đ Hollywood, we're talking to you! We want you to take note of this article from from Reactor Magazine (@reactorsff) highlighting Nisi Shawl and Alyssa Cole as authors whose work needs television/film adaptions!
Some books don't just deserve to be read. They deserve a screen, a score, and a full production budget.
These two have been sitting on our shelves long enough.
đđž Everfair by Nisi Shawl. An alternate history where the Congo is reclaimed, steam technology changes everything, and a coalition of Fabian socialists, African Americans, and native Congolese builds something nobody thought possible. The world-building alone would make your jaw drop on screen.
đđž When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole. A Brooklyn neighborhood is changing fast, and something isn't right. Part thriller, part gut punch about gentrification and erasure. The kind of book that makes you look over your shoulder when you put it down.
Both available at sistahscifi.com, @Bookhop_org, your #locallibrary, or as an audiobook through Libro.fm. đ
Full list from Reactor: https://reactormag.com/backlist-bonanza-5-books-that-deserve-an-adaptation/
Grab your copy and then tell us.
Which one gets made first? đđž
First Test ⢠Changeless ⢠Penric and the Shaman ⢠The Poisoner's Handbook ⢠Everfair ⢠Shades of Milk and Honey ⢠Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear ⢠The Archive of the Forgotten* ⢠Penric's Fox ⢠The Girl from the Sea ⢠(Wizard's First Rule) ⢠Blameless
* * * * *
First Test (graphic novel) - Protector of the Small is one of my favorite series of all time I think, so I was very excited to see we were getting a graphic novel adaptation! Even if it then took me almost a year to read. This was fun to flip through and I had a good time, but not really anything stronger than that (it could never match up to the book). And it cut enough from the story that I wonder how it reads for someone unfamiliar with the original.
Changeless - I wasn't entirely sold on the first book, but decided to pick up the second one anyway because it was at least entertaining. I liked this one a bit better! Probably because all of that messy introductions and getting-together stuff was out of the way now. Still quite silly, but that ending! Harsh. I had to pick Blameless up as soon as I could, and honestly? It was fine, but speaking from the farther future, I think it's where the series started to lose me.
Penric and the Shaman / Penric's Fox - enjoying these very much! It was nice to see some continuity of side characters - going in I knew Bujold wasn't writing these chronologically so I had now idea how the chronological order was going to actually shape up.
The Poisoner's Handbook - picked this up after seeing it mentioned on a tumblr post. Was a very easy listen on audiobook and I had a decent time! Nothing too interesting though, because I've listened to a lot of medical history nonfiction for some reason, and it tends to repeat. For some topic crossovers, check out The Radium Girls or The Divorce Colony
Everfair - I really *wish* I could wholeheartedly recommend this one, but I've just got too many reservations about it. The premise is fascinating and the writing is very good, truly. BUT. It's a very long book, and it's mostly told in the style of short vignettes that skip between character, place, and time! Time!! The next bit could be a few days from the last, or months, or years! (Mostly months or years :/ ) With such sprawling worldbuilding and a large cast of characters it never really felt like a cohesive work and was very frustrating and ultimately dissatisfying to read. I bet the author's short fiction is very good though.
Shades of Milk and Honey - I really wish I'd written some notes about this earlier because I have to confess, I've forgotten almost entirely everything about it. Sometimes I wanted to like it, but it never really won me over. One thing I can say in its defense - while not trying to be a 1:1 Jane Austen retelling, it manages to incorporate numerous subtle nods to characters and relationships from her works that I enjoyed and found much more successful (and less cringe) than most direct reimaginings.
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear - the new Wayward Children installment! As always a nice read, though I still prefer the ensemble books. I hope we'll see Nadya in them again.
The Archive of the Forgotten - we read the first book in this series for book club and I did like it, so I'm not sure what's up with this one. I picked this up on audio as a break from a longer title that was dragging, excited to read something interesting! Only to realize after the first day that I was bored to tears. If I'd been reading it on my own I'd probably have dnf'd, but alas, book club, and I didn't hate it enough to not finish it. It wasn't really a hit with anyone else either but we've for some reason decided to see the series through.
The Girl from the Sea - I've been putting this one off for a long time now it feels like, and for some reason my expectations had dropped really low. But I really liked it! Both a great story and great art that I loved looking at.
Wizard's First Rule - reread of an old favorite from high school - I've already spoken about this one a bit elsewhere and knew it would probably be bad going in, but the rant I could give!!! On a sentence level the writing is entirely passable, but everything else? The characters are all kind of similar and one dimensional, the worldbuilding is unimaginative, the villains are so unbelievably vile that's it's boring (I fast forwarded through most of their scenes), it takes itself so incredibly seriously regardless, and even with the "heroes" there's something definitely off. I had to shut my brain off for so much of this book in order to not get too hung up on it, because it's pretty obvious to me now that there's something rancid about the core beliefs of the book and it infects everything else. TLDR: it's bad and I don't recommend it under any circumstances. Still compels me though, I'm tempted to keep reading.
Itâs the sweet, sweet sound of gifts and the necessity of buying them for all of the humans, animals, and unidentified entities in your life. Thatâs a lot of pressure, but donât sweat, because weâve got your back, and more importantly, weâve got a ton of increasingly niche book recommendations to get you through the holiday season! Check them out here and let us know which ones youâre grabbing in the comments.Â
by Rachel Taylor and a cat
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree is for the treasured party member whoâs saved your characterâs life many times on TTRPG night
We all have That One Amazing Player who has pulled our butts out of the fictional fire on D&D night, and what better way to show your endless appreciation than with the gift of LITERATURE?! High fantasy, secondhand books, and first loveâwhat more could you ask for?
Masters of Death by Olivie Blake is for the angsty goth who still wishes it was Halloween
So theyâre in denial that itâs not Halloween anymore, but guess what?! In the unbroken face of eternity, time has no meaning! Every day is Halloween!
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune is for the plucky traveler whoâs got the whole world to see
There are many ways to see new and exciting worlds, and TJ Klune always provides queer and cozy adventures that you only need to pick up a book to explore. Consider picking up his latest venture for that friend whoâs been bit by the travel bug!
Book of Night by Holly Black is for the insatiable reader who has way more books to read than hands to hold them
And if you order and submit your receipt before 12/15, you can receive a Book of Night tote bag! Even Charlie Hall needs a safe sling to carry her contraband. Whoâs Charlie Hall? A professional thief / bartender who pilfers shadow magic secrets! Read the book!
T. L. Huchuâs Edinburgh Nights series is for the Supernatural fan whoâs looking to expand their fandom across the pond
Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker, but sheâs not just carrying messages anymore. You talk to one ghost and suddenly youâre spending late nights in the occult library, solving murders, and following trails of huskified children to their sinister spectral source.
The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz is for the science-enjoyer in your life whoâs looking for environmentally-conscious fiction
This sweeping, uplifting, and illuminating exploration of the future from a science fiction visionary is the perfect gift to give your non-fiction loving, environmentally aware bestie who wants to dip their toe into a more fictional space.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson is for fans looking for The Princess Bride vibes but just havenât quite found them yet
Do you have a Princess Bride superfan in your life? They donât need another fandom-y Etsy gift this yearâthey need a book that gives them the same emotional rush they got the first time they laid eyes on the fairytale-inspired glory that is their favorite 1987 classic.
Everfair by Nisi Shawl is for the history buff in your life who canât stop thinking about other paths the world might have taken
After being purchased back from the Congo Free Stateâs colonizer, Everfair becomes a land of fantastic technologiesâof spying cats and gulls, nuclear dirigibles buoyed by barkcloth balloons, and silent pistols that shoot poison knives. What happens when these technological advances are brought to bear against Belgian tyrant Leopold II?
Thatâs Everfair, and then you can read Kinning (on sale 1/23/24) for the continuation of this expansive alternate history.
The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab is for people looking to put a different kind of magic into their holidays
Letâs put the magic into the holidays, shall we? V. E. Schwab returns to The Shades of Magic universe with a whole new series, perfect for readers who loved the original and new fans who want to explore magical alternate universes from in front of a cozy fireplace.
Shelley Parker-Chanâs Radiant Emperor Duology is for the unhinged danmei consumer whoâs looking for their next great read
Do you have someone in your life that consumes danmei like candy? Are they tired of waiting for their new favorite series to be translated so they can add it to their shelves? Do we have the series for you. She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World explore a stunning reinvention of the Ming Dynastyâs founding emperor. Itâs queer, itâs fantastical, and itâs complete! Snag both books in the duology for them now.
The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan is for people who loved Season 2 of The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime
If you have someone in your life that got sucked into the masterpiece that was The Wheel of Time Season 2, donât worry, you can help them relive the fun with The Great Hunt, the inspiration for the show and the second book in The Wheel of Time series!
What if the African natives developed steam power ahead of their colonial oppressors? What might have come of Belgium's disastrous colonization of the Congo if the native populations had learned about steam technology a bit earlier?
Fabian Socialists from Great Britain join forces with African-American missionaries to purchase land from the Belgian Congo's "owner," King Leopold II. This land, named Everfair, is set aside as a safe haven, an imaginary Utopia for native populations of the Congo as well as escaped slaves returning from America and other places where African natives were being mistreated.
Shawl's speculative masterpiece manages to turn one of the worst human rights disasters on record into a marvelous and exciting exploration of the possibilities inherent in a turn of history. Everfair is told from a multiplicity of voices: Africans, Europeans, East Asians, and African Americans in complex relationships with one another, in a compelling range of voices that have historically been silenced. Everfair is not only a beautiful book but an educational and inspiring one that will give the reader new insight into an often ignored period of history.
Other reps:
Genres: #steampunk #alternate history #sci-fi #colonialism
My thoughts:
Another not-truly-YA book, but itâs a steampunk rewriting of the Congoâs history, how cool is that?
Or for a native Congo authorâs voice, try Sandra Uwiringiyimanaâs memoir How Dare the Sun Rise.
So this was an interesting one because it has a lot of different points of view. And by âa lot,â I mean eleven (three of which are wlw). It also spans 30 years, so trust me when I say thereâs so much going on in this book. So anyway, this is a steampunk/alternative history novel where a European group called the Fabian Society buys part of the Congo Free State from King Leopold II. They then work with the local populations to push Belgium out and end the horrific brutality this region had suffered. For anyone who didnât learn about King Leopold IIâs hold on the Congo Free State, the country was exploited to produce rubber and the population brutalized. If a worker failed to produce enough, their hands were chopped off. This detail is kept in the novel and a lot of the characters sport prosthetic hands, many with bonus features such as the ability to launch knives. The astonishing technological advancements, spurred by the Bah Sangah peopleâs knowledge, drive a lot of the plot of the book and put it solidly in the steampunk genre. The narrator switches every chapter, and follows several of the settlers (white and black) who helped formalize the country of Everfair, as well as the native African royalty who controlled the area prior to European colonization. The tension between the white settlers, with their desire to claim Everfair as their own creation, and the people who have lived there for millennia, with many of the African Americans settlers caught in the middle, makes for a really fascinating read. Although the Fabian Society helped to free the native population from the violent exploitation of the king, they in many ways become colonizers themselves, imposing from above an official language and government and attempting to ignore the history of the native populations. There are so many factions at play itâs hard for this country to ever be truly at peace. I almost wish this had been two books. The first part is about the initial war against Leopold, and the second about Everfairâs involvement in World War I and their own internal disputes. There were so many characters and so many story lines I wouldâve wanted to hear more about. In the first section there are months between chapters, and we learn very little about the initial attempts to settle into the region or the political machinations abroad in Europe. Some characters I felt got shirked; Thomas has a really fascinating story line where he goes from a Christina missionary to a devotee of the Bah Sangah faith but I had a hard time believing the transition because there simply wasnât enough attention paid. Thereâs some mysticism and fantasy elements introduced too that I felt didnât match with the rest of the book, or at least werenât developed enough to feel natural. Overall though, itâs a magnificent book with a unique premise and some incredibly important points to be made.
TLDR: Itâs absolutely fascinating, but so much happens that a lot of the plot/characters are treated shallowly.
If youâre like us and bought Wonder Woman as soon as it came out on DVD (and have watched it at least 3 times since then), then we know youâre craving more warriors, pirates, explorers, and revolutionaries of the âbadass womanâ variety. Tor is here to help with nine books thatâll inspire you to become an Amazonian warrior of Themyscira.
