Ms. Schwab (author of the fantastic The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue) has created an epic story of three women vampires that unfolds over 500 years! Of course, there is graphic blood lust and killing, but also interesting group dynamics, learned restraint, and conflicted love. Thus there is both monstrosity and humanity; a haunting and worthwhile story about cruelty, grace, jealousy and yes, immortality. Finally, this story of three vampires in contemporary Boston evolves into a pursuit thriller. Truly, a must-read book that I could not put down, so highly recommended.
Category: magic
The City And Its Uncertain Walls – Haruki Murakami
Full disclosure: I have a conflicted response to Murakami’s writing, only loving some books like the brilliant 1Q84. Happily, this new book definitely belongs in the great must-read category. This review is necessarily enigmatic because of magic realism content. Can different worlds like a walled-in town with unicorns co-exist with the natural world? Can a shadow and a real person be separated and trade roles? Overall, the story is a fantastical quest, and an ode to love, loss and yearning. And yes, there are dreams and books and libraries!
Katabasis – R.F. Kuang
Simply put, this is a fantastical story, one of Ms. Kuang’s best. Alice and Peter are graduate students in the Department of Analytic Magick at Cambridge. When their supervisor dies, they descend into Hell to retrieve his soul from the Underworld. What could go wrong? There are outstanding elements in this epic story-telling. First, the psychology of Alice and Peer as individuals is fascinating, and their relationship together largely based on competition and rivalry. And second, the description of the eight levels of Hell is brilliant with some parallels to academia (the first court, pride, is an academic library). As the courts become more sinister and dangerous, there is even an Escher trap, the Penrose Stairs. And finally, there are numerous philosophical discussions about principles like the Liar Paradox, and a brilliant Orpheus joke on page 536! This is a creative book about ideas, learning and thinking, an absolute must read.
Witchcraft For Wayward Girls – Grady Hendrix
Simply put, this is a powerful book. As always, the context is crucial. In 1970, Wellwood House in Florida is a home for unmarried pregnant women, only these are pregnant children aged 14-15 who have been ostracized by their families and banished. They experience shame and guilt, and profound helplessness. So, what will happen when a librarian offers them a book about witchcraft? Can spells offer an alternative to feelings of being powerless? But power has a price, and every price must be paid. The story contains graphic descriptions of childbirth, so reader be warned. The misogyny and abuse directed to these girls is astonishing – highly recommended.
The Husbands – Holly Gramazio
Lauren returns to her London flat to discover her husband Michael but … she is not married! When Michael enters the attic, a different “husband” emerges. Amazingly, her attic is capable of creating an infinite supply of husbands so Lauren recycles them, looking for an ideal (or acceptable) married relationship. This is an original and totally entertaining book.
Before The Coffee Gets Cold – Toshikazu Kawaguchi
A small basement cafe in Tokyo offers time travel, to travel back in time subject to specific rules. For example, nothing that is done in the past can change the present, and the duration of the trip is brief, limited to as long as it takes for a cup of coffee to become cold. Given these profound constraints, what is fascinating is the motivation for time travel as explored in four scenarios. Thanks Amy, for this book.
Black River Orchard – Chuck Wendig
An effective horror trope is to assign malevolence to an inanimate object like a doll or car. Mr. Wendig’s story involves magical apples with obsessive consumption. Can an apple provide a parasite of the soul? Can an orchard be evil? And what’s not to love about a character named Edward Naberius, a restorer of lost dignities. A genuinely creepy and frightening story!
Silver Nitrate – Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The setting – Mexico City in the early 90s. Monserat, a film editor, and her actor friend Tristan meet Abel, a film director whose last film was unreleased in 1961. Can merging of sound and visuals (runes) with silver nitrate film be a conduit for spells? Can an un-released film produce bad luck? Can a spell be undone? Moreno-Garcias’s latest horror book reminds me of her brilliant Mexican Gothic.
VenCo – Cherie Dimaline
This new book by Ms. Dimaline just gets better and better, moving from YA to adult fiction. Imagine a young Metis woman on a search for a spoon to reassemble a coven of 7 witches. Imagine that a deliciously evil male Benanmanti witch hunter pursues her with deadly intent. This is a subversive feminist story that is exciting and compulsively readable, mixing danger with humour. Highly recommended. By the way, the title is an anagram for coven!
What David Read 