protean depravity

There's a reason that out of body experiences such as body swaps or astral projections are a staple of speculative fiction – the possibility of experiencing life in a different body, literally walking in the shoes of someone else, is EXCITING, it is the antidote of looking at the same old boring face in the mirror every single morning. But it is only when the experience is not a swap anymore, and becomes one sided, say like a possession or a haunting, then we're entering horror, uncanny territory. And if the bodies merged belong to people of backgrounds antithetical in nature, let's say the richest and most powerful white man of the world, the president of the USA, and an orphaned boy in Nigeria, you have pure social comedy, and that's what Nigerian-British author Nuzo Onoh explores in her latest book The Fake Ghost .

In a chat with the Shine & Shadow group, author and editor Clarence A. Haynes explains how the project "Nubia: An Awakening" came to fruition, the core ideas and intents behind it and anything you might wonder about the book he co-authored with actor Omar Epps. In order to make full sense of this conversation you may want to read the book or some detailed reviews. In terms of reactions, firstly, I've noticed that some people are picking up on some of the elements of the book that defy expectations of the genre, for instance Zuberi being a girl character who's really unapologetically determined, willful and powerful in the decisions she makes, what makes her feel strong, etc. This was something Omar and I purposely did. In the same way, Uzochi is more sensitive and emotional, internal, overtly frightened, is growing into his role as protector in a way that Zuberi already knows how to handle. Most of the cast we wanted to play with expectations in some way and make ...

I have been told to specify here that one of the co-authors of this book, Clarence A. Haynes, is one of my best friends in life and although I don't think so, I may be biased in my review of his book. Irrespective of my friendship with one of the authors, it is a little hard to review a Young Adult book as someone who doesn't enjoy the genre, but I think it speaks for the book that it was a pleasure to read for me, it doesn't follow the same path conventional YA does and managed to keep me interested through an "adult" approach to the themes it treats. Is it possible for a YA novel to not undermine the intelligence of its readers, represent them with respect and not be condescending? Is it possible for a YA novel to have characters not feel like naive caricatures, but actual people with valid worries and struggles? In the case of the urban fantasy Nubia: The Awakening , yes. Yes, it is. The world building, plot and social commentaries in this debut of actor Omar E...

Photo courtesy of Kate Heartfield Kate Heartfield is the author of the award winning historical novel Armed in Her Fashion and the exciting Alice Payne time travel novellas. A couple of weeks ago she celebrated the publication day of her latest book, The Embroidered Book , a historical fantasy set in the time before the French Revolution. I'm very glad to have a chance to talk with her about her writing, The Embroidered Book and her forthcoming work which is set in the universe of the Assassin’s Creed videogames. 

Women find their power where they can, and remember it in twisted threads. Misheard whispers. Embroidered and disguised. This was a pretty wild read, people, and I don’t know how to begin reviewing... I guess it's best to start with the author and her previous work.

I have never been the one to wish to be able to fly in the skies, but Nupur Chowdhury’s A Flight of Broken Wings sure made me think about how cool it would be to have a pair of huge, beautiful wings with which I can float around and which look like those on the awesome cover, my god, look at the beauty of that!

Last month was a pretty crazy reading month. I joined many reading groups where I read books out of my comfort zone I wouldn't normally have chosen, but also re-read books from years ago I had almost forgotten about. But in the end it feels good to stray from the plan every now and then and rediscover old stuff. Enjoy the wrap up!

I'm so, SO happy to have read Zen Cho's Black Water Sister , it was such a breath of fresh air! If you like funny, emotional ghost stories set in Southeast Asia that are full of action and interesting deities, don't lose time and grab this!

This review is on the second installment of C.T. Rwizi's Scarlett Odyssey Books. For the debut installment of the same title please see my previous review . I'm pretty shocked why C. T. Rwizi's masterpiece, the Scarlett Odyssey Saga isn’t a bestseller yet! Readers seriously should be cheering, shouting on the rooftops, agonizing over the devastating ending of this second installment and suspense-nail-biting over whether or not there will ever be a continuation, a third book… Because although Requiem Moon seriously offers everything a fantasy reader’s heart desires, it ends on a nasty cliffhanger and we demand a sequel. Requiem Moon picks up the story of prequel Scarlet Odyssey : Having finally gotten his status as a male mystic confirmed by the Yerezi Queen, Salo and his crew - she-warrior Ilapara, young atmech Tuk and finally Alinata, a gorgeous Asazi in the service of the said queen - finally make it to Yonte Saire, the Jungle City, where he is supposed to complete a pi...

With his heartwarming and funny Death and Life of Schneider Wrack, Nate Crowley brought us the aquatic Zombie-Klassenkampf here to Berlin. Then, with the first post-truth book in history, he took us back to the good old days when we never had outrageous fun playing the 100 Best Video Games (That Never Existed) … And now he is taking us on a 100% corona-free voyage around science fictional and fantastic worlds in his latest book, a delightful travel guide - Notes from Small Planets ! Meet Floyd Watt: disgraced diplomat, journalist, television personality, a self-important, arrogant assh*le, who, in Crowley’s own words “thinks he’s an enlightened, progressive fellow who enriches the places he visits by his very presence”. He’s also the author of the extraordinary travel guide Notes from Small Planets . Extraordinary, because these destinations and hundreds of other planets have been accessible to us Earthlings only temporarily and this book is the sole witness of those glorious times....

Recently I tried to focus on finishing books I had started reading at some point in the past and didn't finish for one reason or another and it's looking good so far; here are some results of project DNF, as well as newer reads that I had been anticipating. Two of the books I am discussing here are slashers and the other three can definitely pass as (dark) fantasy but also as contemporary literature depending on where your focus is. Enjoy!

When Marlon James jokingly termed the first book of his "Dark Star Trilogy", Black Leopard, Red Wolf , the "African Game of Thrones", little did he know that he could seriously share that title with C.T. Rwizi and his wonderful epic fantasy Scarlet Odyssey . Although no, stop! Let's not start the review of this brilliant debut with a comparison and create false hopes or expectations - there are no graphic scenes of sex and violence and not every man dies here; but there are plenty of intrigues, misfits on a mission and powerful magic games. Scarlet Odyssey is first and foremost an epic fantasy which borrows its cultural, folkloric and mythological elements from Africa. It is furthermore in both the description of administrative intrigues of a society and more importantly in the magic system that it demonstrates and excels in complexity, the latter probably being the most remarkable factor in this fascinating work.