J.M. Frey

When the aliens came it was nothing like the way science fiction and popular culture had predicted it. There was no invasion, instead they were refugees. Their own planet had collapsed, killing the majority, only a few escaped. Earth took them in and began to integrate them into human culture.

Of course there were plenty of differences.

And then the rumours of a conspiracy started. And the possibility that the aliens were actually invaders, invaders by stealth.

Gwen and Basil were part of the Institute’s team of specialists, responsible for trying to learn about the aliens. Their culture, their technology, their language. They even take one of the aliens into their house. Into their lives. Is it possible that Kalp is acting against them?

As far as I can remember I picked this book up because I’d seen the author quoted somewhere, something to do with gender and female authors in science fiction, and being advised to publish under J. M. rather than something more identifiably female. And the plot of the book itself seemed interesting. I’m so glad I did read it because this book is wonderful.

It starts off with the death of Kalp. That’s his body falling to the floor in the opening line, and basil reacting to it. And then suddenly we are in the past, with Gwen’s parents and Gwen as a baby. The story then moves to Kalp’s point of view as he tries to integrate himself into human society. He calls himself “he” even though they are much more gender neutral in his culture. Gender only really matters when you intend to procreate. And finally back to after Kalp’s death, the causes, the reasons for it, and the fall out from it.

It is so well written, every character voice is different and distinct. I really connected with them as they told their stories. Poor Kalp who has lost everything when his home world was destroyed and who is trying so hard to fit in, to be part of Basil and Gwen’s life. All he wants is to find a home of his own.

And Basil and Gwen, who go through so much together.

It’s just a great read. So gripping, I found it so hard to put down.

But it isn’t just an entertaining story. It is all about gender, and sex roles and dynamics. About how prejudiced some people are, and how that can have such huge impacts on other people. Kalp, as I mentioned, decides to take on the male descriptive pronoun, but his lack of understanding of what makes something culturally male or female serves to point out ridiculous we are for thinking that cooking if for women, for example. It isn’t a huge hammer in the book. Kalp decides to be known as male and never makes a big deal about it again, but it comes up in subtle ways throughout the story that his gender isn’t so important to him as it might be to a human.

It isn’t a perfect book. But I thoroughly enjoyed it, and really recommend it to anyone interested in a first-contact story of a different kind.… (plus d'informations)

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)
I got an ARC of the first book in this series last year, and absolutely loved it. So when I was offered a chance to review this one as well, I jumped at the chance, but the eagerness was mixed with a bit of nervousness. I think that slight worry is always there when you pick up the sequel to one of your favourite books: what if it’s not as good this time? Anyway, two minutes into The Forgotten Turn I knew I was going to love it every bit as much. Once again, this was a beautiful, exciting and heartwarming story that sends up fantasy tropes while demonstrating great love and respect for the genre.

Forsyth and Pip’s little daughter was so great! I love babies, and I can’t remember the last time I read a fantasy novel that portrays them so realistically. Alis was never shoved off to the sidelines so her parents could get on with the plot, and I never had to wonder about where she was, who was watching her, or any of the other logistics involved in caring for a small human. She was charming and adorable in exactly the way real babies are, and you could see her parents glowing with how much they loved her.

In fact, all the family relationships were excellent. Pip and Forsyth, and Bevel and Kintyre, have been together for a couple of years at this point, and both couples are so freaking married – comfortable, domestic, a great team and still giddy in love. And Kintyre has a son! The relationship between Wyndam and his father and stepfather is complicated, but everyone cares and everyone is trying (well … Wyndam isn’t trying with Bevel to start with, but he is just a teenager). Forsyth and Kintyre resolved a lot of their issues in the last book, and I really enjoyed getting to see them interact as loving, supportive brothers. Of course, not everything between them is resolved, and I also liked the way they had to struggle to avoid slipping back into their old unhealthy patterns. With pretty decent success overall, though they did end up having a literal screaming row at the worst possible time (omg guys, priorities).

And the relationship that’s growing between Forsyth and his author, Elgar Reed! I was so intrigued by their brief meeting at the end of the last book, and I couldn’t be happier with how it developed. Elgar is powerfully fascinated by Forsyth (wouldn’t you be if one of your characters came to life?!), and wants to get to know him and be part of his life, especially since Forsyth is the closest thing he’s got to a son. Forsyth, meanwhile, resents Elgar because he reminds him so much of his abusive father and because he knows that every bad thing that ever happened to him is genuinely Elgar’s fault. But the man genuinely cares for Forsyth and is the only person in the world besides Pip who understands the situation he’s in, so when weird shit starts going down, he’s the one Forsyth turns to. And it’s great.

Awesome job on the weird shit, by the way. Forsyth gradually figuring out what’s gone missing from the world and realising he, Elgar and baby Alis are the only ones who can tell anything’s wrong was very Twilight Zone. And the way it corresponded with what was happening in Forsyth’s home world was very fitting.

This series does a great job at delving into the culture shock that would be bound to happen when characters travel between worlds. Forsyth is happy to be with Pip, he loves the modern world she lives in with computers and public education and healthcare, but it’s not his home. He’s incredibly isolated from everything he used to know – no-one else has ever heard of the nursery rhymes he sings to his daughter, he had to learn how to use everything from cars to computers, the food and festivals are all different. Pip is a wonderfully supportive partner in all of this, and when they end up back in Forsyth’s home world she’s happy for him but also terrified he might want to stay. (And it’s mentioned that Forsyth is in therapy, which is … interesting. Like, I definitely see the need and it’s great that his therapist seems to be helping him, but what is he telling her? If he told the whole story, she’d think he was psychotic (in the medical sense of the word, his story about coming from a fictional world sounds like a delusion), but how can he be honest enough about his issues for therapy to do any good while concealing something that big? I’m not saying it’s a plot hole, I’m sure he and Pip figured something out, but it’s something I wish had been explored more.)

I loved this book as much as the first one. This series is amazing and I highly recommend it to all fantasy fans, especially the kind who enjoy meta.… (plus d'informations)

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

Forsyth Turn is a minor lord, brother of the famous hero Kintyre Turn, and the Shadow Hand to the king. When a young woman is rescued from the clutches of the evil viceroy, she is brought to his home, so she can recover in safety and secrecy under his protection. While very willing to help her, Forsyth is mystified by this woman. Lucy Piper is an enigma: she has clearly lived a life of luxury, but is not a noble; she knows things about Forsyth’s work as spymaster that she should have no way of knowing, and yet is ignorant of things that should be common knowledge; her appearance, speech and behaviour are startlingly different. Though he knows it’s nonsensical, Forsyth suspects that she may be one of those mythical beings: a Reader.

And he's right. Pip has been a fan of The Tales of Kintyre Turn ever since she was a little girl. She read them over and over again, and even wrote her thesis on the series, and now she’s become a part of it. With her genre savvy and intimate knowledge of the books, she must set out on a quest to find a way back home.

This book is awesome! I was completely swept up. It’s a biting send-up of fantasy tropes, and at the same time a loving homage to the genre and a damn good fantasy novel in its own right. Pip reacts to finding herself in a fantasy world the same way I imagine most of us would: a complicated mix of disbelief, joy, fannish squee, fear, outrage, disappointment, love and homesickness. After all, when you’re right there instead of reading off a page, it’s harder to ignore the misogyny, poverty and lack of modern medicine. It’s always the Hero of the story who gets to be the badass adventurer, even if he’s a misogynistic jackass, while women are more likely to be cast as love interest or damsel in distress. But the story moves through cynicism and out the other side to a more critical and nuanced kind of appreciation. This land is a magical place, adventures are pretty fun even if you’re not a typical adventurer, and while Pip’s childhood hero may be an asshole, that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s nothing good in him.

I adore the characters. Pip felt so real - it’s like she’s someone I met at uni, or follow on tumblr. I was charmed by her, and empatised with her, and saw her faults without resenting her for them. Forsyth is lovely, a far better man than he realises. As someone with anxiety issues, I loved the fact that he’s a spymaster who suffers from severe anxiety that actually makes him better at his job, but at the same time makes him rather miserable a lot of the time. His character development was very satisfying. (And, since I know people who hate the trope where a stutter marks weakness of character and goes away by the end of the book, let me note that Forsyth does not stop stuttering as he grows as a person, and isn’t magically cured either.) And Kintyre and his loyal companion Bevel are kind of dickheads (mostly Kintyre), but I couldn’t help loving them by the end. I liked the fact that the homoerotic tension between hero and sidekick wasn’t just left as subtext, but brought out into the light and ackowledged, and even analysed (Pip’s a fangirl, she knows what’s up).

In conclusion, I loved The Untold Tale and highly recommend it for fantasy fans, especially the kind who like to get meta. It was fun, exciting, full of feeling, and hit me with a twist that had me rushing back to reread a bunch of passages armed with this new knowledge. I’m thrilled that it’s the first in a series, because I want more!… (plus d'informations)

I’m a sucker for metafiction—books about reading or writing or books in general—especially when there’s some commentary involved. I won’t necessary read everything along these lines (who has the time?) but any metafiction I come across inevitably ends up on my TBR list. I am very glad I read this one. The story itself, with its twists and turns, romance and revelations, is fantastic. I kept thinking about it, and wondering what would happen, and grinning at the best bits. Then there’s the metafictional angle, which takes the idea of “real-life person in a fantasy kingdom” to all sorts of places I’ve never seen it go before and which make total sense, like why hadn’t anyone considered that particular problem before? And then there are the themes of self-worth and self-acceptance and … things that would be spoilers … which had me rooting for the main characters and wanting to give them hugs. The only flaw is that sometimes the themes feel a bit heavy-handed, but at the same time, making them lighter would have given the story a lot less depth, so *shrugs*. In any case, this is an excellent book. Go read it.

8.5/10… (plus d'informations)