Dear friend—
Happy fall! I hope September is bringing you milder weather. The summer in my neck of the woods was surprisingly gentle—lots of 70-degree days—which made reading the apocalyptic forecasts and headlines from around the country and globe a little surreal. I hope everyone is staying cool, dry, safe.
This summer, my reading habits have turned back to fantasy, which I’d turned further away from as my taste shifted in new directions (notably, thought-provoking and occasionally existential-dread-inducing nonfiction, as the installments in this newsletter would suggest).
I am increasingly realizing that my interests and passions and energy levels move back and forth like a pendulum. Stay too long in one domain, and I will inevitably tire myself and lurch headlong toward another.
So! I just wanted to take a few moments to shout-out some of my favorite reads from the season. These are the first four, with the next four to come next week.
1. tread of angels, by rebecca roanhorse
Novellas will make multiple appearances on this list. It’s a form I didn’t read much at all prior to this summer, but now they have me in their grip.
Tread of Angels instantly hooked me with its beautiful, tight prose—there are no wasted sentences, and each one glimmers. And the world—the world! I am a sucker for anything religiously tinged, and Tread of Angels draws a lot on Christian theology—angels, demons, etc.—and plops it all into a Wild West-esque mining town. And then Roanhorse adds a layer of social commentary on class/caste; how caste stratifies the possibilities of your life.
I just want to drop the opening lines of this book here, because they are gorgeous and set up exactly the vibe for the whole thing:
It was the devil’s hour on Aventum Angelorum, Goetia’s own high holy day, and there was a black wind blowing off Tabor’s mine. It slithered down the mountain past the places where the old gods of the continent had once held sway. It rolled through the mining town below, called Goetia, snatching hats off heads and shivering shoulders. It wormed its way through the holiday merrymakers on Perdition Street, whispering memories of heavenly war, of bright Lucifer’s doomed defiance, and the sweet aftertaste of rebellion cloyed noses and mouths, making those who breathed it in discontent and covetous.
AAAHH!!
I think this book leans more character-driven than plot-driven, as we see the the protagonist grapple with the consequences of her relationship to her sister. She’s willing to do anything for her, to a fault. Watching that unravel was really gripping, though the ending might not satisfy everyone.
Also, I’m fascinated by a villain who isn’t evil per se, but fits very comfortably amid the evils of the system in which they reside. With the antagonist of Tread of Angels, there’s not much malice; simply a willingness to take advantage of a rigged game, no matter who it screws over.
I think that’s a way more interesting set up for a villain than straight hatred. It also speaks more to the real-life evils in the world. Playing to win in a morally corrupt, prejudiced system can be just as destructive as outright hostility or ill will.
2. silver in the wood, by emily tesh
Y’all know I am a sucker for a good fairy tale. Silver in the Wood is another novella (as is its excellent sequel, Drowned Country) that reminds me of another book I loved, The Memory Theater, by Karin Tidbeck. The vibe isn’t as close to “fever dream” as The Memory Theater—Tesh’s book leans more toward cozy, but with a similar sprinkling of shocking violence and grotesque/abject elements.
Silver in the Woods is historical fiction/magical realism—dryads and other silvian magical creatures; an old estate and an even older forest; an ancient guardian of the woods and a young scholar studying lore and legends.
You’ll also find sweet, slow romance, fun characters and clever dialogue (there’s one that I instantly loved, but whom I won’t name to save you from spoilers), and a plot full of magic and spirits and mystery that had me on gripped to the page.
The setting is so simple but so alive, and the story is beautifully written. There’s a lot of emotion packed into such a short amount of time; I was amazed how intensely the story beats hit me, despite the short (in pages) time I spent with the characters.
I think some of that is the timescale. Including flashbacks, the breadth of the story spans many hundreds of years. This book made me realize how gripping that can be; there’s something of the sublime in imagining things that go on and on, way beyond a single human lifetime.
3. throne of the crescent moon, by saladin ahmed
This book is so D&D-coded to me in a very satisfying way. Especially as someone who doesn’t play Dungeons & Dragons but is surrounded by people who do, I loved this book. There’s the high-stakes adventure, questing and mysteries, thorough world-building, magical creatures and potions, and familiar character archetypes.
It takes place in an Arab and Muslim-inspired world, mostly in the metropolis of Dhamsawaat. And it tells the story of Adoulla, an old monster hunter who just wants to retire, and his quest to save his city from the biggest threat he’s ever faced.
Inside you’ll also find a warrior shapeshifter, plenty of potions, absolutely terrifying ghuls, scary blood magic, a fun Robin Hood-like character filled with surprises, twists and turns, and lots of fight scenes.
I loved the more unconventional dynamic of an older protagonist who is at the end of his career and just wants to rest. Adoulla’s assistant, Rasheed, is essentially a paladin and struggling to reconcile the dogma he was raised in vs. the more gentle and welcoming religiosity exemplified by Adoulla and his newfound friends.
Rasheed’s storyline was interesting to follow but ultimately felt a little shallow, as all the characters did. The religious philosophizing at times felt heavy-handed to me, and the ending is clearly set up for a sequel, though it’s been more than ten years and one has not been forthcoming :( But if you’re looking for a fun fantasy romp in a beautifully thorough and realized world, this book was a blast.
4. the black god’s drums, p. djèli clark
Another novella!
I will devour anything with airships. Blimps, balloons, dirigibles, zeppelins, any lighter-than-air craft—I’m there. So as soon as I read the blurb for this book, I was sold.
The Black God’s Drums is an alternate steampunk history in which New Orleans is a neutral haven during a more protracted American Civil War. During an armistice, a street urchin named Creeper—who has a special connection with Oya, orisha of storms—overhears Confederate soldiers talking of a new, potentially world-ending weapon.
But when this weapon and the scientist who created it falls into the hands of an extremist group of former-Confederates, Creeper travels into the swamp to get it back out of their hands.
This book has a fascinating world, crisply and completely yet compactly realized (as with all three novellas I mentioned here). I loved this alternate New Orleans.
Also, stunning imagery—the atmosphere and scenery are so tangible. I loved how the book pulled from different parts of the diaspora—there are a lot of West African and Haitian and Creole elements.
Also, airships :)
Okay, those were the first four! I hope you saw something you love or will love. If you have any fantasy recs, please leave them in the comments. As with all Book People, my TBR is ever-expanding, but I’m always down to try something new (though I’m still in my No CisHet White Male Author era 🫰🏼).
Thanks for reading, take care, & catch you soon,
—mia xx