The Last Wildspeaker by Ivy Rowan, The Weight of Sunshine by Robin Maguire, The North Doesn't Speak by Clifton Wilcox, and A Duchess With a Secret by Alix Nichols

The Last Wildspeaker by Ivy Rowan 

The Last Wildspeaker is a beguiling YA Fantasy novella with a meaningful subtext about preserving and respecting nature and the environment.

In the village of Brindlewood, Mara Fern can understand animals. While that used to be considered a gift, now it's considered unlucky and could be grounds for accusations of witchcraft. Mara is told to ignore animals’ conversations and to live as normally as possible. This normal front is tested when nature has decided that it will not be ignored. Various animals hint that damaging changes are coming. It comes in the form of the Briarthing, a vine-like plant creature that crowds the forest and nearby village and holds forest spirit Elderhorn in its stems. Mara has to use the powers that she suppressed and retreat into the woods outside her village with companions, Sable, a fox, Hoot, an owl, Corbie, a raven, and Turnip, a goat to find out the root (pun not intended) of this problem.

Any book that explores nature is bound to have a strong grip on setting and this book is no exception. It carries a deep respect for nature through the character interactions and the important prominence of plants and animals to the narrative. When Mara hears the conversations of animals, she realizes that they have human arguments, frailties, and vulnerabilities making them a part of the society around them.

Much of the humor derives from these animal conversations. A squirrel insists on territorial rights for his acorns. Turnip the goat brags about how delicious that he finds the mayor’s declarations are (since he’s a goat that’s not metaphorical). A cat critiques his human’s fashion sense. Chickens argue incessantly. A dog just wants biscuits. 

These conversations could come from humans surrounding her and that’s the point. Animals just want someone to listen to them and take their concerns into consideration. Just because they serve as workers, food, predators, prey, or companions to humans doesn’t mean that they don’t have opinions on how humans run things. 

Mara’s time with her animal companions is the highlight of the book as each character is fleshed out. Turnip is a lazy obstinate goat whose sarcastic barbs and “whatever” attitude provide much of the humor. Corbie the raven insists that he’s a prince and is a complete narcissist who has particular views about his plumage, nest, titles, and self-importance. 

Hoot the owl is, like many owl characters in fiction, very wise but his knowledge is tempered with memory lapses that sometimes result in important information being delayed while he tries to remember it. Sable the fox is a charismatic and courageous team leader but is trying to live up to the very large luminous shadow held by his god-like adopted father, Elderhorn who needs to be rescued. 

At the center is Mara who is now thrown into a situation in which the abilities that she once suppressed are now the keys to saving her village. She is overwhelmed by nature’s chatter but realizes her importance as the current bridge between the village and the forest to find out what is affecting both locations and what must be done,

Not just the animals but plants are affected as well. The Briarthing creeps into the village  and crowds those around them leaving a terrifying and sorrowful presence. Mara investigates the presence and learns exactly what caused this disturbance. She learns that human arrogance and error created their own monsters and now are choking under the consequences. 

It’s not hard to recognize this story as a metaphor for climate change and human-caused destruction towards nature followed by natural disasters as though they were from a planet fighting back.Sometimes the theme is a bit on the nose. 

But it is also easy to see that Mara is supposed to represent us, those who are charged with hearing, listening to, and cooperating with nature to find the solutions that will rescue and benefit all of us. 

 

The Weight of Sunshine by Robin Maguire 

The Weight of Sunshine by Roban Maquire is a deeply poignant and affecting Contemporary Fiction novel about a love story. Oh not a romantic one between lovers. Instead the love story focuses on a long lasting mostly platonic friendship between a man and a woman.

Jackson “Jax” Hart and Nina Welbourne-Rhodes, both from privileged backgrounds, meet in college and maintain a long friendship. Despite debating whether straight men and women can ever be friends and giving into their impulses a few times, the friendship remains constant. Through marriages, job changes, relocations, children, and other massive life changes, Jax and Nina remain constant steadfast presences in one another’s lives.

This is the type of novel that is filled with interesting characters with Nina and Jax as the most developed and fully realized. They have similar backgrounds of wealth and privilege. The type of upbringing where they were born at the finish line and their family names carry a lot of weight. It’s a background that is rich in material goods and economic advantages, but not so in personal experience or individual agency.

 Nina in particular struggles with this as she purposely goes to a different college than intended, chooses an unplanned career trajectory, and lives like other students. It’s somewhat performative as she still retains contact with her family as a family emergency shows and if she gets tired of living a frugal life, she can always go home. But, the fact that she even makes this decision shows a resilient independent need to make her way in the world her own way. 

Jax also shows resilience during his marriage to Penny, a bright but troubled woman. He endures his personal misery while also helping his brother and his friends like Nina with their problems. He is a steady rock for other characters even as his own personal life crumbles. 

In fact it is Nina’s independence and Jax’s endurance that attracts them to each other and keeps their friendship alive. During their reunions, they have insightful conversations about love, life, and death. Their witty dry humor bounces off each other as they are faced with youthful philosophy and adult practicality. 

The book loses its luster during the half-way point when what started out as a platonic friendship becomes predictably romantic. There are some decent moments after this. They continue to support each other. They shine as a duo just as much as individuals, but the set up of a platonic friendship is lost. In trying to prove the point whether a heterosexual man and woman could be platonic friends, it deconstructs it by saying that they can’t because sex, love, and family always inevitably get in the way.

The North Doesn't Speak by Clifton Wilcox 

This is a summary. The entire review is on Reader Views.

The North Doesn't Speak by Clifton Wilcox is a meaningful and chilling historical fiction about the escape to freedom and what such words like “North” and “freedom” meant for slaves in the Antebellum South in the United States.

Elijah and Lila are among the various slaves that reside on a wealthy plantation. They have heard about many escaping and heading North despite the Fugitive Slave Act which requires slaves to be caught and returned to their previous owners. It sounds hard to believe, but Elijah is willing to take that risk and inspires Lilah. They make plans to escape despite capture, abuse, threats, and betrayal. It isn't just a manner of outrunning their captors, but also outfighting, outwitting, outlasting, and outsmarting them as well.

This book focuses on the parts that many other similar books gloss over or hand wave: how difficult it is to even think about escaping. Many of the characters argue whether escape is even possible. Elijah inspires Lilah and compels her to leave her cruel mistress behind. Other characters prefer the safety of the known surroundings over the fear of the unknown that going north would bring.

Besides talking about running to freedom, there are also moments when characters have to seek the opportunity. Both Lilah and Elijah weigh various risks like searching for the right time and date to disappear and whether they should go alone or together.

Besides conversations and strategy, the characters are hit with treachery and not solely from their masters. That's where Samuel, a fellow slave and an opportunist comes in. He listens in on conversations that hint at escape and manipulates other slaves to report back to him. He is a truly insidious character who is motivated by his own self-interest and preservation. In his drive to survive the monstrous institution, he becomes the monster that the white slave-holding society created.

In focusing on the time before the escape and not as much on the escape itself or answering definite questions over whether it was a success, Wilcox highlights how important it is to leave such oppression. The book reminds us that the road to freedom is painful and dangerous but ultimately worth it.

A Duchess With a Secret (The Montevor Royals Saga) by Alix Nichols 

This is a summary. The entire review is on LitPick. 

A Duchess With a Secret is a halfway decent contemporary romance with an old fashioned historical feel. However, it runs far too long, gets too repetitive, and doesn't accomplish much in the way of deep characters, vibrant setting, or an interesting plot.

Eva Castellane’s daughter, Millie is set to become the Duchess of the fictional country of Rohinn. Eva is prepared to help the 14 year old claim her birthright and advise her to make the transition to leadership run smoothly. Unfortunately, Alex, Eva’s late husband's half brother also has a claim to the title and is prepared to challenge Eva and Millie for it. Eva and Alex’s rivalry turns into a romance just as Eva's history compromises Millie’s ascension before it even starts.

The central conflict between lovers-to-be Alex and Eva is a composite of historical power struggles for leadership and Regency Era enemies to lovers tension. It is verbose, witty, and has its share of dramatic moments. 

Much of the trauma is revealed as Eva discusses her troubled marriage which was quite different from what the public saw. She also reveals a private medical struggle that affects her family and the genetic complications that it can cause for future generations. 

There are moments both individually and as a couple in which Alex and Eva reveal more developed sides. They work stronger together than apart. When they get along, they have great ideas and could decently lead Rohinn as a duo. 

The book plays into the “Enemies-to-Lovers” trope but resolves it early before the characters recognize it. Once realized there isn't anywhere else for the book to go. The plot goes around in circles with the same arguments and conflicts. Once they see the resolution, they get back in the game and show those leadership skills that will guide Millie and Rohinn effectively.

Inside Out Worlds: Visions of Strange by Sophie Jubillart Posey; Science Fiction and Fantasy Worlds and Concepts Captured in Novella Form

 Inside Out Worlds: Visions of Strange by Sophie Jubillart Posey; Science Fiction and Fantasy Worlds and Concepts Captured in Novella Form

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: If anyone can capture a complete fantastic world with important themes found in Science Fiction and Fantasy in less than a novel length, it's Sophie Jubillart Posey. Her anthology, Inside Out Worlds: Visions of Strange covers ten novelettes and novellas that do just that. They build descriptive worlds, create important concepts, and explore themes of loneliness, romance, conformity, rebellion, empathy, trauma, communication, AI, dehumanization, transformation, and ecology. 

The best selections are:

"The Angel and The Sphinx"

This story explores the concept of love between immortals and Alternate Universes.

Adiphael, an angel, has fallen in love with the Sphinx. Oh not the one protecting pyramids in Egypt. The one from Greek Mythology who posed a riddle to Oedipus before he killed his father, married his mother, became king, and blinded himself. 

Adiphael can't stand to watch his beloved leap to her death when the riddle is answered so he reverses time to convince The Sphinx to give Oedipus a different one that he can't solve. Unfortunately, this decision creates more problems for the pair and the entire world.

Adiphael and The Sphinx make a peculiar but compelling couple. Since Adiphael is an angel, he is practically made of love and empathy. He is a highly emotional creature who feels things strongly when he helps others. He is ruled by his heart. 

The Sphinx is made of thought and cunning. She is a highly intelligent creature who thinks deeply as she challenges others with her words. She is ruled by her brain. It is an attraction of opposites but that doesn't always translate to a happy or healthy union.

A theme in this story is of unending obsessions and appetites. Adiphael is obsessed with the idea of helping others but can't always understand that helping sometimes causes more problems. His actions are born out of love but sometimes don't carry enough foresight to see the results.

The Sphinx is obsessed with using her gift of riddles to outsmart and defeat others but doesn't know what to do with herself when she is defeated. If she wins, she is left with an appetite for human flesh which can never be filled or appeased. 

The two characters are completely consumed by their obsessions becoming a toxic couple. The obsessions become addictions and a love affair between two different immortal creatures becomes destructive to everyone including themselves.

"Prophecies of the Great Mother"

A story that frightened me the first time that I read it was “By The Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benet. In it, a boy from an agrarian society travels to a forbidden place for a rite of passage. Upon arrival, he learns that the forbidden place is the remains of New York City and he lives in a Post-Apocalyptic society. 

I hadn't read that many Science Fiction works at the time so I wasn't as familiar with this twist so it disturbed me enough to give me nightmares. I have since read many Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Science Fiction works, many for this blog in fact. But I never forgot my experience with Benet’s short story.

Posey’s “Prophecies of the Great Mother” could be seen as a continuation of Benet’s work with a huge difference. Benet’s story was published in 1937 and while commenting on war and industrialization, a future like that could only be imagined.

 “Prophecies of the Great Mother” reminds us that this future is not far away. It's right here and that makes this story more haunting and disturbing. This story demonstrates exactly what happens when society collapses and communication, interdependency, and learning are sacrificed.

In “Prophecies,” we know that this is a Post-Apocalyptic society from the beginning. The Narrator is part of such an agrarian tribe. The society in which he lives is caught between vilifying and learning about the past. 

They are many generations removed from the Old World but many of the younger people are sheltered from learning about it. They can't leave the confined villages and all they know comes from the elder’s words, the words that they learned from their predecessors and so on.

This society knows of the past but without literacy or technology, it's told through oral storytelling and playacting. Their history speaks of the modern world destroyed by prejudice, war, and climate change but this only consists of pockets, mere drops of information and is interpreted by the one telling the story.

 The tribe members are forbidden from learning anything deeper or exploring for themselves. Many such as The Narrator's friend Ikewa burn with curiosity because so much is forbidden. She sneaks out of the village to understand why people are disappearing. 

Despite the Elder's good intentions to not let history repeat itself, their refusal to let the young ones learn for themselves makes them unprepared and ignorant when they are faced with these problems.

 Instead of gaining agency and fighting against other societies, they are passively destroyed by a more technologically advanced society. The Narrator is captured, graphically tortured, and dehumanized by a scientist. 

The technological society is cruel and inhuman and the agrarian society is wilfully ignorant and passive.  They can't work together, understand, or function so they destroy each other and themselves.

"Girl at Sea"

Unlike many of the other stories in this anthology, this one’s central conflict is not societal. Instead, it's more personal. This story is part Psychological Thriller and part Dark Fantasy/Horror. It's a Gothic Literature novelette by way of a Grimm Fairy Tale. Oneira is a naive innocent held captive by an evil guardian, her mother.

Oneira’s mother physically and mentally abuses her. She frequently tells her that she is Oneira's mirror. She repeats Oneira's negative traits but increases the attacks. Oneira gets mad and responds with a sharp retort and Mother becomes furious and answers with a cutting insult. 

Oneira uses her hands to defend herself and Mother punches her Oneira makes an innocent cooking mistake and Mother destroys dinner. It's a childish and immature mind game but it keeps Oneira captive and from retaliating or defending herself.

Mother is a true example of a Narcissistic parent. She sees Oneira as merely an extension of herself. She believes that her daughter's only purpose is to serve and take care of her without any agency for herself.

 Oneira can never leave the house, make friends, or do many of the things that most kids should do. Oneira's mother might have given birth to her but holds no maternal love for the girl, just ownership. 

Like many fairy tales, Oneira's escape comes in the form of magic. She finds a bottle that when opened, smoke spills out and grants her every wish but only temporarily. She takes full advantage of the situation to reunite with friends, travel to different places, and change into different forms. 

Unfortunately, she always has to return to where she was before. It's an escapist fantasy which clears her mind but offers no real solutions.

Like many protagonists in such works, Oneira's freedom is not a result of outside forces like magic. It comes from her finding her own self-respect and courage to stand up to her mother. Only when she changes herself inward is she able to change her life outward.

"ReGroup"

This story would fit right in with Black Mirror (which I started watching this year and loved. It's one of my favorite new series to me).

 Like the Netflix series, this novelette shows the addictive hold that technology can have on people and how many will exploit others for money, hits, or entertainment.

There's a new social media app called ReGroup. Among its members are Dhriti, a Yoga instructor, Gilbert, a chef, Abigail, a hunter, and Akio, a historian. This story reveals the positive and negative attributes of social media. 

The characters are able to share their interests and expertise with like minded individuals. They can earn a living doing and talking about what they love. 

They can openly express themselves and explore their creativity to its fullest. Communities and relationships are formed. There are definite benefits to this app.

Unfortunately, with positives comes negatives and in ReGroup’s case the latter outweighs the former. Users are rated by hits and receive cash prizes with the more hits, posts, comments that they make. Motivated by financial greed and instant fame, comments become inflammatory, hateful vulgar posts and videos are created, and hate speech and death threats become frequent. It's a mess.

The logical thing that most would do is reduce their time on ReGroup, only use the app for their specific interest, change their settings to private, close their accounts, or leave the app entirely. But the characters can't or won't. 

They are consumed by notoriety, avarice, and anger. Some flame others and others just passively accept it but don't do anything to stop it. They are watching a train wreck and can't look away. 

The characters are a figurative part of the machine of hatred that the app exploits. It changes them until they become a literal part of it. They gave their humanity away and now they are nothing more than endless streams of data, words, and numbers that no longer have any purpose or meaning.

"The Sea"

This novella combines many of the frequent tropes that are found throughout the anthology like it is Posey's final word on the book as a whole. It is an allegory about the union between humanity and nature.

Amos is drawn towards and frightened of water. It provides him some comfort but he also has nightmares of drowning. He imagines conversations with it like it's a living being. It provides a connection that he can't always find with people. 

When Amos is alone, The Sea speaks to him. It warns him that he, like the rest of humanity, has squandered the gift of nature and they will die. Amos begs for another chance that they can turn things around and he will lead them.

The relationship between Amos and The Sea is complex. It serves as a mentor that inspires him to study marine biology and oceanography. He becomes an expert in water conservation and addresses governments about climate change. He can feel the Water’s pain and suffering as it is polluted and altered by corporate greed and willing denial. He has found a purpose in life and is determined to give his all.

There is also a personal component between Amos and The Sea. They share a connection that is borderline sensual. The descriptions of Amos swimming and The Sea surrounding is reminiscent of making love. The Sea takes a human form and Amos has visions of himself in mercreature form so they can explore one another's bodies.

 For someone who can't communicate with many humans, Amos shares desires, longing, secrets, and deepest thoughts and feelings with The Sea. He finds a worthy partner, so he becomes more determined to save it. Amos defends it the way a devoted spouse would to find a cure for their dying partner. 

The novella has a theme of transformation. Humanity has transformed the seas to become unlivable and separated themselves from nature. Both The Sea and Amos take other forms to balance humanity and nature. Soon all of Earth, the land and the people will have no choice but to transform.

Said The Spider to the Fly by Findlay Ward; Moving, Honest, and Triumphant Contemporary Literature About Intergenerational Domestic Abuse

Said The Spider to the Fly by Findlay Ward; Moving, Honest, and Triumphant Contemporary Literature About Intergenerational Domestic Abuse

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Findlay Ward’s Said The Spider to the Fly covers a very important and very familiar topic for this blog: domestic abuse. In fact, this is the fifth book this month alone after A Cat's Cradle by Carly Rheilan, A Woman Like Maria by Gabriel Costans, Red Gifts in The Garden of Stones by P.A. Swanborough, and When Banana Stains Fade by Frances-Marie Coke deal with some form of abuse. (Other books about domestic violence this year include American Odyssey: Devil's Hand by B.F. Hess, I Was a Teenage Communist by JC Hopkins, Dancing in the Ring by Susan E. Sage, Freeze Frame by Rob Santana, Virtuous Women by Anna Goltz, How We Were Before by Jonathan Kravetz, Boy From Two Worlds by Jason Offutt, Tipani Walker and The Nightmare Knot by Jessica Crichton, Masters of the Star Machine by Joe Crawford, Somewhere East of Me by Sean Vincent O'Keefe, Girl in a Smart Uniform by Gill James, The Peacock’s Heritage by Sasha Stephens, Journey of Souls by Rebecca Warner, and What Happened at the Abbey by Isobel Blackthorn). 

Domestic abuse is a very difficult thing to discuss and opens such raw emotion and trauma in a person's life. It also opens dialogue on this and other connected concerns such as problems within the legal system, the restrictions of gender roles, the negative aspects of marriage and divorce, the conspiracy of silence within certain occupations and communities, how religious views, social status, politics and economics play into the abuse and aftermath, and the psychological after effects of that trauma.

Said the Spider to the Fly is the kind of book that reveals how domestic violence can be felt through three generations of the same family by either tolerating abuse, becoming abused themselves, or being traumatized by such a situation in their past. 

After Rachael’s grandmother, Dorothy,  dies, she goes through her things, particularly her journal. Dorothy’s book recounts a traumatized childhood, marriage, vacations on Turtle Island, and a secret that the island possesses. Reading this account, causes Rachel to recognize the connections to her own unhappy relationship.

Said the Spider to the Fly weaves the past and present with similar themes. It shows Readers how abuse takes many forms, can still be experienced years even decades after the abuse ends, and has two interesting characters that represent separate generations and how they treat those conflicts.

Dorothy represents an older generation that grew up in a tempestuous toxic home life during the 50’s-60’s. Her father was a bad tempered violent man who hurt his wife and children. Dorothy became an expert in remaining silent, docile, and obedient to avoid her father's rages. Her older brother, Jimmy, took on an almost parental role by engaging Dorothy in various activities like fishing and hiking to keep her away from their father. Because of the time period, Dorothy’s mother was unable to leave or file for divorce, so they had to endure it.

Fortunately, Dorothy has a much happier marriage with her husband, Bob who is a kind empathetic loyal man with a corny sense of humor. (He told dad jokes before the phrase was coined.) Despite this, Dorothy can't quite shake the trauma of her childhood. She is anxious about her children's welfare and second guesses herself when her daughter, Lisa, starts seeing a man who sends red flag signals. 

Dorothy is a woman with PTSD and while her opinion about Lisa's boyfriend turns out to be true, she is also shown to be very anxious and hyper vigilant of the signs. It's natural to protect one’s younger relatives from the same trauma that had been faced before and Dorothy explores this.

Rachel represents the current generation. While she has more options about whether she can leave an unhealthy relationship, she chooses to stay with her partner, Bradley. The reason, that she stays with him is not because of society pressure but within her own mind, psychological pressure.

 Rachel at first doesn't recognize that Bradley is abusive. She reads about Dorothy's memories of beatings and slappings and other symptoms of physical abuse and thinks that it has nothing to do with her. Instead of being physical, Bradley mostly relies on verbal and psychological abuse. He belittles Rachel, acts condescending towards her opinions, makes fun of her when she makes a mistake, gaslights her, and leaves her feeling isolated, worthless, and dependent. This also is a similar pattern with her mother, Lisa, and Lisa’s husband. 

By the time Rachel recognizes Bradley's behavior, she is so beaten down by his words that she won't leave him. Not that she can't but that she won't. His manipulation and verbal abuse has worked to the point that he left her in a mental prison unable to see an escape.

This book goes out of its way to show that abuse is abuse. It doesn't matter if it's a punch, a purposely hateful word, an unwanted demand for sex, withheld money, it's still abuse. In fact verbal abuse is one of the hardest to prove and leaves long lasting mental and emotional scars. The fact that both Lisa and Rachel, mother and daughter become involved with similar men shows exactly how those scars are recycled.

While abuse is a frequent motif in this book, another is nature particularly that of Turtle Island. Turtle Island is a frequent setting in this book. It is the source of many happy memories that Dorothy experiences over the years with her family as they go on entertaining vacations. It is a source of joy but a source of pain as well. It is also where the Intergenerational tensions within Dorothy's family are resolved in violent ways.

Turtle Island has a strange hold on the people that visit it. The appearance of a raven and a mysterious boy suggest something supernatural but it is not overdone. Instead they are manifestations of the toxic home life that Dorothy, Lisa, and Rachel have to endure. 

The more that abuse is present within the people, the more nature adapts to it. The shouts, slaps, accusations, name callings, punches, lies, and isolation become fuel for something vengeful and violent that had long been buried but needed to be addressed.

Said The Spider to The Fly is a moving, honest, and complex book on how domestic abuse affects generations of families in a seemingly endless cycle but it is also triumphant when the cycle finally stops.

 

New Book Alert: Just A World Away: A Collection of Modern Folk Tales Edited by John Tannhauser; Folk and Fairy Tales For The 21st Century

 

New Book Alert: Just A World Away: A Collection of Modern Folk Tales Edited by John Tannhauser; Folk and Fairy Tales For The 21st Century 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Who doesn't love a good folk or fairy tale, especially one that illustrates the beliefs, characters, fears, and magic of a certain area? The type of story that is just as much about the people reading and hearing it as it is about the people that are inside the story.

That's what John Tannhauser accomplished when he edited and gathered ten short stories by various fantasy authors for Just a World Away: A Collection of Modern Folk Tales.

While many folk tale collections are modern adaptations of older stories, this set is made up of new and unique stories created from the minds of the authors themselves. Yes, some characters and tropes are familiar but the spin in which the authors take is all theirs and is reflected in the cultures in which they are set.

All of the stories are winners but the best are:

“Tales of Fuji” by Voima Oy (United States)

A favorite trope in folktales is the magical animal. Sometimes they talk and dispense some worldly advice and sometimes they provide good luck to a warm hearted but unfortunate soul.

In this case, the animal is a bobtail tabby cat named Fuji. Well actually, Fuji is an immortal spirit currently taking the form of a ghost cat and comes to help a boy named Michio.

This is a beautiful dream-like story that is reminiscent of an anime short film or Japanese folktale. Fuji brings luck to Michio and the people around him by her own presence and those of other spirits. At first, Michio’s father is convinced that she is a demon but after a talk in his dreams where Fuji predicts that Michio will have a large loving family and the town will achieve success, the father relents.

This is a gentle heart warming story about the love between humans and animals and the importance of having and believing in one’s dreams. 

“A Genie's Tale” by Lani Davies (United Kingdom)

From a folktale inspired by Japanese folklore to one inspired by Arabian Nights. Davies’ contribution is a love story between a male djinn, Asem and a human woman, Safiya and what happens when a female djinn, Naria, becomes obsessed with Asem and wants to get rid of the competition.

This romantic adventure gives some interesting insights towards djinn lore like they are creatures of fire and air and part of the Court of Iblis. The backstory gives them more depth than being funny or sexy wish granters in a lamp. They are well written and some of the most interesting characters in the story.

Another brilliant attribute that this story has is that it captures multiple viewpoints. Asem is the primary first person narrator but we also get narration from Safiya and other characters. This captures the Arabian Nights story within a story narrative with the stories being told by Scheherazade leading to tales about characters like Aladdin, Sinbad, and Ali Baba, then parts of those stories are told by other characters. The pieces of the narratives work together to tell one whole tale. 

The multiple narrative also gives equal opportunity to Asem and Safiya. Both characters get to tell separate adventures in which they had to display courage, cleverness, and love to be together again. While there are plenty of male characters in Arabian lore, some of the female characters have adventures of their own like Morgiana, Badoura, Dalilah and her daughter, Zaynib, and of course, Scheherazade herself. “A Genie's Tale” reminds us that male and female characters play their parts in folklore and have their own stories to tell.

“Bear With It” by C.S. Voll (South Africa)

One of the favorite tropes in fairy tales is metamorphosis, particularly humans into animals. Sometimes they are cursed to remain an animal until someone does something for them and they change back. Other times they don't and embrace their bestial side.

Mateus is curious about the strange inhabitants of a nearby castle. Why are there so many inhuman cries coming from there? Why doesn't anyone ever see anyone go in and out? Why have villagers like Mateus’ father disappeared? Why has the village been cursed ever since their arrival? Mateus goes to the castle to meet its inhabitants: a golden haired woman named Frida and two bears, Bumbles and Gleams.

This variation of “Goldilocks and The Three Bears” makes a family out of the bears and the one-time intruder. The bears often fight trolls which pester Mateus’ village as well. It is an interesting take to the original fairy tale and Beast Man stories that depicts the benefits of the animal in which the characters inhabit such as superior strength and a pack (or sleuth since they are bears) mentality for each other and those that they look after. This also explains why Frida is so devoted to them. 

The human to beast transformation is treated less like a curse and more like a blessing, one that Mateus ultimately partakes in and embraces the closer he gets to Frida and her family. He sees a devoted loyal family and protectors that he wants to be a part of.

“The Voice on the Water” by Lila (Ireland)

There are often spirits of the elements that are part of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. This story goes one better. It personifies a river itself. 

Tara, the river, falls in love with William, a young lonely blind man. They have many long talks and build a connection. 

This is a strange romance but it fits as the two bond with each other. Their conversations play off each other rather well and how each fills a need. Tara finds someone who will defend her and protect her from being abused and polluted. William finds someone to see and really listen to him. 

“Voice on the Water” develops a literal spiritual connection between humanity and nature. There is a certain sadness and poetic melancholy as though William and Tara are taking a chance on love that could never realistically be and could end because of the selfishness of the humans around them that could destroy everything that Tara is. It's one of those folktales that the Reader knows is destined for a sad ending. The only immortality that they receive is to live on through their story.

“All in a Name” by John Tannhauser (Australia)

Similar to “Tales of Fuji,” this story has a Japanese setting but it is less gentle and more ghostly and dark.

Hiro gets lost in the snow and he is rescued by a mysterious beautiful woman who won't tell him her name. 

There is something sinister as she leads him through the cold snowy landscape. She tells him very little and even though she saved Hiro from near death, it is unclear whether there is an ulterior motive.

She appears to be a magical spirit who tells him that if he remains by the lantern light, he will remain warm. She also knows about him and his sick grandmother. These details add to the overall unease that she demonstrates in this story. That she isn't human becomes clear but whether she means to help or harm him remains to be seen.

There is a great moment in which Hiro learns her name. Names are important in folklore stories (think Rumplestiltskin). A name can empower or defeat a character. To know a name brings that being or thing to life and allows one to overpower or free them. When Hiro learns his rescuer's name, he is able to see beyond her mysterious exterior and see something human and alive within her. It connects them by bringing her to his level as an equal.

Just a World Away captures the beauty of folktales reminding the Readers that there is another world than the physical one around us. There is another world of magic, old ways, fantastic creatures, and heroes that show courage, strength, and wisdom.

New Book Alert: The Sounds of Fall: Reilly's Story by Karin Wyman Vardaman;. Beautiful Tail Exploring The Love Between Human and Pet

 New Book Alert: The Sounds of Fall: Reilly's Story by Karin Wyman Vardaman;. Beautiful Tail Exploring The Love Between Human and Pet

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: To Karin Wyman Vardaman, the hills are not only alive with the sounds of fall, but those sounds are credited with helping her find her dog, Reilly. In the beautiful and touching book, The Sounds of Fall: Reilly's Story, Vardaman explores the loving almost psychic connection shared between humans and their pets.

In November 1994, Vardaman's four year old English Black Lab, Reilly, went missing. Like any pet owner, Vardaman was devastated but determined to find Reilly. The book covers Vardaman's active search for the dog trying everything from putting up posters, to searching the nearby Hot Springs Canyon, to consulting a parapsychologist to search for her four legged furry best friend.

Animal lovers will be moved by the book and will relate to Vardaman's anguished search and fury when others tell her that Reilly is "just a dog." To Vardaman, Reilly was more than a dog. He was her friend, companion, and baby. He gave unconditional love, was pleased with his cushy bed and beloved stuffed toys, and never asked for anything but a brisk walk and a gentle pet on the back.

Vardaman's guilt is well realized as she blamed herself for Reilly's departure. She was haunted by the times when she left leaving her saddened lab behind waiting for her to come home. In one moving passage, Vardaman described her anticipation and hope that Reilly would come home on his own. She wrote, "I did not know if (Reilly) was alive or dead, in pain or afraid. Was he lost or in those hills or had someone taken him? Staring down the driveway, I visualized him trotting toward me, happy to be home but excited about his adventure the night before…..I waited, but it was now clear that Reilly would not be coming home on his own."

A lot of animal stories often contain beautiful descriptions of nature, and The Sounds of Fall is no exception. The opening paragraphs alone are a treat for the senses. Vardaman poetically wrote:

"The last golden leaves clung to the trees in defiance of winter's call. Angled shadows foretold shorter days and longer nights as autumn gave way to the season of slumber through nature's transitional window.

The night had surrendered to day, yet the crickets droned on, their declarations stirring an image of fatigued soldiers whose marching cadence is merely carried on by discipline. The stream stilled, the bird's song subdued, dry bush crackled under a scurrying rodent. These sounds were as distinctive as the change of color in the leaves, the shift of the sun's rays, and the cooling of the air. They anticipated the coming of winter and echoed the passing of summer. These were the sounds of fall."

It was the sounds of fall that allowed Vardaman to locate Reilly. In an act of desperation to find any clue to the Lab's whereabouts, Vardaman contacted parapsychologist, Dr. Vivien Lee-David. Lee-David predicted that Reilly was alive and that Vardaman would find him. She had a vision in which Reilly was injured, weak, hurt and waited for Vardaman near a peak southwest of her house close to water. Most importantly, that since Vardaman and Reilly were spiritually connected, she should listen to his silent cry. Based on Lee-David's suggestions, Vardaman took a makeshift pendulum that connected with her subconscious and listened to the sounds around her.

Vardaman took a long taxing trip through the nearby canyons to search for her friend. It was a journey that was physically and emotionally draining for her. There are a few chapters where Vardaman doubted her search and Lee-David's advice. The only thing that kept her going was that she was Reilly's only chance for rescue and survival. Those who are close to their pets will completely relate to the toll that the search had on Vardaman and Reilly.

But during the search, Vardaman heard and focused on the sounds around her. Her senses became more acute and she interpreted the meaning behind each sound. "I could discern the difference between a rodent scurrying under the brush and a bird rustling in the sage," Vardaman wrote. "Any change in the pattern of the sounds drew my instant attention. I felt like one of those wild animals living in the chaparral, tuned to recognize the signs of predator and prey."

While searching the ravine, Vardaman heard the trickling water,  rustling sage, clinking of a tag, and the unmistakable panting and crying of a beloved dog. 

Vardaman and Reilly's reunion melts the heart as she found her buddy with an injured hip and bruised paws and found the strength to carry him out of the canyon ravine. She hitched a ride to take them home. Reilly was treated by a veterinarian and within three months made a full recovery. 

The Sounds of Fall: Reilly's Story is a heartwarming story that reveals how deep the connection can be between human and animal. That connection allows them to hear and sense each other's presence even from great distances, to rescue one another, and to bring them home.

New Book Alert: For The Love of Wolves by D.J. Swykert; Powerful Novel About Undying Love of Nature

New Book Alert: For The Love of Wolves by D.J. Swykert; Powerful Novel About Undying Love of Nature

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews


Spoilers: There are certain people who feel more comfortable in nature than with their fellow human beings. They develop a deep connection with animals that transcends typical human-animal contact. They prefer living inside a cabin in the woods or on a farm living off the land rather than in a duplex or apartment surrounded by people.

They may even feel a spiritual connection within their surroundings and a deep reverence that is almost religious.

Maggie Harrington is like that. The protagonist of D.J. Skwykert’s novel For The Love of Wolves has been surrounded by nature, specifically wolves, her whole life and she is sworn to protect her wolves at any cost. Maggie is the protagonist in a series of books and stories that explore her love of nature specifically the wolves around her northern Michigan town.

In fact she feels closer to wolves these days than humans. She lives alone in Central Mine in the mid-1940’s, a small town that has ceased to be since the closure of the local mine. Her husband, closest friend, and daughter are dead or gone and she lives alone in a ramshackle shack outside of what's left of the town.

Her most frequent visitor is Joseph Marquand, the young son of a local hunter who delivers meat her father prepares and shares her love of nature.
Since she lives alone, her case worker, Alice Hoffman, insists that she should live in public housing. One look at the dreary urban buildings with way too many inert medicated people tells Maggie that she has no interest in leaving the small community that she calls home.

Maggie feels a stronger closeness to animals to people, particularly wolves. She had a bond with wolves ever since she was 13, and she tried to defend them from being hunted. She had many wolf friends over the years. Her closest one is a majestic white wolf called Wolf that was given to her by her husband. Maggie then released Wolf to the wild but he was a frequent visitor to the kindly human. Now long after Wolf's passing, Maggie sees white tufts and hears the sound of paws and howling in the distance. Could she be receiving a visit from her lupine friend from Beyond?

Many of these books that herald closeness to nature have beautiful description in their setting. This book is no exception. The descriptions reveal Maggie's closeness to Central Mine and the wildlife that surrounds her. Maggie defends the wolves because she sees how similar they are to humans. She says about the rock piles around her house. “. It's as if the Earth has never been different, they have always been here, these huge stone monuments in honor of the miners who had torn them from the womb of the peninsula.” Like many who revere nature, Maggie feels that closeness to the natural world and wonder how much humanity has defaced it.

Maggie feels the strongest bond with wolves. She recognizes the humanity within them and wonders why humans don't see that. “Like good men, wolves defend their turf, protect that which allows their kin to survive, and love is essential, good husbands and wolves mate for life and protect their young. There is nothing as fierce as a she wolf or mother in defense of her children. What is there not to like about good wolves and good men? Yet for centuries, men have hunted these fine creatures, slaughtered them for a bounty into near extinction.”

Wolf is Maggie's closest friend. She considers him a kindred spirit and guide. She contemplated the reasons why he might be coming back now that she is alone. “I need (Wolf) at this moment to calm me. I need his quiet strength. I need to feel that there are things in life that remain unchanged.” In a world where town populations grow smaller, friends move away, loved ones die, and the world around her becomes less personal and more modernized, the wolves are the only creatures that are reliable. They are what they are: wild, free, calm, and independent. They are what Maggie wants to become.

Maggie's protectiveness for her wolves is understandable as it catapults her to extreme measures. She still grieves for wolves that were destroyed when she was younger and seeks vengeance on a hunter who killed them. Even if we don't necessarily agree with the extreme nature of her actions, we understand why Maggie does them. Her wolves are her siblings, her children, her best friends and she will defend them by any means.

Most writers would make her unreliable even delusional, but Swykert let's us know that she is a woman driven by her love of nature and her own laws in protecting it.
She comes across as an avenging angel or grief stricken mother striking on behalf of her children.


For the Love of Wolves Is a beautiful vivid meditation on a love of nature, animals, and the lengths people will go to protect it at any cost.