynistic, homophobic and other hate filled comments. That even this incomplete list is so long is disturbing in itself.

I think part of the problem is fear - of offending a friend, of being ostracised, of being shouted down and even of physical attack, and, of course, we should not be foolhardy and put ourselves in danger but there is a lot we can do instead of standing back. We can write to the newspapers, get on talk back radio to contradict the ignorant, tell a friend who makes a casual racist slur that it is not acceptable. Every time we do this it makes a difference. It might be small but it counts.

It's not easy to overcome our prejudices, especially if it's something we've grown up with and we all carry baggage and make mistakes but what we can do is to keep trying to do better. What N. K. Jemisin has to say here is important. I urge you to read it.