Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

If you haven’t read Nicola Griffith before, let 2022 be the year you correct that. This novella would be a great place to begin. Griffith is writing some of the best fantasy and historical fiction being published today. Spear is a gender-bent, queer Arthurian retelling, featuring a young woman named Peretur who travels as a man to Caer Leon to join the court of King Artos. It’s a rich, beautifully realized story of adventure, romance, and action. (CW for chemical use, violence, and death of a loved one.)

Backlist bump: Hild by Nicola Griffith

The multi-talented Monáe and a group of contributors—Yohanca Delgado, Eve L. Ewing, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Danny Lore, and Sheree Renée Thomas—have put together a selection of futuristic stories exploring race, gender, queerness, and love. These tales are full of characters who push back against society. The stories are built off Monáe’s album Dirty Computer, but you don’t have to have listened to the record to enjoy the book. (I read it first, then listened to it.) I would love more album/book tie-ins, please! (CW for racism, homophobia, and transphobia)

Backlist bump: Reconstruction: Stories by Alaya Dawn Johnson

I haven’t read this sequel yet, but I figured it was a good time to remind people who are fans of the first book, Black Sun, that it’s out (because whoa cliffhanger.) Or to remind you that you’ve always wanted to read it! It’s about a society inspired by Pre-Columbian Americans, where a ship carrying a mysterious passenger is headed to the holy city of Tova in time for the winter solstice, which will coincide with a solar eclipse. Doesn’t sound ominous at all, does it??? (I don’t remember all the specifics, but there are definitely content warnings for violence and gore, suicide, war, child abuse, and murder.)

Backlist bump: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

So this is SUPER ADORABLE. The Apprentice Lord of Darkness (ALoD from here on out) reminds me of Ludo from Star vs the Forces of Evil. ALoD wants to rule the kingdom, so decides to put together a group of flunkies and make a play for the throne. But the flunkies are a sweet, silly bunch and none of the plans ever go the way they want. Together, as they attempt to take over the world, they end up doing more good than evil. Does that mean the ALoD is really all that evil? And who IS the ALoD, anyway?

I liked reading this because while it’s a continuing story throughout the book, each page is its own contained bit of a story with its own completed jokes. And the characters are delightfully silly and the art is adorable and colorful. It’s a good starter book for kids who are not quite old enough for Bone yet, and great for anyone who needs some light, silly reading in their life.