Tag: book recommendations

The Magic of Fantasy

It’s been a week of furniture building and the house being upside down, including, shock horror, my writing room being out of action, and bookshelves out of reach. Among plenty of sorting and cleaning, I made progress on a latest painting project, more on that another time. And for solace, I thought of some of my favourite characters from fantasy fiction.

Any here that you recognise?

 

Rooted in the imagination, the inventive genre of fantasy knows no bounds. And soon, soon I’ll be back on Book 3 of Blood Gift Chronicles. And I’m looking forward to it, seeing how the world further expands bringing new landscapes, new people, new vivid sensory images to delight, appal, and offer up a spot of virtual travelling. We all have some favourite story places. I would gladly visit the lands of Patricia McKillip’s The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, and share a meal with Sybel in her cottage on Eld Mountain, watched by her weird and wonderful menagerie called by wizardry. Or a visit to the remote deserts of apocalyptic Sudan, in Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death, and meet with Onye, a powerful, gifted, flawed, steadfast young woman. I can still hear the sound of her singing voice communing with the desert.

George R.R. Martin said, ‘We read fantasy to find the colours again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the songs sirens sang.’

Yes to all of the above, and to learn, reflect, challenge, escape, have fun, and flex that all important muscle – the imagination. Fantasy shines a new light, and creates a different edge. It redefines boundaries and allows for reclamation of landscapes. It offers up worlds filled with adventure, to inspire, offer hope, and teach us that anything really is possible. It shines a light on our identities, letting us know we are valid and valued, despite our strengths and flaws. It emboldens us to demonstrate we can tackle our demons, fight for our cause, and realise a state of peace and empowerment. And so much more.

So there is no shortage of inspiration, in a genre that can extend to the reach of your imagination. I look back fondly on scenes from the first two books in Blood Gift Chronicles: some of the stark environments thrust on Suni in Return of the Mantra, where she discovers what she is made of, contrasted with a mountaintop view where her view of the world will be forever changed. And in The Warder, as the dominoes fall, squeezing characters and revealing timeless bonds, the world extends into new lands where old and new, the mundane and the fantastical, coexist. If I close my eyes I’m transported to the islands and the musty air in the cavernous temple, with the sound of footsteps crossing the mosaic-tiled floor; in contrast to the warm desert winds of Shendi, carrying spells and curses that touch all those with the gift to hear…

Finally, I’m happy to report I’m back in my writing room, ready to explore new worlds.

Have a great weekend!

 

For the Love of Books #14

In this book post I thought I would give a nod to our younger characters, in two wonderful YA books that, like all books of this genre, are for readers of all ages. The first of my recommendations is inspired by the fact that it is LGBTQ+ history month.

The Magic Fish, by Trung Le Nguyen

The Magic Fish is a wonderfully unique story that carries powerful messages about identity, acceptance and love. It’s a long time since I read a graphic story, and this re-introduction was a great reminder of the power of graphics. The animations are beautifully descriptive and require few words to illustrate what is a complex journey for our main character, Tien. From the outset, it may appear like a small story, but this is the story of a boy living in social margins, an immigrant story among others things, and one that offers astonishing depth.

Tien has a story to tell his parents, but communication is difficult: they are refugees struggling to learn English, while Tien doesn’t know the words in Vietnamese to come out to them as gay. The answer lies in fairy tales – a language that Tien and his parents share. With the help of fairy tales, family and friends, Tien discovers how to tell his story to those close to him, how to accept himself and ultimately navigate the world. It is a novel told with interlinking storylines weaving between reality and fairy tales, so sweet and poignant and with an ending that is utterly heart-warming.

The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman, By Robin Gregory

Born in 1892, a baby boy is found tucked inside a wooden fishing basket by the nuns of San Miguel de las Gaviotas. So begins Moojie Littleman’s journey of fantasy, magical realism, and miracles that are as real as the visiting extraterrestrials.

“He arrived on the heels of an earthquake. A minor hiccup as disasters go, the murmur rippling undersea, causing dories in the bay to bob and spider crabs to flood the beach like a ghostly pink tide.”

Moojie ends up in the care of his hard-hearted grandpappy. It’s an unsympathetic home for a biracial and partially-disabled boy with unique and tender magical gifts, and an innate empathy for humans, animals and nature. Until he answers the call of the wild, and discovers kindred spirits. So begins a series of trials as Moojie is called to a great destiny. But can he survive one last terrifying trial?

It is a magical tale of love, belonging, and pilgrimage, unique and inspiring and creatively told, with prose that comes alive on the page, lyrical and enchanting. It is a story that oozes with optimism, speaks of possibilities, and has you believing that miracles really do exist.

What are you reading?