TRANS-SCRIBE

Monday, 22 June 2020

Authors Leave Literary Agency Following Rowling Transphobia

The recent transphobic comments, and the extensive essay, written by children's author JK Rowling continue to have an effect as a number of authors have left the literary agency The Blair Parnership, the company that represents Rowling.

Drew Davies, Fox Fisher, Ugla Stefanía Kristjönudóttir Jónsdóttir, and a fourth author who wishes to remain unnamed, have left the agency, and have released a joint statement regarding their decision.

#Writers4TransRights

#Allies4TransRights

We are writing this statement as a group of writers who are signed to The Blair Partnership, to announce our resignation from the agency.

This decision is not made lightly, and we are saddened and disappointed it has come to this. After J. K. Rowling’s — who is also signed to the agency — public comments on transgender issues, we reached out to the agency with an invitation to reaffirm their stance to transgender rights and equality. After our talks with them, we felt that they were unable to commit to any action that we thought was appropriate and meaningful. Freedom of speech can only be upheld if the structural inequalities that hinder equal opportunities for underrepresented groups are challenged and changed.

Affirmations to support LGBTQIA people as a whole need to be followed up by meaningful and impactful action, both internally and publicly. As LGBTQIA writers ourselves we feel strongly about having an agency that supports our rights at all avenues, and does not endorse views that go against our values and principles.

We stand in solidarity with LGBTQIA — and allied — staff in all areas of publishing who are working incredibly hard to champion diverse voices and experiences to challenge the homogeneity of the industry. But the issues of inequality and oppression are far reaching, from racism to ableism and sexism. Agencies and publishers need to create platforms for underrepresented groups from the ground up and make meaningful change within their culture. Representation must extend into real and authentic representation of diverse voices.

We would like to particularly extend our solidarity to the trans community at this time, many who might feel vulnerable, alienated and unsupported right now. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid. This is a particularly difficult time when it must sometimes feel like the world is closing in on you. We want you to know that you are not alone, that there are many people who will always stand by you and fight for you and that better times are coming.

We know that having access to services to support women who’ve experienced sexual and/or domestic abuse is incredibly vital for all women, especially those who belong to other minorities, and that such services are severely underfunded.

We are therefore making a collective donation to Shakti Women’s Aid — a charity that is part of the Scottish Women’s Aid movement — that supports BAME women who are experiencing or have experienced domestic abuse. We would like to invite others to donate to them as well, or any other charity working in the Women’s Aid Movement across the UK or charities working directly with transgender people.

Signed (22 June 2020), the following authors signed to The Blair Partnership:

Drew Davies

Fox Fisher

Ugla Stefanía Kristjönudóttir Jónsdóttir (Owl)

#Writers4TransRights

#Allies4TransRights

The Blair Partnership represent Rowling, and all aspects of her Harry Potter work, including the recent Cursed Child play. The website features images from both the play, and the recent Fantastic Beasts film, along with a message claiming that they are an agency with a 'progressive approach to representation'.

Despite claiming to be progressive and championing representation a group of LGBTQ+ authors felt strongly enough that they could not work with the agency following talks with them, which could indicate that the company cares more for the money they make from Rowling and her work than fair representation to the LGBTQ+ community.

A spokesperson from the company has said that The Blair Partnership would not 'compromise the fundamental freedom' of allowing authors the right to express their thoughts and belies, even if those beliefs are bigoted and harmful it appears. They also said that they would not 're-educate' staff to 'meet the demands of a small group', again indicating that despite the claims on their website LGBTQ+ representation matters little to them.

We support the rights of all of our clients to express their thoughts and beliefs, and we believe in freedom of speech. Publishing and the creative arts are dependent on these things. It is our duty, as an agency to support all of our clients in this fundamental freedom and we do not comment on their individual views.

We are disappointed by the decision that four clients have taken to part ways with the agency. To reiterate, we believe in freedom of speech for all; these clients have decided to leave because we did not meet their demands to be re-educated to their point of view. We respect their right to pursue what they feel is the correct course of action.

We value all our authors’ voices and, as an agency, champion equality and inclusivity. We remain committed to making the agency the most welcoming environment it can be for everyone. The diversity of our clients’ voices is our strength and we take enormous pride from each and every one.

Jónsdóttir has stated that the authors approached the company to ask them to make a public statement in support of trans rights, and to train staff in trans awareness but said that these requests 'weren't met positively by the management'.

We tried speaking with them internally before going public. We felt like we had to speak out about it. As trans people it’s just a matter of values,' Jónsdóttir said. 'We don’t want to be associated with an agency that doesn’t value the same things that we do.'

This is the latest result of the transphobia stated by Rowling, last week Republican senator James Lankford used Rowling's essay and quoted her words to shut down debate on trans rights, insisting that US citizens should be free to openly discriminate against trans people.

The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith - Book Review

'After a terrible political coup usurps their noble house, Hawke and Grayson flee to stay alive and assume new identities, Hanna and Grayce. Desperation and chance lead them to the Communion of Blue, an order of magical women who spin the threads of reality to their will.

'As the twins learn more about the Communion, and themselves, they begin to hatch a plan to avenge their family and retake their royal home.While Hawke wants to return to his old life, Grayce struggles to keep the threads of her new life from unravelling, and realises she wants to stay in the one place that will allow her to finally live as a girl.'

I'd been looking forward to reading The Deep & Dark Blue for a long while. Ever since I first heard the synopsis I was onboard with the story, I love a good fantasy story, but was also drawn to the trans narrative that the book had too. Though it might be obvious from the name of my blog, this review will also be posted elsewhere so it's worth saying now, I'm trans. As such, I'm always curious about stories that involve a trans story, especially where it's not just a regular coming out story or a romance story. Getting a cool fantasy story where one of the leads is trans is something that I've wanted for a long time.

The Deep & Dark Blue follows two young members of the noble house of Sunderlay, Hawke and Grayson. Following the assassination of their grandfather, the current Lord of the house, they're forced into hiding with the Communion of the Blue, a group of women with magical abilities.

The Communion of the Blue are kind of like nuns, they wear blue as a symbol of their group, live in a separate community, and perform certain rituals and tasks for the various lordly houses and city council. During the early stages of the book we get to see a little bit about them, but don't really get to learn much about them until Hawke and Grayson disguise themselves as girls to hide amongst them.

Taken in as initiates, the twins join a group of new girls taken into the order and disguise themselves to fit in. This is the point where the book starts to really get good, and we see the main differences between the wins, who are now going by the names Hanna and Grayce. Whilst Hawke is uncomfortable in this new position, and struggles to fit in, Gracye flourishes. She's comfortable being a girl, she's fascinated by the Communion of the Blue and their ways, and she seems to have a peace about her that wasn't there before.

During the early stages of the book, where the twins are living in their family home, we see that Grayce is often unhappy. Even when she's not the focus of the panel she's always looking depressed. This goes away once she reaches the Communion, and the transformation is startling. There's a moment where they get taken in, where they're called 'girls' that highlights this shift brilliantly; Hawke is looking downwards, uncomfortable at the position they're in, whilst Grayce is looking upwards for the first time, a look of surprise on her face. I think this is the moment where she figures out that she's a girl, where those feelings of discomfort and sadness melt away and she suddenly understands those longing looks she had when she was watching other girls before. She's just been called a girl, and it feels right to her.

There are a number of moments like this during the course of the narrative, where Hawke is trying his best to fit in, but remains uncomfortable and dreams of returning to their past life, but Grayce flourishes. She not only seems to be happy in herself, but excels with her studies in the Communion, even getting chosen to be a spinner. Throughout all of this though, there are moments where we see the sadness creeping back into Grayce, where she realises that she might not be able to stay with the Communion forever, but may have to return to her old life.

There's a scene during this section of the book where one of their childhood friends, Calia, is talking with Hawke. Calia know who the twins really are, and is keeping their secret, but when she and Hawke are talking in private she keeps using female pronouns when taking about Grayce, and reuses to use her old name. It's clear in this moment that Calia has figured out what's happening with Grayce, that she's finally found her real self, even when Hawke seems blind to this fact.

Calia proves to be important to the twins journey, not just in them getting to right the wrongs that have befallen their family, but in the personal journey that Grayce goes through. Calia is there when Grayce tells her brother who she really is, she's the rock for her to lean on in that awful, terrifying moment. Despite it being set within this big fantasy world, despite being centred in a discussion about taking down a corrupt regime, this is one moment that felt so very real to me.

Telling people I'm trans isn't something that bothers me now, but the first time you say it out loud, the first time that you have to tell someone is one of the hardest and most emotionally wrecking moments of your life. And I felt that reading this. The emotions are there on Grayce's face, she's fighting back tears as she lays herself bare before her only remaining family and waits to see if he disowns her. I'm not ashamed to say that this moment actually made me cry when reading it, and even now it's making me tear up having to write about it. Niki Smith managed to take such an emotional and frightening moment and capture it so incredibly well. The art and the writing come together perfectly. I imagine that even if you've never gone through this experience yourself you'll be hard pressed not to feel something here.

There's a similar moment at the end of the book, where Grayce finds acceptance and gets to live as her real self. Grayce is welcomed back to the Communion of the Blue, and the magical tapestry of her family changes, transforming her name from Grayson to Grayce. Despite having already been accepted as who she is by Calia and Hawke this is the real moment when Grayce realises that she doesn't have to give up on herself, that she gets to live her true self, and it's so amazingly wonderful. Like the earlier moment this part made me cry, though for different reasons. Being accepted for who you really are, realising that people will love and accept you, that you don't have to live in misery anymore is an emotional and lifesaving moment.

The Deep & Dark Blue has a great fantasy story, but that's not what made me love the book. It was the very real human story that did. I loved Grayce, I cared about her and her journey, and I wanted things to be okay for her. The book spoke to me on an incredibly deep level, and dragged up a lot of emotions I thought were in my past, but rather than being a bad thing it made me realise how lucky I am to get to be me and be happy. Yes, the world is hard for me as a trans person, and I have to deal with daily hate because of that, but I wouldn't give up on myself for anything, because the alternative is a life full of misery. I'm so happy that Grayce gets to live without that misery, that she gets to find a home for herself, and is loved.

If you're trans this book will mean a lot, it'll talk to you on a very personal level, and if you're not I think it will do a to help you understand a little about what it's like for a trans person, and why being accepted for who we are means so much. The fact that it's set in a great fantasy story is a brilliant bonus. The Deep & Dark Blue will stick with me for a long while, and I'll read it more than once for sure. A stunning and moving piece of art that meant so much to me.

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Friday, 19 June 2020

Witchborn by Nicholas Bowling - Book Review

'It's 1577. Queen Elizabeth I has imprisoned scheming Mary Queen of Scots, and Alyce's mother is burned at the stake for witchcraft. Alyce kills the witchfinder and flees to London - but the chase isn't over yet. As she discovers her own dark magic, powerful political forces are on her trail. She can't help but wonder: why is she so important? Soon she finds herself deep in a secret battle between rival queens, the fate of England resting on her shoulders.'

I enjoy a good historical book, though often stick to the Victorian era, so this trip back to the 1500's made a nice change for me, getting to experience a new setting and era for this magical young adult adventure story.

The book follows Alyce, a teenage girl whose mother has just been killed by Witchfinders, burned at the stake because she wouldn't give them Alyce's location. Having lost the only home and family that she's ever known Alyce is forced to kill one of these men, and flee to London. After this brief introduction the action jumps forwards a few months to find Alyce a prisoner in Bedlam insane asylum. From here she ends up on an adventure that sends her across London, into the heart of monarchy, and fighting against powerful supernatural forces.

Nicholas Bowling shows quite a bit of restraint with Witchborn, and for a good portion of the book it's not entirely clear if their is the supernatural in this world, or if what we're experiencing is something much more mundane. For example, Alyce's mother could have used magic to harm one of the Witchfinders, but it could have also been simply knowing about plants and herbal medicine. Equally, she doesn't use any kind of powers to try to escape or protect herself, and her whole capture and execution could be seen as simply a woman the local community didn't like getting targeted just because she was different.

Carrying on from this, Alyce seems to believe that certain charms and actions can help her and bring her luck, but we don't get told this isn't anything but superstition and the power of positive thinking. Add to this, she keeps getting told by adults who know a thing or two about herbal medicine and witchfinders that there's no such thing as witches. Whilst these doubts get completely squashed by the end of the book, and we learn that the supernatural and magic is a very real thing, it means that for a good while you're not left wondering about magic and powers, but instead concentrate on getting to know the characters and the world.

Readers get to know Alyce well, and you'll come to care about her very quickly. She's a girl that has lost everything, who's on the run for her life for the crime of her mother having been targeted by bigots. Her plight, and her constant worry of how to survive endears you to her quickly.

The other characters are pretty well fleshed out too. Solomon, a young man who saves Alyce more than once, and also has a mother who some would consider to be a witch, is an intriguing and engaging enough characters to be able to lead his own novel; and you find yourself wanting to spend more time with him and learning more. Whilst other characters don't get this level of treatment, the side characters still prove to be interesting, and even spending a little while with them lets you learn a lot about their personalities and motivations.

The plot follows a similar structure to the magic in the book, and for a while you'll be led to believe that it's simply about a lone girl trying to survive, and those out hunting her. You'll be given reasonable explanations for what's happening, and will even start to thing that the story is quite simple, but soon Bowling starts to lay the seeds for something more and more complex. After a while you get hints at something bigger happening behind the scenes, but even then there's still a sense of mystery as not all the answers are given to us, and there's a number of revelations come the climax that I genuinely found surprising and didn't expect.

Witchborn was a book that led me to believe one thing, but then delivered another. It build its world and characters well, and never felt boring or unoriginal in what it was doing. With so many young adult books set in contemporary times, or some apocalyptic future, it made a great change of pace to go back to another point in history, one that isn't explored too often in the genre. This setting not only added to the story, but made it so much better than it could have been. A great historical fiction mixed with magic and mystery.

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Wednesday, 17 June 2020

Dungeons and Dragons: A Darkened Wish - Book Review

'An all-new tale of epic scope and flair that combines the elements of story telling and action that make every adventure so fun!

'When war threatens the Moonshae Isles, legendary heroes return to defeat the forces of an unthinkable foe. The Forgotten Realms are changed forever as young wizard Helene and her friends grow from raw recruits on the streets of Mintarn into powerful warriors.'

Dungeons and Dragons is a franchise that's existed for decades, and is beloved across the world. With how long the franchise has been around you'd thin that there would be more books, shows, and films, set within its universe. But the problem is, the very nature of the game means that there aren't really characters or stories that you follow; you make your own. And whilst that makes for a lot of fun when playing, it makes it harder for people to create fiction for fans to consume.

Dungeons and Dragons: A Darkened Wish tries to create a story that spans decades and builds towards an epic conclusion, but because I'd never come across these characters or there world before I found it hard to be really drawn into the story.

This isn't the fault of the creators, writer B. Dave Walters manages to create some interesting scenarios and characters that were intriguing, but it felt like the story was trying to draw upon emotions that just weren't there. I didn't really care that one of the heroes got turned to darkness, because I didn't know him, or care about the relationships he had with the other heroes. I didn't care when one of the good guys died horribly, because other than them having 'levelled up' between issues I didn't really have a sense of who they were or why I should be bothered by their demise.

The story jumps around in time a lot too, and each issue takes place in a different time across decades. Whilst this means that we get to see some highlights from the lives of this group of heroes, we don't get to spend any down time with them getting to know who they are, what they think of each other, and why we should care about them. When each issue focuses on action over characterisation it leaves the whole thing feeling a little lacking.

I don't want this to sound too negative, as there was a lot of good in the book too; Solivigant the Kenku was pretty awesome throughout. The artwork by Tess Fowler is also great, and she manages to craft a very lived in world, with lots of details and small parts that make the world feel real and old. She also does some great work with the character designs, and the team of heroes aren't just distinct from each other, but their younger versions and older versions all go through some great visual changes.

Dungeons and Dragons: A Darkened Wish isn't the best fantasy book I've ever read, but it's far from the worst. It has some interesting ideas and tries to tell a bold and epic story, which is braver than most limited series runs.

Tuesday, 16 June 2020

Day 21 by Kass Morgan - Book Review

'No one has set foot on Earth in centuries -- until now. It's been 21 days since the hundred landed on Earth. They're the only humans to set foot on the planet in centuries...or so they thought. Facing an unknown enemy, Wells attempts to keep the group together. Clarke strikes out for Mount Weather, in search of other Colonists, while Bellamy is determined to rescue his sister, no matter the cost. And back on the ship, Glass faces an unthinkable choice between the love of her life and life itself.'

The second book in The 100 continues on much like the first, splitting events between the teens on Earth and the rest of the survivors on the ailing space station, whilst also jumping between the present and flashbacks. To be fair, so much of this book felt like the first one that it doesn't really feel like a sequel at all. If you were to tell me that Kass Morgan wrote the two together, as one book, and was made to split it in half for easier marketing or something like that I wouldn't be shocked at all. It feels like one story; but I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Like with the first book there isn't a huge amount of pace to Day 21. Events seem to unfold at a fairly lesisurely rate, and whilst there should feel like there's more tension and drive to the story it's kind of absent. This lack of speed was also present in the first book, and made it surprising to learn that twenty days had passed in that volume. I'm not even sure how much time passes during this book, and that bugs me a little.

Bellamy should be looking for his missing sister, trying to find her trail in the woods, or questioning their prisoner, Sasha, to get information. Instead, he waits around for a few days, moping at the camp, going hunting, and occasionally trying to get a few answers. He should be desperate to get his only family member back, but seems a little relaxed about the whole thing. Equally, the 100 don't seem too determined to find out from Sasha about her people, or those attacking and killing them. Instead she keeps getting tied up, untied, taking trips into the woods, tied up again, kisses Wells, then finally escapes and goes home. Whilst her introduction is definitely an interesting and welcome addition, it's a little like the characters and the author aren't too sure what to do with her.

The story on board the colony doesn't help with the pacing much either. Since the last book Glass has been trapped in one of the sections of the station with Luke, waiting for the air to run out and everyone die. The two of them hatch a plan to get her back in the 'rich' part of the station and unlock the doors so that everyone can get air again, and possibly escape. Okay, so this is definitely a tense story line, and has some great moments in it, like Glass spacewalking, but the pace is completely at odds with the rest of the book. Once Glass unlocks the doors people start pouring into the previously secure section of the station and it becomes a mad dash to the drop ships. This should be happening quickly, with it being a race for survival, but these chapters are inter spaced with the ones on Earth, and it really slows the pace of these sections down a lot.

Despite these issues with pacing, the second book in the series definitely builds more on the world, and introduces new elements and plot points that are sure to be big things going forward. We learn that there are two factions of people on Earth, one friendly, the other hostile. We discover how these people survived the apocalypse and see their underground facility. Clarke learns of another expedition to Earth that included her parents, who might still be alive. And we get hints that there might be a killer within the 100's camp.

These are all great moments that move the plot forwards and make it feel like a bigger world, but most of these come towards the end of the book, so don't expect to learn more until volume three at least.

Whilst the flashbacks in the first book were a great way of us learning more about the characters and getting a good sense of the kinds of people they are, as well as giving us a lot of information about the colony itself, this time they feel a little more redundant. This time round the information that they're giving the reader aren't as important, and some of them make vague hints to things the characters learn later in the book anyway, and all their inclusion does is tip the read off to things that would have otherwise been a surprise.

I'm hoping that these flashbacks will become more relevant in the next book, or will simply not be used. I'm a little worried that what was a great narrative device in the first book will be kept around and become overused, much like the increasingly harder to justify flashbacks in Lost.

Overall Day 21 was an improvement on the first book, simply because it moved the plot forward and introduced some interesting new elements. It still, however, felt like a smaller part of a much bigger narrative, and as such left me a bit dejected come the end. I'm glad I'm reading it now, when all the books are already out and waiting for me, rather than having to wait on long periods between books for their release.

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Monday, 15 June 2020

Darkness Shifting by Sarah L. Blair - Book Review

'Paranormal Investigator, Sidney Lake doesn’t jump at shadows. The weird stuff is her jurisdiction. When the mangled body of a supposedly extinct creature turns up in New York City’s subway system, she’s number one on the Medical Examiner’s speed dial.

'But this case hits too close to home when clues point her toward the truth about her parents’ brutal murder twelve years ago. Her boss Mitchell Harris, questions whether she should continue to investigate. However, Sidney insists on facing her greatest fears and putting her parents’ memory to rest once and for all.

'What she uncovers sheds a light on secrets that reach further into the darkness than she ever wanted to go… and leads her to a future she never imagined.'

I love a good bit of urban fantasy. A secret world of monsters and magics hidden beneath the real world is a set up for so many good stories and popular television shows. Whether it's Harry Potter, or Buffy The Vampire Slayer, or even The X-Files, the idea that there's more to the world than you can actually see is such an alluring concept that it's one people keep coming back to time and time again. Because of this there's a lot of books that fit into the genre, and sometimes it can be hard to stand out amongst the competition. Sarah L. Blair's Darkness Shifting is a book that I don't think a huge amount of people have heard of, but deserves to stand out amongst books in its genre.

The story follows Sidney Lake, a woman in her mid-twenties who works for a special organisation that investigates and polices paranormal beings and incidents around New York City. It's kind of like The X-Files, but without being seen as a fringe group that's made fun of. Whilst we don't get to see a huge amount of how the organisation works, we get to see Sidney and her colleagues called into police and federal incidents and be treated with respect. In some ways it made me think of S.H.I.E.L.D. during the early stages of the MCU, where you didn't quite know who they were, but they were walking in with special ID's and knew what they were doing so you made way for them because you're way out of your depth.

Joining Sidney is her partner Williams, who might be one of the nicest sidekick characters in one of these books. Sidney is definitely the lead here, it's not Mulder and Scully or Sam and Dean, so don't expect Williams to come into the spotlight too much. But when he is around he's the best kind of support for Sidney there is. He's kind and caring, sweet and funny, and loyal to a fault. And the fact that there isn't any kind of romance or sexual tension between a male and female partnership makes it so much better too. He's the sweet and goofy older brother that everyone would want. Plus his willingness to crack a joke at the most inappropriate moment, and being a wonderful father, made him a character that I not only wanted to see make it out alive, but would actively want to spend some time with.

The previously mentioned sexual tension is instead given over to Sidney's boss, Mitch. A man almost twice her age who recruited her into the organisation years before, he proves to be a good romantic foil. I have to be honest, I'm usually not comfortable with relationships with large age gaps, particularly with much older men. I think that they can sometimes seem slightly predatory, with older men preying on younger and less experienced women. This was not the case here, however. Sidney is such a strong and capable character that I never once got the indication that Mitch might be one of those creepy older guys. Sidney just wouldn't stand for that kind of thing. Instead he's the rock for her to lean on when things get tough.

There are a number of times during the book where Sidney goes through some serious physical and emotional trauma, and each time Mitch is there for her. He doesn't do this to make himself look like the good guy, or use it a pretence to get into her pants. He's doing it because he's a good person. He understands that Sidney is younger than him, and that she might not want to lock herself into a relationship with a man twice her age, so he gives her the space to be who she wants to be and do what she wants to do whilst being there for her the instant she needs him.

The relationship between the two of them is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the book, mainly because it was treated in a very adult way. Often times books that involve romance will put me off a little, particularly if it's too over done. I don't like stories where people are soulmates three days after meeting each other and initially hating each other. This kind of relationship though, one that's evolved over years, where each person in it has thought long and hard about the kind of person they are and what they want out of life feels so much more grounded that I was able to get on board with it much easier.

I won't go into the story too much, as the twisting narrative that packs in the surprises and subverts expectations is one of the best things about the book. That being said, I will talk a little bit about the way that Blair presents the world that she's made.

Going into the book we know nothing about the kinds of creatures that inhabit it, or what the rules are regarding the supernatural. Instead of bombarding the reader with these kinds of facts they're given to us slowly, revealed if and when they become pertinent to the story. We learn werewolves exist when Sidney is called into a crime scene with one. Demons get mentioned when one causes some havoc, and we learn ghosts exist when it comes up in casual conversation.

When you're introducing readers to a new world there's really a few main ways to get them up to speed on how things work. One is to have a completely brand new character who's learning everything fresh and can act as the eyes of the audience. This is similar to Harry learning he's a wizard in the Harry Potter books, where we discover the word alongside him and every new experience for him is one for us. Another way of doing it is to have experienced characters who are used to the world, and the information is given to the readers outside of conversations. Whilst this method can mean that readers get a lot of useful information and background world building it can sometimes feel like an info dump and comes across very stale.

Then there's the approach that Blair took, where we're dropped into the middle of things. When this is done badly readers can feel lost, but in cases like this we're given enough respect to be able to keep up with things and to learn as we go. The characters don't explain the stuff they already know, and we're not given masses of encyclopedia entries on monsters, instead the story presents things to us. That's all. The story provides us with the world in such a way that we don't need the explanations and info dumps because the world just works. This not only speaks volumes for how well crafted the narrative is, but for Blair's ability as an author.

I read the book in one night. I picked it up in the afternoon, put it down once to eat, then kept reading through to the early hours of the morning to finish it. I probably shouldn't have done that, and was actively keeping myself awake to finish it; but the story was so good that I didn't want to wait even those few hours through sleep to find out what happened next.

I don't often use phrases like 'page turner' or 'impossible to put down' because often books aren't like that, even when they're some of the best you've read. But on this occasion I do have to use those words. I stormed through the book because I found it engrossing. I loved the world that Blair was building and the characters she was inhabiting it with. Part of me wishes I had taken longer, just so the experience wouldn't have ended so fast, but there was no way I was going to make myself stop reading and end the fun.

Darkness Shifting is not only a great entry into the Urban Fantasy genre, but an example of how to do the genre right. It excels in every area and left me wanting to read more the moment it was done. I really hope that the next book in the series comes soon, but more than that I really hope that more people discover this absolute gem. So if you've never read this but it sounds like something you'd like please pick it up and give it a chance. Then tell others about it. I'm sure that if hordes of eager fans come to Sarah Blair asking for the next instalment it'll help encourage her to write it, which means I get to read the next book even quicker.

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Friday, 12 June 2020

The 100 by Kass Morgan - Book Review

'Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents—considered expendable by society—are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonise the planet. It could be their second chance at life...or it could be a suicide mission.

'CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor's son, came to Earth for the girl he loves—but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

'Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind's last hope.'

The only experience I'd had of The 100 before reading the book was briefly watching parts of the first season of the television series when it first started airing several years ago, so I was aware of the basic premise, but that was about it. I didn't really remember much from the show, and knew that they'd have changed things anyway, so had no real expectations about what to expect when I sat down to read the book.

The main narrative of The 100 follows a society of humans that have survived the nuclear apocalypse by escaping to space. The ships that took them to safety now float in obit, connected together into a mismatched colony. The people on these three ships have spent centuries trying to maintain their technology and conserve their resources as best they can, sometimes to murderous ends, but now their resources are running low and the technology is failing, leaving returning to Earth as their only choice.

One hundred teenage delinquents are chosen to be sent to the potentially deadly planet below to see if it's safe for the rest of the survivors to return. Kind of like canaries in a coal mine. Now, if this sounds somewhat cruel to you, you're right. One of the first things that you learn about the society of survivors in The 100 is that its not a place you'd want to live. The ships have a big difference in social status and resources, with the citizens of one ship still acting like they're the upper class of society, engaging in fancy balls and classy events with gowns and wine, whilst others are living in abject poverty.

Even with this skewing of resources to favour one group over others there's still a shortage on supplies, meaning that intense measures are in place to keep the population under control. Death seems to be the main punishment within this society, with almost any adult stepping out of line seeming to end in execution. The teens that are in prison are only alive because they're waiting to reach eighteen, at which point the rulers seem to feel more comfortable in having them killed. With such tyrannical rule being sent to a potentially dangerous Earth almost seems like a nice escape from the horrors of their daily reality.

Over the course of the book we get to know a core cast of a few of these teens, not only following them during their attempts to survive, but getting to see flashbacks to their life before. We get to see a little more of how this society functioned, and the 'crimes' that led them to getting their death sentences at the same time. These sections were some of the most interesting in the book. They not only helped to build the characters, and show their motivations and personality in ways that their current circumstances couldn't, but also seemed to raise an interesting point; not everyone in prison deserves to be there.

This isn't a new idea in fiction, and a lot of stories have a hero falsely imprisoned. But whilst some of these stories involved characters framed for crimes they didn't commit The 100 takes a slightly different approach (though there is one character who does fall into that category as she was framed for something she didn't do), The 100 asks you the question of what if the crime isn't worthy of punishment?

The character of Glass, we learn, was sent to prison to await execution because she fell pregnant. This wasn't something that she planned. It just happened. Just like in the real world, sometimes you get pregnant when you never planned it. Even when she loses the baby she's condemned to death. Is that fair? Is it also fair that they want her to give up the father so that he can die too? They haven't added to the population, haven's put strain on these resources because the baby didn't survive, so is it still right to kill two people? The fact that some people are living in relative luxury when others are barely getting by highlights the hypocrisy of this sentence even more. There could be enough resources if they were distributed fairly, but instead people are being killed for relatively little just to maintain the status quo.

I don't know if Kass Morgan intended to create a work that demonised the prison system, but it certainly ended up that way. You come to hate the society that the survivors have created, and the heroes are 'criminals' that are death row inmates. Sadly there's not too much time to really think on this in the book, as events move so fast that we're not really allowed to focus on it. I do hope that this will be explored more later in the series, that perhaps when the other survivors come to Earth those who were victims of this awful regime rise up and get some kind of restitution.

What surprised me most about The 100 was the pace of the story. Kass Morgan manages to pack so much into the book, yet also does so little, that the book felt unfinished. Now, this isn't a criticism, so let me explain. By the end of the book the reader has been given a lot of information about the characters, shown so much of their backstories and gained such a sense of what they're like, that you feel like you've got to know them really well, yet so little has happened since the 100 arrived on Earth that it feels like there's so much more to happen. When I reached the end of the book I knew there was more to come, that this first book had barely touched upon the story, that I wanted to jump straight into the second book to read more. Very clever Kass, you hooked me.

The events on Earth don't cover a huge amount of time, and I think we only get to see a few days of the one hundred on the planet before the book ends on a dramatic moment that promises more to come. Whilst I hope that the story continues to use this exciting pace going forward I don't want to see the author keep using cliffhanger endings to ensure that readers come back for more. It works here, but more than once would get tiring. The story and characters are strong enough to maintain my interest.

The 100 was an interesting and engaging sci-fi story that had a lot more depth to it than I was expecting, and made me consider topics that I didn't really think it would. On the surface it's a story about teenagers being thrust into an exciting and dangerous adventure, but underneath that it raises some scary questions about the penal system and corruption that are still relevant to society even now.

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Thursday, 11 June 2020

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order - Game Review

I find that Star Wars is a series with a lot of ups and downs. People argue about which films are best and which is the superior trilogy, when they all have dud moments and are a bit silly. The shows are amazing, but have the occasional bad episode (we're looking at you all of the Clone Wars Jar-Jar Binks episodes). And the games have either been awesome, or duds. For every Knights of the Old Republic and Jedi Knight 2 there's a Masters of Teras Kasi or Super Bombad Racing.

Because of this somewhat shaky history I held off on buying Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order for a while. I heard a lot of good things about the game, however, so decided it was time to actually get it (especially as it was on sale) and give it a go. I was not disappointing.

First thing I'm going to talk about is the story. Thanks to Star Wars Rebels I have come to really like the era between the prequel and original trilogies, and think that its got some amazing stories to tell. Thanks to recent creations such as the Inquisitors, the new formation of the Rebel Alliance, and the hunting down of Jedi survivors its a time that has a lot of fun things to be payed with. The writers of the game seem to understand this, and very early on begin to throw some awesome story at the player.

The story begins on Bracca, a planet that's being used as a junk yard to scrap a lot of the ships that were used during the Clone Wars, providing the Empire with resources to help build their new fleet. We meet Cal Kestis, a junker trying to meek out a living on the planet. When an accident almost results in his friend being killed Cal uses his force powers to save him, revealing himself as a former Jedi. Before Cal can even find a safe way off Bracca a pair of Inquisitors arrive, forcing Cal on a journey that will result in him reconnecting with the force, and becoming a Jedi.

I loved how the threat of Inquisitors was set up so early on in the game. I was surprised that one of the first things you see in relation to a threat from the Empire is two of these deadly Jedi killers. Star Wars Rebels used the Inquisitors really well during the first two seasons of the show, and they proved to be great antagonists for Jedi heroes. They prove to be a perfect antagonist as they allow Cal, and by extension the player, to engage in exciting lightsaber fights that would otherwise be impossible. There's no way that you can go up against force wielders such as Vader or Palpatine and survive without it being a little unbelievable.

I also liked how the game made mention of other Inquisitors, like the Grand Inquisitor, but used brand new ones. Not only did this mean that you're able to fight and kill the bad guys, but in the case of the Second Sister the game is able to craft engaging backstories and narratives that tie into the main characters and their quest.

The story also introduced some interesting new concepts in the form of the Zeffo, a ancient species that once wielded the Force. The Zeffo add more depth to the universe, exploring how other cultures and races interact with the Force, something that has been done a lot in the new Star Wars media in things such as The Clone Wars and Rebels. This is also built on with the inclusion of Dathomir and the Night Sisters, who use the Force with magics and spells.

Game-play wise, I actually found the game to game to be quite challenging. I'd seen the game described as the Star Wars version of Dark Souls, and I can kind of see that. The combat is very tough, and at times unforgiving. Unlike other games where you play a Jedi you can't just go rushing in swinging your lightsabre wildly. You have to think carefully about how you're going to take on each enemy, and you have to learn the different moves that you have access to.

The game makes the combat one of the harder parts of the game, and whilst at first this is a little frustrating, especially when standard Storm Troopers are killing you, by the end, when you're battling through hordes of soldiers and Purge Troopers to engage in a duel with an Inquisitor, you feel like you're unstoppable, and that you've earned the fights you're having.

Despite having some tough combat, the game also presented a lot of exploration opportunities across its large levels. Whilst some are more linear than others levels such as Zeffo feel like vast, interconnected areas of a world. There are winding pathways that connect to areas in ways you don't expect, and at times you'll be consulting with your map just to make sure you're on the right path because they feel so big.

These levels employ a lot of climbing and platforming sections to interrupt the action, and this was often fun. However, on occasion I found that there were sections where the margin for error on some of the jumps or sliding sections was so small that you'd find yourself falling to your death more than once. One part of the game where you're hurtling through the air and have to land on the back of a huge creature was particularly frustrating as it was very difficult to see where you were going to fall, and landing on a moving target was incredibly tricky. I found these kind of sections more frustrating than dying in battle. If I died in a fight it was usually because I did something wrong and I could ix that next time, if I died falling out of the air it was usually because I couldn't tell where I was supposed to go and I'd die another dozen times before getting the timing just right.

The game isn't perfect, there are some sections that were frustrating, and game-play mechanics that I think could have been changed to make a more enjoyable experience. However, I had a great time playing the game. I went and explored all of the worlds to find every hidden nook and cranny, and loved trying to track down all the collectables and hidden lore that added to the story and universe. I hope that that game did well enough financially to warrant a sequel, and would be more than happy to see more games like this added to the Star Wars catalogue.

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