Aspects

November 1, 2021

In Flint and Mirror, with the Irish battling English encroachment, Hugh O'Neil, Lord of the North, is torn between England's Elizabeth the Great, who signals her devotion to him with an obsidian mirror, and the flint-bearing ancient Irish arising from the underworld to make him the country's savior; from Crowley, winner of the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement (75,000-copy first printing). In Davenport's debut, a young Black woman faces both racism and misogyny when she commits herself to the Praetorian Trials--better called The Blood Trials, as only a quarter of the participants survive--to find out who assassinated her grandfather and seek revenge (75,000-copy first printing). Award-winning author Ford was working on Aspects at his untimely death in 2006, and the novel--set in an alternate 18th century and blending swords and machine guns, magic fantasy and politics--has finally achieved publication (60,000-copy first printing). With Spear, Nebula and Lambda award-winning Griffith offers a queer retelling of the Arthurian legend, with a girl raised in a cave following her destiny to the court of King Artos of Caer Leon (100,000-copy first printing). In Kenyon's Shadow Fallen, set during the Norman Conquest, an invading knight--actually son of one of the universe's more deadly powers--realizes that a noblewoman he encounters is an immortal transformed by sorcery into a flesh-and-blood human, and he must restore her to her rightful place or tragedy awaits (250,000-copy first printing). In the Hugo and Nebula award-winning Kingfisher's Nettle and Bone, reticent Marra is fed up with the way her kingdom's prince mistreats her sisters and seeks the help of a gravewitch so that she can get rid of him for good. Reimagining J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, Martinez's God of Neverland features the adult Michael Darling on a rescue mission to his erstwhile home, where magic is threatened and Peter Pan (whose real name is Maponos) has gone missing (75,000-copy first printing). Star-dusted singer, songwriter, and actor, Mon�e puts to page the Afrofuturistic world evident in her celebrated album Dirty Computer in The Memory Librarian, exploring how race, gender identity, and love fare in a totalitarian environment as Jane 57821 decides that she does not want to lead the life intended for her (200,000-copy first printing). From Power, the New York Times best-selling author of Wilder Girls, In a Garden of Burning Gold features twins Rhea and Lexos, who must contend with activists challenging their irascible father's governance of their small, ever-teetering country. Having won Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards, Roanhorse follows up her award-finalist epic Black Sun with the sequel Fevered Star, set in the Meridien, where magic is controlled, the gods smashed down, and sea captain Xiala caught up in the ensuing chaos (75,000-copy first printing). Ward returns with Love Arisen, next in the "Black Dagger Brotherhood" series, stark, shadowy, and erotic but no details yet (125,000-copy first printing).

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Starred review from February 7, 2022
Fans and sci-fi devotees unfamiliar with Ford (1957–2006) alike will celebrate the publication of his final epic fantasy, unfinished at the time of his death but nevertheless a showcase for the lambent prose and imaginative worldbuilding that put him on par with much-better-known authors. The plot starts with a bang, before easing into the political conflicts driving the well-crafted characters: the reader is thrown into a duel in the capital of the Lescoray Republic, between politician Coron Varic and cavalry officer Chase. The physical combat serves as prologue to much more subtle conflict in the halls of parliament. There, following prosaic motions “to demolish historical structures,” Varic and his colleagues take up debate over subjecting sorcerers to damages, like any other provider of bargained-for services, if, for example, a spell to cause rain ends up drowning livestock or washing away crops. That sets up a clash between practitioners of magic and legislators, leading into a clever story line packed with action and intrigue. Neil Gaiman’s moving introduction remembering his friend and his oeuvre is an added treat. George R.R. Martin and Avram Davidson fans should rush to catch up on this gifted writer’s works.

February 15, 2022
Steampunk and magic combine in Aspects, Ford's final book, delivered incomplete to his editor before his passing. The story follows Coron Varic and Lady Longlight's relationship, beginning with a chance meeting at the Parliament House shortly before Longlight's petition regarding bandits is defeated again. Coerced by Brook, the chief parliamentarian, they find themselves at an embassy ball, then go their separate ways for the holiday, until Longlight's missed train results in an invitation to the appropriately named Strange House. The celebration at the house delves into the magic and lore of the land, including a masked play where the players must discover which traditional story they are participating in as it unfolds. As the celebration ends, Varic sends a friend with Longlight to evaluate her bandit problem while he returns to the City, drawn by Brook's sudden and potentially terminal illness. As they both address issues in their respective locations, the manuscript abruptly ends, leaving the rest to the reader's imagination with some hints in a series of sonnets that explores this brilliant setting.

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