DreamHaven

I am not usually a fan of magical realism. I prefer magic that operates under an ordered system invented by the author, and is undeniably real in the pages of a book. The dreamy, this-may-not-really-be-happening attitude behind magical realism often seems to me contrived or unnecessary. But The Sentence describes events that I lived through here in Minneapolis—the beginning of the pandemic and murder of George Floyd—in that same dreamy, surreal style. It actually felt just like that.

The book is a first-person narrative by a woman named Tookie, a Native American who has not always made, shall we say, the best life choices. But Tookie learned, in prison, “to read with a force that resembled insanity,” which allowed her to get most of her shit together. In 2020, she is working at Birchbark Books in Minneapolis. It’s a real place. Louise Erdrich owns Birchbark Books, and oddly appears as a minor character in her own story.

The bookstore, or more specifically Tookie herself, is being haunted by the ghost of an elderly and irritating customer. Narrated in the same surreal tones, the events of 2020 Minneapolis become similarly haunted and unreal. I remember being in those liminal times, both more and less effected than Tookie and her friends. DreamHaven Books and Uncle Hugos (both mentioned in The Sentence) were much closer to danger than Birchbark Books, but we do not share the heritage of oppression. The book is a reminder of the unexpectedness, uncertainty and, yes, magic of that awakening year.

Local author Naomi Kritzer’s new book, Liberty’s Daughter, has arrived! She will be doing a reading and signing at DreamHaven on Wednesday, December 6th.

Naomi is a multiple award winner, including Hugo, Lodestar, Edgar and Locus Awards. Her two most recent books, Catfishing on Catnet and Chaos on Catnet, feature young adult protagonists learning very adult things about the world. Like Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother, Naomi’s books give young (and older) readers new perspectives on current events.

Sixteen-year-old Beck Garrison has grown up on Min (short for New Minerva), one of a conglomerate of Pacific ocean platforms that compromise a loosely-organized and largely unrecognized group of nation states. Her childhood has been rather sheltered, since her father is a very important man. She is about to find out that things are not as utopian as they seem, and that her father, perhaps, cannot be trusted.

The politics of Min and the other attached platforms are complex and nuanced, and part of the novel is Beck’s discovery of the ways in which various forms of libertarian government, including total anarchy, might work. However Beck finds out, through her new part-time job, that many parts of her society are not actually working very well for many of the people she meets. And then the real crises hit . . .

Beck is a great character. She is a little bit snarky and a lot smart. Her naivety quickly gives way under the strength of her observations, revealing an unexpected ability to see all the parts of a problem and find ways to fix it. Like many teen protagonists, she sometimes has to overcome adults who are standing in the way. Beck’s journey to find agency, despite the adults trying to take it away, is one of the joys of the novel.

I’ve been hearing good things about British writer Adrian Tchaikovsky (Czajkowski) for some time. He is the author of several acclaimed epic series, including the ten-book Shadows of the Apt and three-book Children of Time. City of Last Chances is his most recent book and, so far, a stand-alone fantasy novel. I suspect there will be sequels.

The ancient city of Ilmar stands at a dangerous crossroads between magical worlds, and has many names, mostly uncomplimentary. The most recent in its long history of misfortunes is the replacement of a corrupt monarchy by an equally corrupt invader, a bureaucracy intent on forcibly Perfecting the citizenry. Neither the citizens of Ilmar nor its more arcane inhabitants appreciate this effort. Now various factions harboring a hodgepodge of more-or-less effective and misunderstood magics, are on the brink of rebellion.

The story is a politically and magically complex tale, told with seamless transitions between multiple points of view. The characters are all deeply flawed and occasionally unlikable, but they are fully human (mostly) and understandable. No one is particularly good, but no one is particularly evil either. They’re all just trying to get by in a city where perilous magic has been ignored for centuries and lots of wrongs are too entrenched to be changed.

The result feels like a cross between Les Miserables and Game of Thrones, with communism instead of an aristocracy, and written by Dostoevsky. The story is realistic and a bit violent, leaning toward horror but never quite getting there. Every description is laid like a building block in an intricate series of events. It is evocative, fast-paced, and surprisingly wise.

Patricia C. Wrede, the master of fantasy who brought us the Enchanted Forest Chronicles (Dealing with Dragons, etc), has a new groundbreaking young adult fantasy. Pat will be reading and signing at DreamHaven Books at 6:30 on October 18, 2023.

The young hero of The Dark Lord’s Daughter, Kayla, is transported to a fantasy world (from the Minnesota State Fair!), by a man who isn’t after all role-playing as a knight. There, she learns that she is really Xavrielina, the daughter and heir of the now-deceased Dark Lord of Zaradwin Castle. Like many fourteen-year-old heroes, Kayla is smart and practical, and not especially thrilled at the idea of becoming a possibly evil Dark Lady (or of being named Xavrielina). She mostly wants to go home.

But, of course, the only way out of most adventures is to get through them. Kayla has a rare advantage over most adolescent heroes—her adoptive mother and obnoxious younger half-brother are both kidnapped with her. Even rarer, Kayla’s mother is also smart and practical; well-prepared and surprisingly supportive. Her brother is a smart-mouth, but can occasionally be useful too.

Helpful quotes (from “The Dark Traditions”) at the beginning of each chapter inform the reader that actual evil is expected from this world’s Dark Lords and Ladies. Happily, the instructions about terrorizing the locals and eliminating the competition are so over-the-top that Kayla cannot possibly take them seriously. The relief of the locals and competition is delightful to watch.

In 1990, when Dealing with Dragons was released, it was unusual for a princess to go around rescuing princes and dragons. Today it is unusual to find a fantasy where family is strong and encouraging without overshadowing the young hero’s story. This is a fun read for young adults of all ages or read-aloud for younger kids.

And we’ve finally gotten confirmation from our fourth guest on August 26th for our “Afternoon with Independent Graphic Novel Creators.” Come visit Diana, along with Daisy Finch McGuire, Blue Delliquanti, and Nathan Lueth. We’re not sure where we’ll fit them all, but there will be an opportunity to meet them, view their work, and possibly watch them draw.

Diana Nock is a cartoonist, writer, illustrator, and incorrigible dilettante best known for her work on Poorcraft and her webcomic The Intrepid Girlbot, the latter of which will be relaunched very soon at intrepidgirlbot.com! For a good time, ask her about her vision of the Apocalypse.

This is the second creator who will be at DreamHaven on Saturday, August 26, for “An Afternoon With Independent Graphic Novel Creators.” We have four guests scheduled to display their work and meet their fans from 2 to 4 PM.

Daisy Finch McGuire is the webcartoonist who self-published the historical fantasy situation comedy comic, Gastrophobia. She also illustrated Rhiannon Rasmussen-Silverstein’s Let’s Print a Comic and worked freelance for Nickelodeon Magazine, SpongeBob Comics, Paradox Space, and various anthologies. Her current project is a queer reimagining of The Marvelous Land of Oz called Yellow Brick Ramble, which is available to read at yellowbrickramble.com

I Want to be a Wall by Honami Shirono

Yuriko Sonoda is an asexual woman, a big fan of the 2-D relationships in Boy’s Love manga. Hanazono is a gay man who has never admitted to his crush on his childhood friend, Sousuke. Both are under pressure to marry. Though they initially turn down the marriage their parents arrange, they become friends and confidants and, eventually, legally man and wife. There are two volumes translated so far, dealing with their relationship and the non-sexual parts of a marriage. But it is becoming clear that both of them have a thing for the oblivious, beautiful Sousuke

The Gay Who Turned Kaiju by Kazuki Minamoto

A gay high school teen named Arashiro finds that his wish to be someone else has manifested in the sudden change of his head into a giant kiaju shape. Arashiro has been bullied, though not necessarily because he is gay, but finds that people are much more comfortable with his new monstrous appearance than they were with him being gay. This single-volume story is a wonderfully quirky metaphor for coming out, accepting oneself, and the power inherent in no longer being able to hide.

Until I Love Myself by Poppy Pesuyama

The non-binary manga artist Poppy Pesuyama hates their female body almost as much as they hate themself. When they are sexually harassed by a famous manga artist, who they need to work for to advance their career, it is devastating. This is an honest, autobiographical story which leaps from past to present. It details the psychological consequences of gender dysphoria and past sexual harassment; along with present attempts to move forward. It is blunt, brave and, since there are very few stories from a non-binary perspective, important. The final volume of this two-volume series arrives in translation in September.

For all of you lovers of Greek mythology, Jordan Holt’s graphic novel Theseus promises a retelling of the story of Theseus’ life, based on the ancient writings of Plutarch. For all of you lovers of humor, fear not. The author states that, “Behind every grand myth is a true story that’s never been told. This is most certainly not it.”

Theseus is a hilariously aggrieved young man, who sets off on an epic quest to find his father who, according to his mother, is the King of Athens. Theseus is at once skeptical about this, and seems to totally expect that pursuing this destiny will be super easy. His adventures don’t entirely disabuse him of this notion, since help and hindrance both arrive steadily from random Greek Gods. There is a lot of eye rolling and sarcastic sighing. Also a lot of accidentally pushing very large muscular opponents off of cliffs.

Each chapter ends with a fake letter column, which absolutely should be read, despite the somewhat eye-straining color choices for some of them. There are jokes which carry over into the story, informative advice which probably should not be followed, and decidedly unhelpful art instruction.

According to the internet, which is remarkably silent about his career, Jordan Holt is an art professor and illustrator who lives in Tennessee. He funded the printing for the first two volumes of Theseus on Kickstarter; the third and final volume is nearly finished. He has four kids, but none who seem to be old enough to provide the inspiration for teenage Theseus. Holt freely admits to ripping off Greek mythology, and claims to have several fake mustaches which will allow him to dodge the cease and desist orders from Plutarch.