Book Reviews: Penric and Desdemona Solve a Mystery

 The Assassins of Thasalon, by Lois McMaster Bujold (Subterranean)

I first fell in love with…isn’t that the best way to begin a book review? In the case of Lois McMaster Bujold, the love affair goes back to Ethan of Athos (1986) and Falling Free (1988) Once Miles Vorkosigian burst upon the scene, I was thoroughly hooked. The Curst of Chalion, the first novel set in the World of Five Gods, saved me one convention (I think it was a WorldCon) when I ended up with a concussion from getting slammed in the head by a heavy glass door. I stayed an extra night, reading and re-reading, marveling at the layers of richness. But I digress: Chalion was followed by the equally awesome Paladin of Souls, then The Hallowed Hunt, and—about 100 years earlier in chronology—the Penric and Desdemona novellas. I gobbled them all up, although Chalion retains a special, perhaps concussion-inspired, place in my heart.

Penric is this world’s version of a healer/cleric, both aspects being supernaturally inspired by his god, the Bastard, and the many-generations-old temple demon, Desdemona, who shares his mind and, occasionally, his body. Through her, he can tap into magical powers as well as the experience and memories of her former hosts. “Demon” has a different connotation here than the one typically used. While she is definitely a non-material being, she was born of chaos and has been shaped into a person by her relationships with her human hosts. She’s also sly and sarcastic, although she would never admit to being loving.

Which brings us to the latest adventure, novel-length instead of the previous novellas. The set-up is framed as a mystery: who is trying to assassinate Penric’s brother-in-law, the exiled, brilliant general? In the process of tracking down the attempted murder and preventing further attacks, Pen and Desdemona uncover a plot that goes right to the heart of what makes a person, and what part does the right use of power (or the atrocities of its misuse) play? In too many fantasy stories, characters lack family ties, or they have them, the families are off-stage and forgotten. Not so in this series. Penric lives in a matrix of people he loved and who love him, sometimes as vividly present when he is hundreds of miles away as when they’re in the same scene.

Bujold is such a skillful writer, her work is a joy to read. I’m hooked on the first page, wanting to read faster to find out what happens next and yet wanting to read slowly to savor all the nuances. She plays fair with giving the reader all the necessary information, but she doesn’t berate, lecture, or inflict long explanations. Beneath the mystery-plot, there are layers and layers of story-gold. Although I rejoiced at the novel length, the end still came too soon.

Like the previous Penric and Desdemona stories, this one can be read as a stand-alone, although the references to previous happenings and off-stage characters would be enhanced by having read the adventures that involve them. On the other hand, as an entry drug, it’s a grand excuse to sample this world and its people, and then run off and delve into what has come before.

Highly recommended.

In Troubled Times: This, Too, Shall Pass

I started a blog series, “In Troubled Times” after the 2016 presidential election. Folks I trust said that things were going to get a lot worse before they got better. That’s true now, too. You can read the first installment, "Becoming Allies," here.

I came of age in the 1960s, demonstrating for civil rights and marching against the Viet Nam War. I never burned my bra, but I volunteered for Planned Parenthood in the years before Roe v Wade. I am not bragging about my activist bona fides. I was one of many, and rarely in the forefront. However, I remember all too well the feelings of both elation and futility. The energy and inspiration of being surrounded by thousands of like minds, filling the streets of San Francisco, chanting and singing. We thought that if we could sing loudly enough and joyfully enough, we could change the minds and hearts of the nation’s leaders. And then came a day when many of us realized they were not about to listen to us. The war raged on, now captured on television in our living rooms.

That feeling of powerlessness was one of the driving forces behind my debut science fiction novel, Jaydium, by the way. My heroine is initially trapped on a dusty, barely-habitable planet at the back end of nowhere, and through a series of shifts through time and parallel dimensions, she ends up on an alien planet where she has the chance to change history by stopping a war. It’s about both re-engagement and the quest for peace (and I was tickled when Tom Easton of Analog praised the latter as unusual and laudable.) Writing it reflected my personal journey from withdrawal to participation.

I vividly remember how, in the late 1960s, my father, who was born in 1907 and lived through two world wars, pogroms, the McCarthy witch hunts, and more, would talk me down from desperation. When I was in a panic about the Cold War maneuver of the moment, he never dismissed my concerns; he was just coming from a broader perspective. And he was right. We got through those years without blowing the planet up.

Now I find myself in the position of being an elder—a crone, if you will. My earliest political memories date from the mid-1950s, including the terror of HUAC, the pervasive suspicions, racism, misogyny, and antisemitism that no one questioned. When I was a bit older, the anti-communist hysteria had faded somewhat (depending on where you lived), but not the rest. And always, in the years before oral contraception, sex meant fear of pregnancy. I knew girls in high school who got sent out of the country and returned the following year or so without their babies. Later, in the late 1960s/early 1970s but still before Roe v Wade, I volunteered at Planned Parenthood. And heard many stories. Looking back, I cannot believe how ignorant I was about so many other issues.

I do not mean to brag about my life experiences or to enter into a contest of which times were worse. Each generation faces its own trials, and each generation is convinced that theirs are world-ending, worst-ever scenarios. This is one of many reasons why we need generational memory (not to mention history books!)

Short Book Reviews: Not the Beauty and the Beast You've Known

 The Language of Roses, by Heather Rose Jones (Queen of Swords)

I loved Heather Rose Jones’s “Alpennia” books, with all their derring-do, politics, and intelligent romance, so I grabbed her new book, The Language of Roses, without nary a glance at the description. It soon became clear to me that this was yet another (yawn) retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” with hints that it will be a lesbian romance. But Jones is a thoughtful author who has never followed the predictable path, so I hung in there during the set-up as the eldest daughter of a merchant who foolishly plucks a rose takes his place in the home of a terrifying Beast and his icy sister, invisible servants and all. This daughter, unlike her boy-crazy sisters, has never fallen in love (hint, hint) and regards marriage as a duty or a financial agreement, with mutual respect and friendship the best she can hope for. Even if she is a stranger to romance, she loves her family deeply and is fearless and passionate in their defense.

From the very beginning, like a twining rose vine, Jones examines the nature and varieties of love. Is it more than intense, all-consuming physical attraction, and if so, how? The story kept remining me of the different hormones involved in infatuation (dopamine and norepinephrine) versus long-lasting, committed love (oxytocin). Jones doesn’t preach or descend into lengthy exposition on the neurochemical nature of love. Instead, she takes the reader on a journey of trust, comfort, cherishing, and self-sacrifice.

As a final note, I encourage readers to not judge this book as a solely a lesbian romance. If you do, and if you think that’s not for you, you’ll miss out on something remarkable. The characters are universally appealing, as are the emotions. There are enough plot twists and unexpected details to keep the pages turning. It’s an absorbing, rewarding read.

In Troubled Times: Being Allies

I started a blog series, “In Troubled Times” after the 2016 presidential election. Folks I trust said that things were going to get a lot worse before they got better. That’s true now, too, so here’s the first in a renewed series.

Recently, I had a conversation with someone I love dearly who, like so many of us, belongs to overlapping groups that have been targeted by the current crop of hate-mongers. So many of the people and causes I support are at risk, it’s easy to feel battered by prejudice, overwhelmed, infuriated, and hopeless. But, in a moment of spontaneity, I found myself saying, “We can be good allies for one another.”

Let me break this down a bit. There is more than enough hatred to go around. There will never be a lack of worthy causes and people in need. No one of us can save everyone.

Thankfully, we are not all crazy (or desperate, or paralyzed by events) on the same day. Progress happens when we are actively pursuing it, but also when we allow ourselves to take a break, tend to our inner lives, and allow others to carry the load. The world does not rise or fall solely based on any one of us. This is why solidarity is essential. Insisting on being on the front lines all the time is an engraved invitation to exhaustion. If we look, we will always find those who, for this moment anyway, have energy and determination.

I think the secret to being a good ally is to realize that we can be that person for someone else.

This requires paying attention.

It is not helpful to do for someone what they can and should do for themselves. How then are we to discern when “helping” is arrogant interference? When is it a genuine offer and when does it result in telling the other person that they are inadequate and helpless to achieve their goal?

We ask. We listen. We give ourselves permission to appear clumsy and we forgive ourselves when we make mistakes.

Sometimes, the best thing we can ask is “How can I help?” and sometimes it is the worst, laying yet another burden on a person bowed down under them (“Oh god, I’ve got to think of something for her to do!”) Sometimes, saying, “Would you like me to help with that?” is the best, and sometimes it is the worst. Sometimes, “You are not alone” is a sanity-saver. Sometimes, it is a reminder of looming disaster. Sometimes, “I’m here and I care” is all the other person needs to hear, and sometimes it is worse than silence.

We listen. We ask. We pay attention.

The one thing we do not do is walk away. When I think of being an ally, I envision someone with whom I can be depressed, angry, volatile, and just plain wrong—and know that I will be held up by their unrelenting care for me. I can vent my frustration and they won’t abandon me. They will hear the pain and despair behind my words.

I want to be that ally for others. I want to be that safe person. I’m far from perfect at it, though. My feelings get hurt. I sop up the other person’s despair when I know better. I do my best to not walk away.

Listen. Forgive yourself. Take a break. Do what you can, when you can. Then pick yourself up and get back into the fight.

 

Up soon… “This too shall pass…”

Upcoming (Virtual) Panel Appearance!

 I'll be appearing on this panel, talking about my experiences editing anthologies over the years. My debut was the first Lace and Blade (2007) when I got to work with the great Tanith Lee.

Short Book Reviews: Ideas, Not Action

  

Trouble with Lichen, by John Wyndham (Modern Library)

British writer John Wyndham is known to the science fiction community best for his novel, and then the movie based on it, The Day of the Triffids. The publisher Modern Library isn’t exactly known for its modern (excuse the pun) science fictional sensibilities. So to judge this novel as contemporary science fiction is, I believe, a disservice to both the book and the community (and the reading community at large, as well, especially those who still reflexively look down their noses at genre fiction). Rather, it is a quintessentially British literary novel that employs a science fictional concept as a vehicle for examining societal issues, especially those relating to gender roles.

In many ways,  Trouble with Lichen violates the contemporary expectations of genre. Most of the book consists of conversations (“talking heads”) rather than action. Indeed, almost every pivotal event occurs offstage, leaving the reader with the long-drawn-out, convoluted, and often ambivalent reactions of the characters. Dramatic tension is slight compared to that in today’s science fiction novels. To this American reader, most of the characters sounded similar (similarly British); they had different points of view, but they all talked the same. (To be fair, a few of the secondary characters had strong voices, usually unpleasant ones.) And yet, I found the book neither boring nor slow-paced. Its center revolves around ideas, not action, but those ideas are provocative.

I enjoyed the slow evolution of reactions and visions of the potential of the mcguffin (an extract of lichen that slows down aging, potentially extending human lifespans to several centuries) to transform lives and greater society. My favorite point of discussion was the way a greatly enhanced life expectancy would result in accumulation of knowledge, experience, and (hopefully) wisdom. For every anticipated benefit, there would be a host of drawbacks (ever-young people refusing to retire, others stuck in meaningless jobs for a hundred years, unhappy marriages turning into eternities of hell). Wyndham himself doesn’t bash the reader of the head, telling us how we should think and feel; he allows his characters to explore nuance and unfolding realizations. The book is out of date in terms of feminist sensibilities, not to mention LGBTQ+ and environmental/population concerns, but taken for what it is and when it was written, I found it surprisingly relevant. As I said, I enjoyed it and recommend it. Just don’t expect a lot of frenetic rockets’n’rayguns action. Instead, have a cup of tea ready.

 

 

Jodi Picoult Responds to Book Banning

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. She writes mainstream fiction, but with so much passion and clarity, her work takes my breath away. She tackles complex, troubling contemporary issues with integrity and nuance. (See below for a few of my reviews of her work.)

Now a Florida high school library has pulled 20 of her books from the shelves because one parent, who admitted she had not even read Picoult's work, decided the books were "adult romance." Not an elementary school library, mind you; this is high school. And, as Picoult points out, not only does she not write "adult romance" but there is hardly a kiss in her books. ABC News reporters Gio Benitez and Kayna Whitworth interviewed her here. It's worth reading the whole interview, but here are some highlights.

BENITEZ: Why do you think your books are getting banned, especially there in Florida?

PICOULT: That is an excellent question. But unfortunately, in Martin County, Florida, and in many places in Florida, one parent can decide to pull a book from a shelf without even giving a reason for that. And the one parent who wanted to ban all 20 of my books said on her form that she had not read the book, she admitted to that. And she said that some of them were adult romance, which is really interesting because I don't write adult romance. And, in fact, half of the books she pulled do not even have a single kiss in them. But they do have topics like gun rights and women's reproductive health rights and gay rights and things that make—

BENITEZ: Because all of your books are very topical. It's like what's happening in the moment.

PICOULT: Yeah, so they're books that are to encourage kids to think for themselves. 

Here are some of my reviews. I encourage you to check out her work for yourself. Review it, talk about it, give work like this the buzz to reach everyone. 

A Spark of Light. Tackles the abortion debate and pulls no punches.  

Wish You Were Here. A heart-wrenching novel of Covid times.

Small Great Things. Racism, white privilege, and courage.

The Book of Two Ways. Ancient Egyptology, death, and choices.

Short Book Reviews: Demons Never Lie

 The Long Game, by K. J. Parker (Subterranean)

Demons never lie. They just don’t tell the entire truth, especially when it involves a plot running for thousands of years to ultimately seduce humankind so that Evil can reign on Earth.

The unnamed narrator is an Ecclesiastical Adept, rather full of himself and his abilities (including the knack for sliding through exams with the least possible amount of effort other than raw talent). He’s supposed to be carefully guarding the world against the forces of Evil in the form of demons, but actually he has—somehow, he’s not sure exactly how—formed a friendship with one of the Enemy’s minions. The demon is no match for the Adept’s powers and all too ready to exchange a few favors here and there for the right to continued residence in the mortal realms. So when a young, beautiful, mysterious woman from a land formerly thought to be mythical murders a local prior, it’s up to the Adept and his ever-helpful demon to solve the case. But nothing is as it seems when it comes to demons. They are notorious for playing the Long Game, in this case, The Very, Very, Very Long Game. They do this by telling the truth. Just not all of it.

The best thing about this short novel is the wonderful voice of the narrator, snappy and sarcastic and oh-so-unreliable when it comes to his own nature and motives. And the plot twists. And the mystery. It’s just delicious!

 

JEWELS OF DARKOVER story list!

Here's the story list for Jewels of Darkover!

Golden Eyes, by Marella Sands

Little Mouse, by Shariann Lewitt

Avarra’s Scion, by Evey Brett

Finders Keepers, by Deborah Millitello

A Cold, Bleak Day in the Hellers, by Barb Caffrey

Field Work, by Margaret L. Carter and Leslie Roy Carter

To Reach for the Stars, by Lillian Csernica

Fire Seed, by Diana L. Paxson

Nor Iron Bars A Cage, by India and Rosemary Edghill

Pebbles, by Rhondi Salsitz

Berry-thorn, Berry-thorn, by Leslie Fish

Release date May 2, 2023

Preorder: https://www.amazon.com/Jewels.../dp/B0BWCJ1DB7/ref=sr_1_1...