Review: Sorceror to the Crown

First in the Sorcerer Royal trilogy
By Zen Cho
Available now from Ace/Roc (Penguin Random House)
Review copy

I've been looking forward to Zen Cho's debut novel.  Her shorter works have showcased her command of language and character.  Her novella The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo is probably what she's best known for, and who wouldn't want to be known for writing such a humorous delight?  (It's available for free on her website, by the way.)  Even if I wasn't familiar with Cho, I would want to read SORCERER TO THE CROWN.  The cover is gorgeously subtle, the title is evocative, and the back promises a possible murder, magical mysteries, and a runaway orphan.

That runaway orphan, Prunella Gentleman, is the runaway character for me.  She's been raised in a school for magical girls, where she exists somewhat between classes - not a servant, but not a student.  (Especially not since it is clear that her mother wasn't white, as her father was.)  Prunella is just barely a grown woman with no money to her name, but plenty of intelligence and some untrained magic.  She knows she has to secure her own future, and so she pursues it.  Prunella performs one of the most cold-hearted acts in SORCERER TO THE CROWN, but she never lost my sympathy.

(The secondary character that stole my heart was Mak Genggang, an older and most formidable woman.  Also, an excellent source of comedy due to her refusal to bow to English social rules.)

Zacharias Wythe is the eponymous sorcerer, and that position is giving him much grief.  His appointment wasn't popular, especially since he is the first black sorcerer in England.  When his mentor died, he was the only person present, which adds to the dislike, as does the fact that English sorcerers are finding they have less and less magic to work with and it is easy to blame the man in power.  He's a romantic figure, with his quiet dignity and pursuit of duty as he sees it.  (He's rather progressive, so many of the men under him see his duty differently.)

Cho uses a very mannered style for SORCERER TO THE CROWN that evokes the historical time period of the setting and reinforces her themes of class and social mobility.  She's created an intriguing alternate history, where magical diplomacy is as important as martial.  In fact, all of the English sorcerers in the story are bound by what they can do given that they and the French sorcerers have agreed not to get involved in the current war.

The largest weakness, if you want to look at it that way, is the plot.  SORCERER TO THE CROWN is about the characters and their relationships - romance, fidelity, hatred, rivalry - these are the things that drive the story.  Many problems are presented and do get solved, but the focus is less on how they are resolved than who and why.  The plot is a distant concern to what Cho is trying to accomplish with the novel.

SORCERER TO THE CROWN is the first in a trilogy, but stands completely on its own.  I look forward to the second book and I'm eager to see what aspect of the characters' lives Cho explores next, but I would be satisfied with SORCERER TO THE CROWN even if the other two books never materialize.

Support LGBTQ Media: FIERCE! The Movie and Rainbow Boxes

I've been contacted recently about two great projects that you can support.

First, on Kickstarter, is FIERCE! The Movie. FIERCE! is a documentary by Zoe Davis, chronicling the journey of a group of British drag queens to an inaugural drag festival in Austin, Texas in a landmark year for marriage equality.

The crew says the following about the movie and their need for donations to finish production:

Throughout history, drag artists have been at the forefront of the fight for equality, tirelessly campaigning for the rights of LGBT people and using performance and humour to break through prejudice. We want to make a beautiful film that honours the rich culture of drag and the work of these artists who have been so instrumental in influencing and inspiring change. We also want to document this break-through time for LGBT equality, and perhaps even help change a few perceptions along the way!

In our lifetimes, history is rarely made in such a genuine, awe-inspiring and moving way. As the fight for equality continues, we will continue to film that inspiration and promise to deliver it the world over. But we need your help to do it!

Second, on IndieGoGo, is Rainbow Boxes by authors Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Carpetta.  They've curated boxes of fifteen LGBTQ-interest young adult novels to send to community libraries, GSAs, and homeless shelters serving LGBTQ youth throughout the country.  They want to put books with messages of hope into the hands of the teens that need them most.  They'll also be buying the books from indie booksellers.

If you have a bit of spare change, both of these are wonderful projects that could use your support.

Review: Goodbye Stranger

By Rebecca Stead
Available now from Wendy Lamb Books (Penguin Random House)
Review copy

Rebecca Stead won the Newbery Award for her second novel and became the first non-British author to win the Guardian Award for her third novel.  It's quite the pedigree, so expectations are understandably high for GOODBYE STRANGER, her fourth novel.

GOODBYE STRANGER mostly focuses on a group of thirteen-year old girls.  Like its protagonists straddle the world of children and teens, GOODBYE STRANGER straddles middle grade and YA.  It is a book that lives in liminal spaces.  Bridge, who narrates the most often, survived a horrific accident and has internalized that that means she's meant for more.  But more what? 

Her best friends Emily and Tabitha seem to be growing away from her, and all three struggle to navigate the changes in their friendship.  Emily has physically matured the fastest, and she's getting resulting attention from guys.  Tabitha, meanwhile, has fallen into the first blush of feminist fervor.  Sherm is a boy who tells most of his story through letters to his grandfather that he doesn't seem.  An unnamed narrator tells her story aside from the others, in a different time and an older place but still struggling with past friends and who she wants to be with or without them.

The threads of Bridge, Sherm, and You's stories come together in delightful ways.  Stead writes with a deft lightness that conceals just how much work she's doing to make all the pieces fit.  It also helps keep the book suitable for younger readers while appealing to older ones.  The darkest storyline in GOODBYE STRANGER involves scandalous photos texted between an underage girl and guy.  It's tackled perhaps with too much optimism, but I liked how the consequences and hurt were dealt with in a way that made it clear that made it clear that many dumb decisions were made but that it wasn't wrong for the girl to have sexual feelings.

GOODBYE STRANGER is another terrific novel from a celebrated author in children's fiction.  There's definitely a reason to get excited about a release from Stead.

Welcome Bodleian Children's Books!

Bodleian Library Publishing has launched the Bodleian Children's Books imprint, which will be distributed by University of Chicago Press in the US.


The press release says that this imprint will focus on forgotten gems and beautifully illustrated volumes.  I don't know about you, but I'm hoping for something that will rival The New York Review Children's Collection.  (Which, by the way, has several books on sale for the summer.)

The first two books published by Bodleian Children's Books will be Penguin’s Way and Whale’s Way by Johanna Johnston and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard. The 2016 list includes Veronica by Roger Duvoisin and The Story of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff.

(via Shelf Awareness)

Review: Space Dumplins

By Craig Thompson
Available now from Graphix (Scholastic)
Review copy

Craig Thompson is the author of numerous acclaimed graphic novels, including BLANKETS and HABIBI.  His first graphic novel for young readers is a heartwarming tale of family, both the kind you're born with and the kind you find, and whale diarrhea.   All in all, it's a space adventure that all ages can enjoy.

Violet, her mother, and father live happily in a space trailer park.  He salvages whale poop, which is used for energy.  Her mother works in fashion and just got a job on a satellite, a job that could move their family up in the world.  I think the class conflicts that run through SPACE DUMPLINS are well done.  There are arguments kids might've heard in their own homes, but translated into space (which makes everything more exciting).  The environmental themes are also presented well, just goofy enough not to be overly heavy handed.

My favorite thing about this graphic novel might be all the puns.  I think I'm going to have to read it again to make sure that I get all of them.  There's a lot of cleverness flying about in the text and the images.  Thompson's space is a busy place, full of activity and bright colors.  (The contrasting colors make it easier to see what's happening.)  There's all sorts of details to distract and catch your eye.  I think the hyperactive style suits the wackiness of the story as well as the age group.

I don't think SPACE DUMPLINS will be a graphic-novel classic like BLANKETS or HABIBI.  But it is fun, sweet, and silly.  That makes it a pretty appealing read.