News from Eastercon 2026

At the end of a fabulously inspiring, thought-provoking, story-telling, bookish weekend in Birmingham for Iridesence 2026, Eastercon’s 77th exploration of all things SFF. Conversations were varied, and some were particularly impactful, including the idea of story-telling as a form of activism. In a world where imagination and hope are not separate, stories have the potential to inspire the work to create change, after all, if stories can reflect the world, in turn the world can reflect stories. These thought provoking conversations were well-demonstrated by examples such as We Will Rise Again, a new anthology by Karen Lord, which is now high on my to read list. As part of this conversation, it’s also relevant to consider the role of stories in helping to endure challenging times, to offer sanctuary and aid resilience in a changing world.

While imaginative tales take flight, they can also be grounding. Folklore was born from a desire to explain the unexplainable, bringing gods and tricksters to narratives to rationalise a complex world: folktales, myths and legends that bind people together to make sense of outside dangers, as well as to stay connected and rooted in cultural heritage, a form of resistance to powers that might seek to do harm to culture. Folklore as resistance preserves cultural identity, a form of activism in and of itself. For those of us who invent myth and legend in created worlds, we recognise the essential nature of its presence in fully realising the complexities of a new world. In writing Blood Gift Chronicles, creating folklore was a highlight for me, feeding into the rich tapestry of colour to create organically grown tales. Back to the conversation and folklore discussions inspired a purchase of two more editions to The Green Man series by Juliet McKenna.

A topic I particulary enjoyed as a panelist was on the subject of libraries, an expansive topic which ventured into the library greats of SFF, as well as the plight of real-world libraries, the challenges being faced, how those challenges are being met, and mostly just how fabulous and entirely necessary libraries are. For any questioning the significance of libraries, we might consider a world without them. It’s a concept explored in Ursula Le Guin’s novel, Voices, the second part in the Annuls of the Western Shore series. The story is set in a city once known for beautiful libraries, universities, canals and bridges, before the city was invaded and the occupation began. Now the place is desolate, driven by hunger and fear, with the colours of cultural fabric lost, or so we assume. But a mysterious library was kept hidden and safe, a place watched over by the WayLord. The library is discovered by the main character, a girl called Memer. The Waylord teaches Memer how to read, and as she devours whispering books that line tall towering shelves, unravelling the truth of her cultural identity from the safe sanctuary of the library, we see the importance of these spaces, and the power of the written word.

The power of the written word, and the importance of historical documenting, is a theme in The Warder, Blood Gift Chronicles Book 2. A number of historical volumes are missing in the Chamber of Scrolls, which begs the question, why, what history is being erased. It’s a relevant theme of the times today, the reclamations of history from marginalised people, as well as the current conversations about censorship. These themes were the inspiration behind the storyline in my novel, with the disappearing of historical records, what that means, and how it impacts the cultural fabric as well as individual lives.

And so I come full circle, with story-telling as a form of activism, folklore and storytelling the fabric of cultural heritage, and the magic of libraries housing the magic of stories, all this and more celebrated in a fabulously inspiring story-filled space.

And the last word goes to the Canada Geese currently resident on the lake nestled central to the built up space of the NEC and surrounds. I was grateful for this blooming burst of wildlife in amongst the built up business, delighted by the company of waddling geese as I caught a breath of fresh air alongside the water’s edge. It’s why I layer wildlife into my stories, because it matters, because this home is their home, and because it makes us all feel better.

 

Wishing everyone a great week ahead.

For the Love of Film #1

It is always a good time to watch Studio Ghibli movies, but there was another reason for selecting a rewatch of The Boy and the Heron. Next week is Eastercon 2026, and I’m looking forward to a weekend convention of all things SFF. In particular I’ll be leading a creative writing workshop on all things superpowers, and I’ll be taking part in a panel discussing libraries in the genres. I adore libraries, and there are many fictional greats to choose from, including the magical space in The Boy and the Heron…

Film Review

THE BOY AND THE HERON (2023)

Written by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli

Review by Susie Williamson

The Boy and the Heron is an animated fantasy story that begins during the Pacific War. The protagonist is a boy called Mahito, and his journey begins when his mother is killed in the war, and he is forced to leave his home in Tokyo with his father, Shoichi. Shoichi subsequently marries his  late wife’s sister, Natsuko, who is pregnant and plans to be Mahito’s new mother. They move to Natsuko’s rural estate, where Mahito encounters a peculiar heron.

The homestead is a beautifully drawn world, with lush countryside and lakeside gardens framing a world where Mahito quietly navigates the grief of losing his mother, and the nightmares of the war and fire that took her. He is noticed by a heron, who in turn catches Mahito’s eye, an interaction that results in the heron leading Mahito to a sealed tower with a curious backstory. The tower was the last known location of Natsuko’s granduncle, who was an architect, said to have gone mad from too much reading. He built the tower after an extraordinary event when something appeared down from out of the sky, landing as a curious structure. The granduncle was obsessed, and built a tower around the structure, later sealing it during the great flood. After the granduncle’s demise, a maze of tunnels was discovered beneath the tower, and old wives tales tell of the tower being a gateway from which people are spirited away.

Mahito struggles to fit in at school, and following a fight, has time at home sick. His frightening nightmares and visions intensify, and his encounters with the heron become more bizarre. The heron is speaking with him, claiming that his mother is not dead, and that he can lead Mahito to his mother. It appears like a cruel promise, or a figment of imagination from an over-active mind, although on one occasion the encounter is coupled with a swarm of toads smothering Mahito. Natsuko saves Mahito, firing a whistling arrow that gets rid of the swarm. But the heron continues to be persistant in his visits to Mahito. Inspired by Natsuko, Mahito sets to work crafting his own bow and arrow, decorating it with a heron’s feather. Mahito soon discovers that the bow and arrow appears to have power beyond the strength of his bow arm.

Following an episode where Natsuko takes ill, apparently with acute morning sickness, Mahito sees her disappear into the woods. He heads out in search of her, along with an elderly maid, Kiriko, who tells him that it is in his bloodline to hear the heron speak. They arrive at the sealed tower, where Mahito beckons the heron to show itself and release Natsuko. Mahito leads the way into the tower, accompanied by the old maid against her better judgement, and the door seals behind them. The heron is there to guide them, leading them deep into the tower, tricking Mahito with a false sighting of his mother and eventually revealing its bizarre true nature, showing its inner birdman. The birdman is to guide them and Mahito, Kiriko, and the heron all sink into the floor.

Mahito arrives into an oceanic world. It is a place of flocking pelicans with malintent, of phantoms and curious cute spirits called Warawara. An adept fisherwoman becomes his guide and ally to protect him in this curious and potentially dangerous world, as he learns about the colour and magic, including Warawara bubble spirits that rise to be reborn in the other world. The characterisation and inner landscape of Mahito is beautifully drawn, as he navigates grief, and ventures into the unknown with courage and an open mind. He grows to be a plucky young hero with the capacity to see beyond his own problems and opinions to consider and empathise with different perspectives, including discovering compassion for Warawara gobbling pelicans who have no other food source. The range of characters bring an intriguing array of insight with which to consider Mahito’s plight, to discover the truth about his mother, and to rescue Natsuko. But in this ever-changing, inventive world, everything is never quite what it seems.

The colour of the story is extraordinary, a place where birds can be human, monster, or cute parakeets, a place where life and death co-exist, where temples straddle worlds, and minerals react as though with emotion. It is a feast for the imagination, reminiscent of the curiosities of Alice in Wonderland, while journeying through the complexities of a big and challenging emotional landscape for the young protagonist. And there is malevolence too, as the story does not shy away from the possibility of taking the wrong turn, becoming forever lost, losing our way and reaping the consequences. Since Mashiko has already lost his mother, he understands about permanence, able to recognise the magnitude of the decisions at hand. Themes of parallel worlds and magic portals grow, with hidden doorways and secret tunnels bringing increasing complexity to the labyrinth world. I also loved the time slip theme, brought by Himi, a young woman who is a plucky pyrokinetic intent on protecting the Warawara from pelican raids. She also saves Mahito and shows him many more doors in the tower that lead to other worlds, eventually exposing her own true identity and her significance to Mahito. Mashiko is left with a difficult choice to make: stay and carry the granduncle’s baton, to continue and hold sanctity for a world of bounty, peace and beauty, a world free from malice; or return to his world. It is a decision that involves Mahito making a fearless inventory of himself, revealing the personal growth he has made to becoming a young man who can recognise his own humanity and flaws, one not driven by ego but rather humility, with an ability of knowing when to let go, and what to serve in order to continue growing and becoming the best version of self to help others.

The Boy and the Heron is a testament to the strengths of the YA genre, the ability to pack a big story into a modest-sized space without compromising depth, the fast-paced colour, and the clarity offered to relevant and relatable challenges and ethics. The messages are layered, the backdrop is glorious, and the characterisation takes us to the edge of invention. Magical.

The Magic of Writing

I am caught in the magic of creating, and the wheels are turning. Among the day-to-day, and the necessary considerations of balance, projects are moving forward, points of fruition are on the horizon, and I am enraptured by the process. One such project is the third instalment of my fantasy project Blood Gift Chronicles, COMING SOON. I took the necessary time, allowed the ideas to percolate, the characters to mature, and now the end is in sight. I am excited. And I am excited to reveal more surprises that I’ve been working on for the series. Soon.

Working in fantasy, magic is a running theme. Where some consider magic to be associated with powers that do not occur in the natural world, in my work I look for the magic to feel like extensions of the natural world. It maintains an organic feel, drawing on ethereal spaces, dreams and the spirit world, and the power of words. It is also a world I created, and so the rules of what I consider to be natural are something I can play with: the magic can be big, and explosive, shape-shifting and extraordinary, while not losing touch with the quiet natural order that the characters are steadfastly working to return to. Because nature itself is magic, a place from which to be inspired, and a place to return to.

There is magic that is passed down in bloodlines, magic that is performed as ritual, both in groups and individually, magic used to change form, to communicate, to forge connection through the ages. There is magic that is enabled through powerful amulets, and magic that is driven through belief and emotion. I think fondly of the character Suni in Return of the Mantra, facing tragedy, being cast out alone into a dangerous world, feeling the weight of responsibility as she must feel her way against the odds, to survive, and to realise and accept that she is gifted. She is a dreamwalker, a gift that remains and establishes itself through the series, fostering connection with those she loves and in particular with a young friend who she watches over.

To better explain, I’ll hand you over to Suni. The following is an extract from The Warder, when we first meet Suni again, ten years later from when we left her at the end of Return of the Mantra. Enjoy…

THE WARDER

Chapter Ten – EXTRACT

MY MOTHER HAD BEEN A dreamwalker, a gift passed from mother to daughter. We were separated for years before she died, but she had always been able to reach me in my dreams. It was only after she died, ten years ago, that I realised the gift had found its way to me.

I see the mists of Serafay at the edge of my dreams, mists only the dead or a dreamwalker can know. How to navigate the mists is still a mystery even to me; it just is. Sometimes I think the destination lies rooted in desire. My mother had missed me, worried for me, a longing that had led her to me. My own nightly ventures took me to the dreams of my young friend, Wanda; a gifted boy I had known since he was an infant. Ours was a bond formed during an extraordinary journey we had once shared.

Much had changed since then, and the distance between us meant I couldn’t visit often. A boy gifted to speak the tongues of animals, he lived among wildlife in the valley beyond the mountains, while I had returned to my coastal hometown. I thought of him often, worried about him. I was aware that his relationship with Ntombi, my old friend, was not as it should be. I was thankful for my gift, reassured by my visits into his dreams.

ONE NIGHT I CLOSED MY eyes and drifted from the waking world, descending into sleep. Random colours and images of everyday life came and went, but I drifted on through until the colours drained to grey, and I was standing before the wall of mist. I stepped in, abandoning caution, and surrendered to my gift.

In the thick grey haze, the air was still and cool. I walked blind, deeper into the mist where ghosts crossed my path. They appeared oblivious to me, sometimes walking straight through me, leaving the cold of their presence lingering on my skin. Whilst my mother was at peace, ghosts aimlessly wandering Serafay had mournful, despairing eyes.

I felt a change in the air; a slight breeze brushed against my hand. I held out my hands, finding the direction, and turned to walk into the breeze. It was always the same, the mist showing me the way. The breeze grew stronger the further I went into the tunnel of moving air that was hidden from the dead. Among the swirling tones of grey, a window of colour appeared up ahead. I walked towards it, unsure of where it would lead. The only certainty was the dreamer; it was always Wanda I came to when I walked out of Serafay.

I stepped out of Serafay to find myself in Juna’s cave. Wanda was there, his back to me, sitting with legs dangling over the overhanging shelf, head cocked as he looked out over the grasslands. I stepped around the burnt-out fire and went to him. The sun was shining down as I stood next to him on the ledge, but the cold of Serafay lingered.

I crouched down and looked at his face. He never saw or heard me in the dream world. Sometimes I’d see him appear unresponsive to anything as he gazed intensely into space. This time was different; only the whites of his eyes were showing. I put a hand on his arm, reassured by the warmth of his body that felt like a shock against the cold of mine, and looked out across the landscape. Where are you? Startled by a shrill call overhead, I glimpsed a circling hawk, before Serafay came to claim me.

For the Love of Books #37

With 2026 underway, January is the perfect time to look ahead and make plans. I’m excited for the coming year, for new work that is due to come to fruition, and for opportunities to create, share, and discuss. With events on the horizon, the calendar is looking healthy.

My to-read list is looking healthy too, and I look forward to sharing titles, some of which I’ve been itching to get to for some time now, while others landed more by accident. Oftentimes we stick with authors we know, but it’s always exciting to branch out and discover someone new.  And if you’re looking for inspiration, here are two fantasy reads from authors I would highly recommend.

The Green Man’s Heir

By Juliet McKenna

Daniel Mackmain is a man with a secret. He keeps to himself, a lone traveller moving from place to place, picking up work as he goes. But when a girl is murdered, the Derbyshire police take a closer look at this wandering man, and Dan realises that the murder involves the hidden world he was born into. And so begins a contemporary fantasy rooted in ancient myths and British folklore.

The main character’s perspective appealed to me from the start. I appreciated his deep connection with trees and woodland, places he seeks for respite and times of peace while whiling away the hours, carving; an artistic pastime tightly ingrained with identity and heritage. And I appreciated his contemporary voice and straight-forward approach to life, blending easily with the feel of ancient wildwood in his bones, since he is the son of a dryad.  Following Dan’s encounter with the police, where he was fortunately able to give an alibi, a dryad appears to him. It is only the second time he has seen a dryad, the first was upon seeing his dryad mother. These unexpected sightings provide charming reference to folklore, trees and nature, and intrigue that kept me wanting to know more.

I adored the main character’s backdrop, with a childhood whereby he could see what other children could not – scavenging boggarts, and rainbow-winged sprites. The blend of fantasy/folklore/murder mystery definitely worked for me, supported by a main character with a well-defined voice and strong persona able to lead the way as we delve deeper. It brings a whole new meaning to the idea that you can’t run from yourself, or change yourself; you are you, no matter how far you go or how hard you try to hide.

I loved the growing significance of the dryad, Tila, who presents in this world out of a desire to be on her own. Dan wants to talk to her, to get to know her, to discover more about his heritage. It’s also possible she saw the murder, and Dan is keen to gather any information she might have. But dryad’s are a race who live in the present, looking as far as the next season, and care nothing for the past. The intrigue of this ethereal character, combined with our growing understanding of the complex backdrop of the murdered girl, made for an intriguing plot, amid magic, adventure, and the well-carved voice of a main character whose feet remained rooted in the mundane, while his sights were ever drawn to mysterious other realms.

A magical read.

Sorrowland

By Rivers Solomon

Vern had always been ravenous, a hunger that forced her to flee the compound of Cainites in want of something, though she knew she’d never find it. Broken free with an uncanny strength, she retreats to the woods for sanctuary from the deeply religious grip of the compound, Blessed Acres where she was raised, and where her husband, Sherman, is sermon: a marriage designed to contain her. Her child is born free, against a backdrop of howling wolves. Her son is a hungry creature much like herself, who she names, Howling. Soon after, following a suspicious encounter with chasing wolves, his twin, Feral, is born. Vern decided, if the boys asked about their father, she would tell them their father was Lucy, her childhood friend who left the compound before her, a friend she never forgot, who could have been her mate.

The characters are intricately woven, offering haunting depth that left me intrigued to know more of their inner landscapes. I adored Vern’s wild nature, opting for freedom no matter what, birthing alone in the woods, fearless in her endeavours to raise her sons. Her viewpoint also offers fascinating insight into intersex identities and gender politics, as well as broader power dynamics, inclusive of racism and marginalisation featuring as compelling themes.  And from a retrospective lookback at childhood observations, insidious corruption is revealed, from the compound she fled for the wild outside, and inside. Vern’s body is changing, gradual, mesmerising, metamorphosis, that also indicates that she is ready to confront the past and fight for survival, for herself and her family’s.

Compelling narrative delivers a haunting story, journeying through a complex world of motherhood, love, betrayal and lies, and an inner power that refuses to lie dormant. Fearing she is ill, Vern is forced to leave the harsh woodland sanctuary, in a desperate hope she might a friend she never forgot. But the hauntings are real, and the truth is closer than she first imagined. A wonderfully powerful read.

What are you reading?

Happy New Year 2026!

As 2025 draws to a close, cold winter months provide the perfect setting for those moments of reflection. It’s crisp and cold out there, but look closer and you will find nature’s treasures, offering a sturdy base for sure footing.

And so I’m listening to the Japanese paper bush with its bare branches and snow white winter blooms; and the climbing jasmine, flowering its yellow stars; to the growing hebes, sporting purples and silvers all year round; and the star magnolia tipped with soft furry buds; to the sleeping hydrangeas and cherry blossom, restful and brown; and the honeysuckle giant, splaying and pluming with bulging red berries, welcoming birds far and wide; to the hellebores, tipped with white bells that might just faintly chime; and the visiting birds, filling their bellies and gathering for nests; while the hedgehog sleeps sound.

And by the water, time to reflect, at riversides and seasides where flocking geese arrive for warmer climes.

As a writer, I journey alongside a number of creative pathways, including the unfolding world of Blood Gift Chronicles. It has been a year of creative output, of journeying, of sharing, and there are some wonderful highlights. I’m hugely grateful for all those I’ve met along the way; fellow writers, readers, and those who create space and platforms to share and be inspired.

From Belfast to Brighton, conventions continue to be busy, bustling, happily tiring, inspiring places to network, discuss, meet and share. Every time someone new is inspired to pick up my books is a gift, and in the pages I hope they discover the gift there for the taking. We write to reflect, to find words for the pathways, to shine a light on the injustices, to problem solve the solutions, to have fun, to create worlds, to entertain, to inspire, to support, to empower, to bring colour, so much colour.

And as writers, in turn we are inspired by the stories of others. Visiting Belfast and the wider surrounds of Northern Ireland is storybook country in itself, with Game of Thrones now embedded into the fabric, a hugely inspiring ground from which to navigate the SFF worlds on offer at this year’s convention. Not forgetting the real life history of a complex place, as well as the story of the Titanic, a bold statement on Belfast’s waterfront.

Brighton too was a special trip, not least for the storms battering the sea front, which added atmosphere to a swelling community of SFF lovers, including wise words from Joanne Harris: ‘Fantasy is the secret language of the sub-conscious.’

Locally, South Hams Lit Festival was wonderful to be a part of, as well as Return of the Mantra featured on Plymouth’s Ferndale Radio show as book club read of the month. Huge thanks to Mimi, the radio host, for welcoming me into the studio to discuss the breadth of inspiration behind the novel, and for sharing readers’ reviews as well as her own thoughts. Of course I have what inspired the writing, the places, the worlds, the characters, but it’s always fascinating to hear what the stories mean to readers, what visions it conjures up in their minds. For Mimi the visions were reminiscent of places she has known from her mixed cultural heritage, which she shared in generous depth. I aim to be a visual writer, and hearing her enthusiasm for all the story had conjured for her, felt to be an honour and a privilege. Now I’m looking forward to returning to the studio in the New Year, when The Warder will feature as book club of the month.

Throughout the year I have shared many titles I have enjoyed reading. Meanwhile my to-read pile grows. Here are just a few titles waiting patiently on the shelf.

And Book 3 of Blood Gift Chronicles draws near, with an extra special surprise in store too, so stay tuned.

This is my journey as one year closes and another year opens, and I’m filled with gentle optimism, inspiration, and colour.

Wishing you a gift-filled, peaceful and joyous New Year.

Happy New Year 2026!

Susie’s SFF Book Advent 2025

Wishing everyone all the very best for a festive season filled with joy and wonder, and books. And for those looking for some inspiration, here’s a few of my favourite reads for the SFF Book Advent 2025, in no particular order…

Day 24 of Book Advent – Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. Zelu’s mother was a Yoruba princess, her father is Igbo with a PhD. She is paraplegic, flawed, sassy, hard-working, and an author, writing robots into a complex world of death, circuits, energy and what it means to be human.

Day 23 of Book Advent – Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. A 17th century woman accused of witchcraft in the days of puritanical colonies, changed, eyes and mouth sewn shut, haunts the town of Black Spring. The townsfolk’s responses are fascinating and chilling. Brilliant and horrifying read.

Day 22 of Book Advent – Nine Bar Blues by Sheree Renee Thomas. Golden mermaids, curse-bound sisterhoods, poisoned landscapes and an otherworldly earth. Evocative, inventive and contemporary tales that haunt, uplift and ascend, while moving with the rhythm of cultural change.

Day 21 of Book Advent – Binding the Cuckoo by Gabriela Houston. In high society London, Hare must keep her mythic status secret, in this historical romantasy where fae and human collide and Eastern European folklore is brought to life. A vivid and magical tale beautifully told.

Day 20 of Book Advent – Lord of Snow and Shadows by Sarah Ash. In the wintry kingdom of Azhkendir, Gavril must face his true identity, and uncover the truth of the shadow. With a vivid & fearless supporting cast, this fantasy is a masterclass. A wonderful winter read.

Day 19 of Book Advent – Learning Monkey and Crocodile by Nick Wood. Collection of shorts with immersive African landscapes, vivid imagery, and a rich tapestry of imagination, folklore, dread and desire. A clear and inventive lens, astute, innovative and unique.

Day 18 of Book Advent – Book of Fire by Michelle Kenney. Talia and her friends navigate the ultimate rescue mission in a cataclysmic world. Feral people, hidden forests and a holy war. Lifedome is a landmark, monsters can be heroes, and fantasy, science and mythology form a perfect blend.

Day 17 of Book Advent – The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg. Weaves woven from wind to signify change, invisible threads woven into whispered weaves, a search for the weave of death, and a Nameless Man searching for his name amid his journey of transformation.

Day 16 of Book Advent – The Iron Brooch by Yvonne Hendrie. 1940s London, Brigid receives a mysterious heirloom as her something old on her wedding day. Strange callings bring visions of Scotland’s Doon Hill, time slips, the veil grows thin to mysterious fae, & Scotland awaits.

Day 15 of Book Advent – Children of Blood & Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. The soil of Orisha once hummed with magic, but the maji were killed. Now danger lurks, snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters, as Zelie & her companions head a quest to see magic restored.

Day 14 of Book Advent – Threading the Labyrinth by Tiffani Angus. American Arts dealer, Toni, uncovers her inheritance in a haunted Manor House, where mysterious gardens change in twilight, revealing ghosts from the past. A rich, immersive & haunting read.

Day 13 of Book Advent – The Green Man’s Heir by Juliet McKenna. Contemporary fantasy rooted in ancient myth & British folklore. The son of a dryad seeks to understand his heritage while his sights are drawn to mysterious other realms. Meanwhile, there is a murder case to solve.

Day 12 of Book Advent – A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan. Lady Isabella Trent defies Victorian conventions with her love of books, natural history & dragons. From childhood obsession collecting sparklings, to a dragon-finding expedition to the mountains of Vystrana.

Day 11 of Book Advent – Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. 1950s Mexico: a remote mansion, an eccentric macabre family set a menacing scene of wealth, fading empire, & family secrets of violence and madness. Noemi fights to stand her ground, but the family’s indomitable will is strong.

Day 10 of Book Advent – At Night White Bracken by Gareth Wood. Realities collide, dread & merriment entwine, in a world of malevolent, sinister magic. Cosmic horror blending magic with pallid reality. A horrifying, brilliantly inventive, thought-provoking tale beautifully told.

Day 9 of Book Advent – An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon. An extraordinary MC, flawed, self-effacing, courageous, fierce and with a huge heart. On board a space ship organised like the Antebellum south, Aster works to sow the seeds of civil war. Deeply memorable.

Day 8 of Book Advent – Songspinners by Sarah Ash. Architects of an ancient Undercity lost to myth; a world of mystical reservoirs, musical telepathy, faeries & dragonfly, where music is forbidden, yet flows like water from Orial. Intricately woven, evocative and beautiful.

Day 7 of Book Advent – Octavia E. Butler, The Last Interview. I savoured every word. ‘Feminism is freedom. It’s the freedom to be who you are and not who someone else wants you to be. And science fiction? Science fiction is wide open. You can go anywhere your imagination can go.’

Day 6 of Book Advent – The Second Bell by Gabriela Houston, one of my all-time fave reads. Salka was born a striga, a girl with two hearts. In a world that believes her to be a monster, she is considered a demon, abandoned into exile. But Salka is drawn to her true nature.

Day 5 of Book Advent – Danged Black Thing by Eugen Bacon, a unique & inventive collection of shorts traversing the west & Africa, bringing tales of migration, gender & class, patriarchy & womanhood, pushing boundaries of creativity & science, revenge, aliens, ancestors & beasts.

Day 4 of Book Advent – A Master of Djinn by P.Djeli Clark, with a secret brotherhood, a Soudanese mystic, an assassin with powerful magic, sorcery conjured in hookah smoke, gold masks, ghouls & elemental djinn, this is a mystical tale of identity, exploitation, oppression & magic.

Day 3 of Book Advent – Fire Logic by Laurie Marks, epic war fantasy with guerrilla warfare among the farmsteads and iron workers, with a wonderfully diverse cast reflecting the equality they are fighting for, and elemental magic and touches of fantasy bringing colour to life.

Day 2 of Book Advent – The Subjugate by Amanda Bridgeman; in a watchful world humanity is complemented by AI, cities are ruled by security companies, murder is commonplace & violent criminals face extreme ‘treatments’. An intriguing future dystopia tackling big questions.

Day 1 of Book Advent – Dark Matter by Michelle Paver, deliciously creepy & atmospheric, with Jack Miller on an arctic mission where a malevolent spirit walks the icy wilderness. Lethal accidents, marauding bears, science, madness & terror. Lingering dread and fabulously haunting.

Happy Reading

&

Wishing you a wonderful and magical, book-filled Xmas.

💫