Fantasy Antiheroines for Fans of The Locked Tomb

Posted on November 1, 2024October 22, 2024 by Sydney Anderson

Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb series has taken the SFF world by storm since the release of Gideon the Ninth in 2019, and it’s not hard to see why. The blend of snarky, idiosyncratic dialogue with a grim story that verges on horror is a totally unique reading experience. The series’ inclusion of LGBTQ+ themes and characters has won a host of loyal fans as well. But what stands out in my mind when I think about what makes The Locked Tomb so beloved is the characters. Muir is much more interested in her female leads being interesting and memorable than she is in them being morally upstanding or completely “likeable”, which is always a breath of fresh air in any genre. However, Muir is far from the only current SFF author to take this approach. The release of Alecto the Ninth, the Locked Tomb’s final installment, is still TBD, so here’s a selection of other titles featuring complex heroines that fans will love.

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

As a teenager, Csorwe cuts a deal with the wizard Belthandros to escape being sacrificed to the Unspoken. As an adult, she serves as Belthandros’ right-hand woman. This throws her into the path of Shuthmili, a magic-user bound to a dark destiny not unlike the fate Csorwe gave up everything to escape. The Unspoken Name’s memorable female leads, spine-tinglingly visceral magic system, and opposites-attract romance should be familiar to fans of The Locked Tomb, but this is a book with its own identity. The Unspoken Name is told with gripping, cinematic pacing, and at times it’s reminiscent of classic sword and sorcery. The sequel, The Thousand Eyes, was released in 2022, so readers who fall in love with the characters and their world will be able to pick up the next installment right away.

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Adult, Film, Historical, Horror

The Films of Robert Eggers

Posted on October 4, 2024September 12, 2024 by Sydney Anderson

It’s October, which means horror fans are putting together their seasonal slate of chilling films. If you enjoy slow-burn horror full of haunting imagery, or if you like historical dramas just as much as you like horror, there’s no better time to get acquainted with the films of Robert Eggers. Eggers has a signature style, delivering dark fables full of memorable imagery. However, despite consistency in style, each of his films still feels completely one of a kind. If you’re curious, every feature film directed by Eggers can be found at Mead Public Library, and it’s an excellent time to give them a watch or rewatch. It’s perfect time of year, and Eggers’ fourth feature film, Nosferatu, hits theaters this December.

The Vvitch

Strange occurrences bedevil a puritan family exiled from their community in colonial New England. As eldest daughter Thomasin watches her family succumb to tragedy and paranoia, she becomes tempted to answer the dark forces calling out to her from the woods. This was the feature film debut of now-megastar Anya Taylor-Joy. It also launched a meme in the form of the diabolical goat Black Phillip and his siren call to reckless hedonism: “Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?”. This film established Eggers’ mastery of mounting dread and surreal, haunting imagery, and nearly ten years later, it definitely holds up.

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Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction

Speculative Short Reads

Posted on August 9, 2024July 16, 2024 by Sydney Anderson

Speculative fiction – which is to say sci-fi, fantasy, and sometimes horror – has a reputation for doorstoppers and long-running sagas. Between Tolkien, Martin, Herbert, and Asimov, the reputation isn’t entirely undeserved. So what do you do as a reader with a busy schedule? Fortunately, there’s been a flood of excellent speculative novellas in recent years. Here are a few standouts to get you started.

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Math prodigy Binti doffs tradition in order to attend the prestigious Oomza University, a long spaceflight away from home. En route, her ship is attacked by the extraterrestrial Meduse. In the midst of the crisis, Binti discovers that an artifact she brought with her from earth grants her the ability to communicate with the Meduse, offering her a narrow chance at survival. She might even be able to begin to mend the hostile relationship between human beings and the Meduse. This beautifully written and tightly plotted book is deservedly acclaimed, winning both the Hugo and Nebula awards for Best Novella in 2016. It’s also the first in a trilogy, so eager readers will be able to move on to the next book right away.

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Adult, Genre, Science Fiction

Brain Sharing, Three Ways

Posted on June 14, 2024May 29, 2024 by Sydney Anderson

What would it be like to share your mind with another consciousness? Would you be willing to give up the privacy of your own mind in exchange for the ideal brainstorming partner, an automatic fresh perspective on new challenges? Over the past few years, multiple science fiction authors have offered their takes on the idea of brain sharing. Here’s a look at a few of those stories. Before we begin, I’d like to make a friendly shout out to my colleague Carol, who was kind enough to share her own thoughts on brain sharing in sci-fi, fantasy, and YA, and whose inspiration and encouragement inspired the brief overview you’re reading right now.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Mahit Dzmare is the new ambassador from small, tenuously independent Lsel Station to the heart of the politically and culturally dominant empire of Teixcalaan. As she is thrust into a highly delicate situation, one of the tools at Mahit’s disposal is the imago, which allows her to share her consciousness with a younger version of the previous ambassador, Yskandr Aghavn. Yskandr is able to assist Mahit, but only so much. Since he has been effectively frozen in time, his own knowledge of the rapidly shifting political situation in Teixcalaan isn’t exactly up to date. This is sci-fi by way of the political thriller, and the sequel, A Desolation Called Peace, raises the stakes even higher.

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