#if you liked this you should read sorcerer of the wildeeps by kai ashante wilson because that novella strongly inspired me

[hpowellsmith]

Heretic Dreams is on itch!

I've transferred my dark fantasy/horror Twine game Heretic Dreams over to my itch page to play for free/pay what you want!

No one knows you swallowed the power of a god, but it will break you apart as you guide your mining party to icy disaster.

Make hard decisions. Bond with your captain. Sacrifice yourself or others. Reach many endings, none good.

First published in sub-Q Magazine, 2016.

Contains sexual references and animal and human death.

-

Play more short free IF on my itch page!

[ramshacklefey]

4. What LGBT+ book influenced you growing up?

Hmm.... this is a tricky one for me, actually. If we're limiting "growing up" to any time under the age of 18, I don't think there was one. Growing up Mormon meant that I was categorically forbidden from reading anything with queer themes or characters, or even with suspected queer themes or characters (legit, I remember Mum telling us that Happy Feet wasn't something we were allowed to watch because the dancing penguin was a metaphor for gay people).

If we expand things a bit, then it would be Jamison Greene's autobiography. Just before I came out as trans, I went looking to see if I could find any books about trans men, and it was hard to find anything.... and then I found his story, and things just kinda clicked for me.

5. Do you read queer nonfiction?

Absolutely! My background in academia led to me reading a lot of queer nonfiction: philosophy and autobiographies mostly, but also as much about queer history as I've managed to get my hands on. I've loved learning about how other queer people think about themselves and our history!

6. Share something from your WIP

Enji brok off his lecture when Usagiyama appeared at the gymnasium door, followed by Hawks. He looked even more bedraggled than usual, wearing old sweatpants and a sleeveless top. His eyes were only half open, and his hair was mashed flat on one side.

"Is this really necessary sir?" he asked petulantly. "I was just getting some good sleep. Beauty rest is important you know." He squinted at Enji for a moment. "Well. May you don't. You should try it sometime."

There was a snort somewhere among the privates. Enji glared in their direction but saw only rows of expressionless faces. Sergeant Togata's lips were tightly pursed, and he looked slightly pained.

"I can't say I have ever tried it," Enjy said scornfully, "But you could clearly do with a bit less of it." Really, the man's vanity was beyond belief.

Togata was suddenly wracked with a fit of coughing. By the looks on the privates' faces, Enji thought he must have scored a point. Hawks bent his head as he moved to stand next to Major Aizawa, clearly put in his place for the moment.

7. Who's your favorite queer character?

Anyone who tries to tell me that Niklaren Goldeye was a cishet man is either a fool or a liar.

8. Rec a sapphic novel!

Absolutely adored The Dark Wife by Sarah Diemer. It's a retelling of the Persephone myth where Hades is a woman, and Persephone goes to seek refuge with her voluntarily in order to escape the overtures of Zeus. (cw for a scene involving rape near the beginning)

9. Free Friday!

I spent nearly 10 years unable to write anything at all because I was terrified of online cancel culture in the early '10s. I really got caught up in feeling like I was supposed to be writing stories that hit on representation for everyone except myself, and I was afraid of the backlash I might get for writing or publishing anything that wasn't up to the standards I thought other people would expect from me.

10. Rec an mlm novel

Kai Ashante Wilson's The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps absolutely rocked me to my core. Absolute recommendation for poetic writing and delightful characters.

[the-z-part]

2021 Reading Year Round Up

In 2021 I read 80 books (pretty average for me). They break down like this:

66 new to me / 14 rereads

10 2021 releases / 70 "backlist" titles (mostly 2020 releases tbh)

29 five stars / 36 four stars / 7 three stars / 2 two stars / 0 1 stars / 4 I didn't feel comfortable rating

My best reading month was March (12 books). My worst was January (somehow 1 book?)

Biggest genre is Fantasy (47 books) followed by SF (22 books). My biggest change was in Historical Fiction (9 books vs last year's 1)

7 comics / 1 play / 1 poetry / 16 novellas / 15 collections/anthologies of short fiction

25 books I shelved as "queer" (although some judgement calls are very subjective here; I didn't call the murderbot books queer but maybe I should have?)

As always, I read more books by white women than any other demographic, but I'm doing better at reading authors of color, and my number of nonbinary authors continues to grow year over year!

Superlatives (adapted from BooksandLala's annual list)

Favorite 2021 release: Soulstar by C. L. Polk (my beloved)

Favorite older title (5+ years): The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Datlow

Lived up to the hype: Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

Didn’t live up to the hype: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Biggest reading accomplishment: European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss (SO LONG)

Fav character: (to the tune of lollipop by the Chordettes) MURDERBOT MURDERBOT OOOO MURDER MURDER MURDER MURDERBOT

Least fav character: Nick’s dad from The Extrordinaries by T. J. Klune

Most surprising moment: Going into the Raffles stories totally blind, and then Bunny pulls a gun and threatens to shoot himself on like page 2… Not only a twist in the narrative, but a twist in my actual human life!

Best prose: Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson (the new translation of Beowulf would win but that’s not prose so…)

Book you’ll be recommending: Gotta be Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Fav newly discovered author: Alix E. Harrow

Fav cover: Amberlough by Lara Elena Donelly

Made you cry: The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum (buckets and buckets and buckets)

Made you laugh: The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall

Fav reread: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. I got so much more out of it the second time!

Most surprising 5 star: The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

Least fav overall: The Extraordinaries by T. J. Klune

Top 10 (no rereads, only one book per series)

10. The Black Mask by E. W. Hornung

9. The Trans Space Octopus Congregation by Bogi Takács

8. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

7. The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

6. The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Datlow

5. The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum

4. Network Effect by Martha Wells

3. The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall

2. Soulstar by C. L. Polk

1. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: August 2020

August! Lots of reading this month but I did manage to catch up on two movies I’ve been meaning to see for aaaaaaages! Here’s how I spent the month.

……….FILM……….

Arrival (2016) Whoa. I’ve been meaning to catch this for ages and finally got around to it! I’m amazed I didn’t really have anything spoiled and I loved it. It’s a shame that the themes of fear and skepticism are evergreen but I really loved the overall message. Now I better appreciate why this director was a good fit for the Blade Runner sequel. Anyway I 100% recommend.

Clue (1985) Exactly what I was hoping for. I think we’d put this on our list of movies to watch after loving Knives Out and this was wonderfully adjacent while being completely different. Comedies like this don’t really seem to get made any more, do they? Fun and silly and smart all at once. Just fantastic.

……….TELEVISION……….

Insecure (Episode 1.01 to 3.03) So great! I wasn’t sure about it at first (I don’t generally connect with characters who are just kinda meandering through life) but the cast and writing are very very good.

Mad Men (Episode 4.12 to 5.03) I wasn’t sure about Megan but she’s such a great foil for Don and has far more personality than I was expecting (I was expecting Jane 2.0). Also the new copywriter (Ginsberg) is already my favourite character and I sure hope he sticks around.

What We Do in the Shadows (Episode 2.05 to 2.10) Another solid season of this series. Each finale really wraps up the season’s ongoing conflict while immediately opening up to the one, and it’s a really fun way to pace a show. Still super fun and funny.

……….READING……….

The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson (Complete) While still a fantasy novel, this was unlike anything I’ve read in this genre before. I’d almost describe it as...narrative poetry? It took me a bit to adjust but the experience was closer to gleaning a story from a song than it was reading a novel. It has some jarring language but I think that adds to the lyrical quality. All this is to say if you want a change from your typical fantasy, give it a go.

Illuminatus! Part II: The Golden Apple  by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson (Complete) I now realize that this truly is just one long story being told and it’s changed my whole perspective. Book I didn’t really have a complete narrative and neither does this, but I can see it's building towards something that (hopefully) comes to a head in Book III. It’s fun, if slightly indulgent, but the worldbuilding is very very good.

Saga Book Three by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples, and Fonografiks (Complete) Oof what a gut punch. Waiting for the hardcover collections before catching up means a long time passes between reading them and it always takes me a minute to get back into it. But after that 30 second hurdle is jumped, I remember why this series is so so incredible. Consequences and stakes, funny and heartbreaking, it’s just everything a comic can be. It sounds like there’s only one more hardcover to go before the series wraps so if you haven’t checked it out, now’s a good time to start.

Seven Little Sons of the Dragon by Ryoku Kui (Complete) Short stories by the creator of Delicious in Dungeon? Oh yeeeeeeah. These were fun and there were more hits than misses, as is hopefully the way with an anthology book like this. Worth checking out if you’re a completionist of Ryoku’s work, but I admit it can’t deliver on the same depth that Delicious does (nor should it). It’s the same, but different.

Petit: The Ogre Gods Book One by Hubert Boulard & Bertrand Gatignol (Complete) The art is beautiful and the world is richly fleshed out but I couldn’t really connect or want to follow any of the characters. Petit, the main protagonist of this book, doesn’t really have much personality. If you liked Attack on Titan then it might be worth checking out (similarly violent, strict hierarchy, some politics at play). Truly a beautiful book but it just wasn’t for me.

……….AUDIO……….

The Empty Town by Jaguar Sun (2020) Great end-of-summer energy and I think this’ll be on regular rotation for the rest of the year.

Lofi Hip Hop Music - Beats to Relax/Study To (Playlist) I have trouble listening to music with lyrics while I write so this has been my go-to playlist. I listen on Spotify but it looks like you can find a bunch of other options on YouTube and such.

……….GAMING……….

Neverland: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The party has met a bunch of Fairies, delivered a tea set, and are about to ambush some Pirates! I’m really having a lot of fun with this setting and am super stoked for it’s release in October! In the meantime, you can read more detailed accounts of the group’s adventures over on Reddit.

D&D Homebrew Adventure (Menace of Merlin) Is this it??? The trio have saved the Viking village and have begun infiltrating Merlin’s tower! They seem skeptical of his non-magical security but who doesn’t love a cookie-themed puzzle?

And that’s it! As always, I love a good recommendation so don’t hesitate to send me something you enjoy and happy Monday!

[stevefoxe]

Everything I Read in 2016

For the third year in a row, I logged every novel, short story collection, poetry compilation, graphic novel, and collected edition of monthly comics I read, excluding individual monthly comics (on which I continued to fall catastrophically behind) and anything I read (and reread, and reread again) for my day job. My only big change? A lot of these books were read on my iPad Mini. And a good number were for my gay book club (you can guess which ones). 

If you don’t yet keep track of your reading, you should start in 2017. It’s your best bet for hitting a reading goal, and for folks like me who read a ton, it’s a nice way to recall books that otherwise departed your memory.

For the tl;dr crowd, here are my Top 13 for the year, in the order in which I read them:

On Writing, Stephen King

Binti, Nnedi Okorafor

The Girls, Emma Cline

I Am a Hero Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, Kengo Hanazawa

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz

The Hero: Book Two, David Rubín

Night Sky With Exit Wounds, Ocean Vuong

Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders (I read an ARC)

A Choir of Ill Children, Tom Piccirilli

Habitat, Simon Roy

Prez Vol. 1, Mark Russell, Ben Caldwell, Domo Stanton

Bones of the Coast, edited by Shannon Campbell, Jeff Ellis, Kathleen Jacques

(New X-Men Omnibus was a re-read, or it would be up here.)

The rest is below the jump!

I don’t really feel like dumping on anything this year. I definitely got burnt out on comic anthologies, and I hated A Little Life, but the good outweighs the bad. Below is the full list, divided by month, followed by a few statistics and an evaluation of my 2016 reading goals as established last January. 

[A note on comics: I feel guilty that I’ve left off colorists and inkers, as they contribute so much to a book, but I defaulted to cover credits while logging my reading and don’t have most of these books on-hand to fix it now.]

January

The Amazing World of Gumball: Fairy Tale Trouble, Megan Brennan, Katy Farina, Jeremy Lawson

Adventure Time: Masked Mayhem, Kate Leth, Bridget Underwood, Drew Green, Vaughn Pinpin, Meredith McClaren

Sir Edward Grey: Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland, Kim Newman, Maura McHugh, Tyler Crook

On Writing, Stephen King

Binti, Nnedi Okorafor

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016, edited by John Joseph Adams & Joe Hill

The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, Kai Ashante Wilson

February

Planet Hulk, Sam Humphries & Marc Laming

Future Imperfect, Peter David & Greg Land

Hail Hydra, Rick Remender & Roland Boschi

House of M, Dennis Hopeless & Marco Failla

Marvel Zombies, Si Spurrier & Kev Walker

Old Man Logan, Brian Michael Bendis & Andrea Sorrentino

The Girls, Emma Cline

The Gilded Razor, Sam Lansky

March

Civil War, Charles Soule & Leinil Francis Yu

New X-Men Omnibus, Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Phil Jimenez, Ethan Van Sciver, Igor Kordey, Marc Silvestri, Keron Grant, Chris Bachalo, John Paul Leon, Bill Sienkiewicz, Leinil Francis Yu

The Eye of the Cat, Elejandro Jodorowsky & Moebius

All the Birds in the Sky, Charlie Jane Anders

Beyond Anthology, edited by Sfé Monster & Taneka Scott

A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara

Balloon Pop Outlaw Black, Patricia Lockwood

April

 I Am a Hero Vol. 1, Kengo Hanazawa

The Nameless City Vol. 1, Faith Erin Hicks

Ody-C Vol. 1, Matt Fraction & Christian Ward

Lovecraft Country, Matt Ruff

Husk, Rachel Autumn Deering

New World: An Anthology of Sci-Fi & Fantasy, edited by C. Spike Trotman

Chainmail Bikini: An Anthology of Women Gamers, edited by Hazel Newlevant

Broken Frontier, edited by Frederik Hautain & Tyler Chin-Tanner

Love in All Forms: The Big Book of Growing Up Queer, edited by Serafina Dwyer

Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 1, Grant Morrison & Yanick Paquette

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz

The Hero: Book Two, David Rubín

The Girl With All the Gifts, M. R. Carey

Regular Show: Noir Means Noir, Buddy, Rachel Connor, Robert Luckett, Wook Jin Clark

Night Air, Ben Sears

Revenger: Children of the Damned, Charles Forsman

Magic for Beginners, Kelly Link

May

Dark Engine Vol. 1, Ryan Burton & John Bivens

Disney Kingdoms: Seekers of the Weird, Brandon Seifert, Karl Moline, Filipe Andrade

The Girl in the Flammable Skirt, Aimee Bender

Every Heart a Doorway, Seanan McGuire

Mr. Splitfoot, Samantha Hunt

Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Charles M. Blow

Revival Vol. 1, Tim Seeley & Mike Norton

The Fireman, Joe Hill

Colder: Toss the Bones, Paul Tobin & Juan Ferreyra

The Fly: Outbreak, Brandon Seifert & Menton3

Faker, Mike Carey & Jock

What If? Infinity, Joshua Williamson, Mike Henderson, Riley Rossmo, Mike Norton, Jason Copeland, Goran Sudžuka

June

Hawkeye vs. Deadpool, Gerry Duggan, Matteo Lolli, Jacopo Camagni

Outcast Vol. 3, Robert Kirkman & Paul Azaceta

Lady Killer Vol. 1, Joelle Jones & Jamie S. Rich

The Fiction, Curt Pires & David Rubín

The Amazing World of Gumball Vol. 2, Frank Gibson, Tyson Hesse, Paulina Ganucheau

Arcadia, Alex Paknadel & Eric Scott Pfeiffer

Black Market, Frank J. Barbiere & Victor Santos

Dream Thief Vol. 2, Jai Nitz, Greg Smallwood, Todd Galusha

Contest of Champions Vol.1, Al Ewing & Paco Medina

The Infinity Gauntlet, Dustin Weaver & Gerry Duggan

The Amulet, Michael McDowell

The Dark Half, Stephen King

The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Steve Moncuse & Art Adams

Steven Universe: Too Cool for School, Ian Jones-Quartey, Jeremy Sorese, Asia Kendrick-Horton, Rachel Dukes, Josceline Fenton

Bob’s Burgers: Medium Rare, overseen by Loren Bouchard

Bob’s Burgers: Well Done, overseen by Loren Bouchard

Zombie, Joyce Carol Oates

Kare-Kare Komiks, Andrew Drilon

Night Sky With Exit Wounds, Ocean Vuong

The Witcher: House of Glass, Paul Tobin & Joe Querio

X-Men: No More Humans, Mike Carey & Salvador Larroca

Cold Moon Over Babylon, Michael McDowell

July

Black Hand Comics, Wes Craig

Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, Paul Tremblay

B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth: The Devil’s Wings, John Arcudi, Mike Mignola, Lawrence Campbell, Joe Querio, Tyler Crook

B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth: Flesh & Stone, John Arcudi, Mike Mignola, James Harren

Abe Sapien: Sacred Places, Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Sebastian Fiumara, Max Fiumara

Abe Sapien: A Darkness So Great, Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Sebastian Fuimara, Max Fiumara

Hellboy & the B.P.R.D. 1952, Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Alex Maleev

Lobster Johnson: Get the Lobster!, Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Tonči Zonjić

Green River Killer: A True Detective Story, Jeff Jensen & Jonathan Case

The Witcher: Fox Children, Paul Tobin & Joe Querio

Children of the Night, John Blackburn

Frankenstein Underground, Mike Mignola & Ben Stenbeck

My Best Friend’s Exorcism, Grady Hendrix

August

The Well, Jack Cady

Angel Catbird Vol. 1, Margaret Atwood & Johnnie Christmas

Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders

September

Fellside, M. R. Carey

The Twilight Children, Gilbert Hernandez & Darwyn Cooke

Veil, Greg Rucka & Toni Fejzula

Negative Space, Ryan K. Lindsey & Owen Geini

Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight Vol. 1, Alex De Campi, Chris Peterson, Simon Fraser

Bitch Planet Vol. 1, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro, Robert Wilson IV

Ody-C Vol. 2, Matt Fraction & Christian Ward

Tampa, Alissa Nutting

Clive Barker’s A-Z of Horror, compiled by Stephen Jones

The Missing, Sarah Langan

Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight Vol. 2, Alex De Campi, Federica Manfredi, Gary Erskine

Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight Vol. 3, Alex De Campi, R.M. Guera, Chris Peterson

Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight Vol. 4, Alex De Campi, Mulele Jarvis, John Lucas

Audition, Ryu Murakami

Mr. Arashi’s Amazing Freak Show, Suehiro Maruo

In the Miso Soup, Ryu Murakami

October

Ghosts, Raina Telgemeier

Anya’s Ghost, Vera Brosgol

One Week in the Library, W. Maxwell Prince & John Amor

A Choir of Ill Children, Tom Piccirilli

The Bloody Chamber, Angela Carter

I Am a Hero Vol. 2, Kengo Hanazawa

The Beauty Vol. 1, Jeremy Haun & Jason A. Hurley

The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo Vol. 1, Drew Weing

November

Gerald’s Game, Stephen King

Call Me By Your Name, André Aciman

Invisible Republic Vol. 1, Gabriel Hardman & Corinne Bechko

Roche Limit Vol. 1, Michael Moreci & Vic Malhorta

What Belongs to You, Garth Greenwell

Roche Limit Vol. 2, Michael Moreci & Kyle Charles

Roche Limit Vol. 3, Michael Moreci & Kyle Charles

One-Punch Man Vol. 9, ONE & Yusuke Murata

One-Punch Man Vol. 10, ONE & Yusuke Murata

Habitat, Simon Roy

December

Beowulf, Santiago García & David Rubín

The Oath, edited by Audrey Redpath

Star Wars: Tales From the Far, Far Away, Michael Moreci, Tim Daniel, Ryan Cady, Phillip Sevy, etc.

Prelude to Bruise, Saeed Jones

Grief is the Thing With Feathers, Max Porter

Tomie Deluxe Edition, Junji Ito

Krampus!, Brian Jones & Dean Kotz

Fantasy Sports Vol. 2, Sam Bosma

The Beauty Vol. 2, Jeremy Haun, Jason A. Hurley, Mike Huddleston, Brett Weldele, Stephen Green

Prez Vol. 1, Mark Russell, Ben Caldwell, Domo Stanton

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe, Ryan Q. North & Erica Henderson

Love is Love, edited by Marc Andreyko

Joe Golem Vol. 1, Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Patric Reynolds

Baltimore: Cult of the Red King, Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Peter Bergting

Abe Sapien: The Burning Fire, Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Max Fiumara, Sebastian Fiumara, Tyler Crook

Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire, Neil Gaiman & Shane Oakley

Bones of the Coast, edited by Shannon Campbell, Jeff Ellis, Kathleen Jacques

Total: 

140 Books (up from 128 in 2015 and 87 in 2014)

Breakdown:

39 Novels or short story collections (down from 43 in 2015 and 44 in 2014)

98 Graphic novels/collected editions of comics (up from 84 in 2015 and a measly 42 in 2014)

3 Books of poetry (triple the 2015 and 2014 counts!)

About 35 Books written or edited by female authors (up from 20 in 2015 and 16 in 2014; note that I’m only counting writers and editors, not artists, and I’m counting books, not unique authors)

Roughly 19 books by (known-to-be) non-white authors (down from 30 last year but up from 9 in 2014...but both this year and last were inflated by multiple entries from manga creators)

...and at least 16 books written or edited by queer and trans authors. 

So...any suggestions for 2017?

[english-major-in-exile-blog]

The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson

Summary:

Since leaving his homeland, the earthbound demigod Demane has been labeled a sorcerer. With his ancestors' artifacts in hand, the Sorcerer follows the Captain, a beautiful man with song for a voice and hair that drinks the sunlight.

The two of them are the descendants of the gods who abandoned the Earth for Heaven, and they will need all the gifts those divine ancestors left to them to keep their caravan brothers alive.

The one safe road between the northern oasis and southern kingdom is stalked by a necromantic terror. Demane may have to master his wild powers and trade humanity for godhood if he is to keep his brothers and his beloved captain alive.

Tor’s novella and short novel releases are an absolute gift. I say that without reservation or qualification. They gave be Binti, which is easily one of my favorite pieces of science fiction in the past decade, and they continue to give me diverse fiction by diverse authors. The novella format allows them to be short and sharp, a potent little piece of fiction. The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps is no exception.

The characters speak in variants of AAVE, which was part of the reason that I loved this novella most in audiobook form. Reading dialect can be a challenge for me when I’m less familiar with the dialect as spoken, but hearing dialect breathes life into the nonstandard usage of English. And the language in the audiobook is lively, with the voices of the caravan downright sizzling with inflection.

The use of AAVE also breathes new life into a fantasy piece that could have been a little too well-worn to my taste. Demigods and bands of adventurers venturing through the wilds haven’t been particularly prominent in my reading of late. This isn’t a fantasy in which “Yea, though it be dangerous, I shall go!” will be declaimed by a sylvan visitor, and that makes the epic fantasy new and fresh. The dialect is also shown in many different styles, which gives the characters a feeling of place and status the moment they speak. That’s how dialect SHOULD be used, with depth of understanding.

This is how the characters in The Sorceror of the Wildeeps talk about spear drills. It will give you a bit of an idea how the different characters talk.

T-Jawn, with no such lack of decorum, lay back on a grassy spot. “I should so like to sit out these drills as you do, M. Sorcier.” And, peering through the slatted fingers of a languid hand, he asked, “What is your secret? Do tell.” The question, the exhortation, sounded rhetorical to Demane, and he made to turn away. But, nay: earnestly meant, for T-Jawn sat up, asking, “No, truly, mon vieux: From whom did you learn such mastery of the spear?” Demane shrugged. “My Aunty.” Brothers fell out rolling in the grass. They joked. They laughed. “Got my skills from Granny! Where you get yours at?” “Was my wife learned me up. Old gal got a arm on her!”

That isn’t to say that it loses any of its magic or fantasy narration, however. We are talking about mortals with a touch of godhood, and the narration suits that beautifully. The writing blends a variety of dialects with beautiful fantasy narration to create a story with texture and energy.

As for the story, this is a wild ride for 224 pages. With a protagonist who is explicitly of color and queer (though bisexual, pansexual or what other label we do not know officially), there's always a risk that the plot will be about those demographics, but that is not how this book approaches either. This is a book about a dangerous journey, and it shows.

I found the lack of female characters frustrating, though. I understand that epic fantasy tends to be a boys’ club, but it’s still disappointing to see myself only in Aunty (Demane's semi-divine ancestress who trained him in the magical arts when he was a boy) and nameless sex workers. In a book that so neatly avoided many of the things that irk me in epic fantasy, it would have been nice to move past this unfortunate tendency, too. The book also played into a very common trope for queer characters: the tragic ending. It’s heartbreaking and suits the amount of violence and gore in the text, and I won’t say that stories about queer characters can’t be tragic. However, it is so common in fiction that I can’t help but find it unfortunate that this book is yet another story that plays into that tendency toward tragedy in fiction.

Final Verdict:

Tor.com continues to deliver. I loved The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps most when it played with the problematic aspects of epic fantasy, but frustrating when it didn’t extend that questioning to other characters and tropes. 4/5