Language, loyalty and exploitation come under the microscope in RF Kuang’s alternate history of a magically-fuelled British Empire. In 19th century Oxford, Cantonese scholar Robin Swift is about to learn that his unwelcome differences are also his route to influence… if he’s prepared to accept the terrible costs of power.
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It’s been a busy few days, but this morning I’m grabbing a few minutes to join in the #WyrdAndWonder prompt of the day and celebrate one of my favourite subgenres: historical fantasy.
Today’s prompt in the Wyrd & Wonder Challenge is rewind – I’m doing a cheeky interpretation and seizing my chance to review my Fantasy Characters of the Year. This tag is an excuse to celebrate the characters who made the biggest impact in the past 12 months of reading.
Happy May Day – and welcome to a month of Wyrd and Wonder when an enthusiastic party of bookworms, gamers and other genre fans celebrate the fantastic. Wyrd and Wonder means tripping over blogs where we rave about our favourite fantasy books, yell about movies and shows, share the games setting our imagination alight. Sure, we enjoy fantasy all year round – but in May we do it together. So, what will I be getting up to?
Wait, where did April go? I didn’t intend to go on hiatus, but I’m not really surprised it happened – it’s been drama on several fronts, leaving me with no mental energy for blogging. That’s not likely to change in the short term, although I shall make an effort not to disappear in May as it’s Wyrd & Wonder!
May is nearly upon us and I am back to my habit of rifling through the release lists to find the most interesting books heading our way in the next month (with apologies to April, which I never managed to take a look at. I’m sure it was great). Here’s my thoughts on what you might like to make some room for…
It’s just over a week until our annual celebration of the fantasy genre begins on May 1 and your Wyrd and Wonder hosts have been brewing potions ideas to spark your imagination. If you’re looking for inspiration and/or want to join some group fun, come see what we are planning…
March saw me laser-focused on passing an accreditation at work (flying colours, take a bow) and enjoying the realisation that spring has sprung in spite of the odd snowstorm – birdsong, buds and lingering light all tell the tale of a fresh season. Will that mean a new leaf for me in terms of 2023 reading habits? Maybe. Maybe not.
Sometimes getting home isn’t the end of the adventure. Phèdre has promises to keep and souls to save. She may have faced down horror and the divine to gain the opportunity to do just that, but that doesn’t mean there are no further obstacles to overcome…
I’m getting most of my reading done via audiobooks at the moment, which is a massive change for me. Over the past year I’ve learned to absorb new reads as well as rereads and I’m long overdue some reviews, so today I’m focusing on two debut novels about women, love, and the siren song of the sea.
Phèdre comes face to face with a mystery too deep to encompass and does an awful lot of travelling this week. No really, an awful lot of travelling.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish, and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It’s all about books, lists and sharing the love we have of both with our bookish friends. With the Ides of March upon us, all eyes are on the future: what will we read this spring?
It’s week four of the Wyrd and Wonder read-along of Kushiel’s Avatar, which – ignoring the necessarily violent start – is a balm after last week, full of travel and intrigue rather than cruel horrors, along with more than its fair share of moments that made me feel I had something in my eye…
Winter may be having a last hoorah, but the time and magic wait for no-one: the aurora blazed in our skies last week, but dawn and dusk are pushing back daily against the darkness. With just two weeks to the equinox and snowdrops in full bloom, the magic of spring is on my mind, which means… it’s time to talk about Wyrd and Wonder.
Phèdre is pushed into an impossible decision this week when she learns the terrible history of the kingdom that died and lives. When it becomes clear that her obligation is not only to her loved ones but to her gods, she reluctantly agrees to place herself in the hands of its ruler. But can even Phèdre withstand his cruelty – or survive his love?
onemore.org 