Masquerade, by O. O. Sangoyomi

 

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Okay, so: Persephone retelling, sort of, set in fifteenth century West Africa (that part not just "sort of"). Warriors and blacksmiths and court politics and horrifying mothers-in-law and yeah, even an elephant or two: definitely stuff that gives us a very different angle on a very familiar shape of story. Òdòdó's abduction is her own, her reactions to royal life and its darkness all hers, though her complicated feelings for her mother and husband have a very familiar tinge.

Òdòdó knows some of her own strength to begin with--hard not to, when you're a blacksmith. But there is so much strength in her yet to find--and so much that isn't there at the beginning, so much she has to build. She is not the same person at the beginning of the book as at the ending, which is what we all want to see--especially when she carries the change out into the world.

As for that ending...that was the part I found the least satisfying. Another 3-4 chapters of development and denouement and I might have bought it more; as it was, it felt abrupt and unconvincing when the rest of the book felt very clear and real. Ah well; nothing is perfect, and this is being thoroughly itself while being imperfect.

Fourth Street Schedule

 

The schedule for this year's Fourth Street Fantasy convention is up! I hope to see many of you there. My scheduled programming items during the con this year are:

RELIABLY UNRELIABLE NARRATORS

9:20 AM Saturday

W.L. Bolm, Mary Robinette Kowal, Marissa Lingen (M), C.L. Polk, Shen Tao

For obvious reasons, we talk a lot about suspension of disbelief in the fantasy genre. But what about stories where the reader could stand to benefit from a healthy sense of skepticism? Plenty of speculative works make use of the good old unreliable narrator: a first-person protagonist with a precarious relationship with the truth, a 3rd-person ensemble impacted by their own limitations and biases, or even a seemingly omniscient narrator who looks away at some convenient moments.

How can authors best balance a narrative’s need for obfuscation, omission, or outright deceit runs up with the reader buy-in required for fantastic elements? How do readers navigate a story where the author is asking you to trust them about one thing, and lying to you about the other? And what specific possibilities can be unlocked by a story where the narrative tour guide to an imaginary world can’t be trusted?

THE MIDDLE OF THE STORY: 30 YEARS OF MIRROR DANCE

11:20 AM Sunday

Lois McMaster Bujold, Marissa Lingen (M)

4th Street Fantasy continues to celebrate the rich history of Minnesota fantasy and science fiction. This year, we’re very pleased to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold, a book that stands as both a singular success and a powerful middle chapter in the Vorkosigan saga. Lois will join Marissa Lingen for a conversation about Dance and about how she confronted the well-known Middle Book Problem – how to produce a story that stands on its own and encapsulates a beginning, middle, and end without being a beginning or end in and of itself.

Fourth Street! Be there or be somewhere else nice of your choosing!