Three Steps Off the Beaten Path: August 2015

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Author: Asandra al'Terra

TVT 5-2015 header-4.jpg

Come, my friends,
Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
-Alfred Tennyson, “Ulysses”

Dear Tar Valon,

As summer has finally, officially started, I’m already slightly regretting its onset: although reading outside is a genuine pleasure, running is fairly miserable.

To round up my collection of ‘summer reads,’ I’m going to introduce (or re-introduce) you guys to some amazing sci-fi and fantasy writers. We all know and love Robert Jordan; many of us are also fans of Brandon Sanderson, Terry Pratchett, JRR Tolkien… all excellent writers, but kind of homogenous-looking.

For this reason, let me take you in a different direction: fantasy and sci-fi authors of colour.

And now, without further ado, may I present:

Three Steps off the Path: August 2015

“Female Fantasy & Sci-Fi Authors of Colour” edition

The Killing Moon – N.K. Jemisin

(Female | POC | USA | ? | 5*)

The Killing Moon is the first book in a duology. It tells the story of Ehiru, a Gatherer – one who gathers magic of the sleeping mind and uses it to heal. Gatherers can also kill those deemed corrupt as they sleep. The process is regulated, just, and peaceful.

Soon, however, Ehiru finds people are dying – and not in the way of dreamers, who go without fear. No: people are dying with fear in their hearts. Our protagonist must find the killer and stop them to save his city.

The book is riveting, beautifully written, and meticulously built. I highly recommend it for any lover of fantasy.

Kindred – Octavia Butler

(Female | POC | USA | ? | TBR)

Octavia Butler was an award-winning science fiction writer. Her biography is an amazing one: she worked odd jobs so that she could spend her brainpower writing. However, most of her early works were patterned after the dominating powerhouses of sci fi at the time: white and male. Eventually she enrolled at UCLA to take writing courses. She was first published in 1971, and her big break came in 1984.

Kindred is one of Butler’s most famous novels – one of, because she is an incredible influence on sci fi and writing. It depicts a young African-American woman named Dana who, in 1976, is transported from her California home to an antebellum Maryland plantation. Maibella has written a detailed review for this edition of the Tar Valon Times, and it can be found [1].

Akata Witch – Nnedi Okorafor

(Female | POC | Nigeria/USA | ? | TBR)

Akata Witch, a YA fantasy novel, is on my TBR. I’m hesitant to try it, because Who Fears Death (loved by many) was a letdown for me. However, I’ve heard so many good things, I can’t just let it pass me by.

American-born Sunny, our twelve-year-old protagonist, lives in Nigeria. She’s African, but albino. She’s an amazing athlete, but can’t stay in the sun to play. She simply doesn’t belong anywhere.

Everything changes when she realizes there’s something really special about her: she can do magic. She teams up with several other student with powers like hers to track down a killer.


What books would you include in this list? What books or themes would you like to see featured? Post in the comments, or send an email to 3.steps.each@gmail.com!

As always, the criteria for this column involve books that meet at least one of the following: the author is not male, not white, not American, or not straight. Key: (Sex [M/F/GQ/…] | Race [White/POC] | Country of Origin | Sexual orientation [L/G/B/Q/…] | Rating [X stars / TBR] )

Tar Valon Times Newsletter version