Historical Fiction, Magic, and High Fantasy; and Other Books

 Re-reading

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, May 1, 2018; Harper Voyager

Genre: historical fiction, fantasy, high fantasy, magic 

I had started this historical fantasy but not finished. Now, I'm in the mood for fantastic martial arts, magic, Chinese mythology, fantastic creatures, gods,  and feats, and a female main character who went from a poor village to the highest military academy and honors. It's a mistake, I find, to try to link the events and wars and places to real Chinese history and places, as they have been so changed for the purposes of fiction. 

(post reprinted from Book Bird Dog ( Book Dilettante), my other book blog.) The Poppy War is an epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic. I had to read this to see why it received all the awards and accolades. Apart from being a Goodreads Choice Award for 2018, the first book received 

Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novel (2018), Locus Award Nominee for First Novel (2019), World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel (2019), Compton Crook Award (2019), British Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Newcomer (Sydney J. Bounds Award) (2019), and several other award nominations

The other books in the fantasy trilogy are

The Dragon Republic and 

The Burning God. All three books won the Goodreads Choice and the last two were also nominated for awards.

R. F. Kuang is also the author of Babel, Yellowface 

Also reading

Set in the Toronto neighbourhood of “Little Jamaica,” Frying Plantain  (June 4, 2019) follows a girl from elementary school to high school graduation as she navigates the tensions between mothers and daughters, second-generation immigrants experiencing first-generation cultural expectations, and Black identity in a predominantly white society.

ZALIKA REID-BENTA, a Canadian writer, whose debut novel RIVER MUMMA has been shortlisted for the 2024 Trillium Book Award and  received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist Magazine. RIVER MUMMA is an Amazon Books Editors' Pick for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy and was selected a Best Book of the Month for Apple Books in February 2024. It has been listed as one of the best fiction books of 2023 on platforms, including CBC Books, Indigo Books, Kobo Books and The Walrus.

Reid-Benta's debut short story collection FRYING PLANTAIN won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Literary Fiction in 2020. It was longlisted for the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize, and shortlisted for the 2020 Toronto Book Award, the 2020 Trillium  Book Award, the 2021 White Pine Award and the 2020 Evergreen Award.

In 2025, Tundra Books will publish Zalika's first picture book, TWELVE DAYS OF JAMAICAN CHRISTMAS.

What are you reading, watching, or listening to this week? 

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday, Book Blogger Hop