REVIEWED BY J.S. FIELDS

Genre: fantasy (silk punk) (novella)

Pairings: trans (masculine)/m

Queer Representation: transgender, nonbinary

Warnings: none

Rating: 4 stars

Review

(this is one of the rare times when the back of book blurb is accurate, so I'm just going to copy it below)

Mokoya and Akeha, the twin children of the Protector, were sold to the Grand Monastery as infants. While Mokoya developed a strange prophetic gift, Akeha was always the one who could see the strings that moved adults to action. While Mokoya received visions of what would be, Akeha realized what could be. What's more, they saw the sickness at the heart of their mother's Protectorate.

A rebellion is growing. The Machinists discover new levers to move the world every day, while the Tensors fight to put them down and preserve the power of the state. Unwilling to continue as spawn in their mother's twisted schemes, Akeha leaves the Tensorate behind and falls in with the rebels. But ever step Akeha takes toward the Machinists is a step away from Mokoya. Can Akeha find peace without shattering the bond they share with their twin?
 
Characterization

Nonbinary fiction written by a nonbinary author is right up my alley! This novella was short and sweet, with excellent pacing and perfect character development. The twins, in particular, are very well thought out, and their evolution from children to rebels is delightful at every turn. The mother (The Protector) is that kind of delicious evil you can salivate over--power hungry but respects a challenge ala Lionel Luther from Smallville (don't pretend you never watched that show. It was on for ten seasons. You had to have seen it once, if only for Johnathon Glover's hair).

The world, in particular, is very well done. The idea that children are born and raised androgynous and then must declare their gender (and then go through a medical transition to achieve it) was much more intuitive than other instances I have read, likely due to the author's intimate familiarity with nonbinary genders. Akeha's struggle to pick within the binary when they (later they use 'he') don't have the strongest of urges to move in either direction, resonated well. The deeper look at the trans masculine experience was also fresh and authentic, and will resonate with many trans masculine and trans nonbinary readers.

Steampunk versus silk punk

While steampunk has never been a favorite genre of mine, I have to say that I'm now well hooked on silk punk. It has all the fun trappings of the steampunk genre (cool machine weapons and budding technology), but without the tired European aesthetic. While the pacing in this book was ideal, I wouldn't have minded staying in the world a bit longer (overthrow the Protectorate!!), especially in the last thirty pages or so (OMG WHY IS THE MOM SMILING KILL HER KILL HER WITH FIRE!) when you get a bigger look at the tech and the politics at play. I'm eager to get my hands on the other book in the duology, moreso for the world than anything else (although the characters are a bonus!).

Through line

The only downside to the book was a lack of strong overarching narrative. I was happy to be along for the ride, but I was never really sure where the ride was going, or what the goals of the characters were. Not everyone needs or wants that in a book, however, and the pacing was strong enough (and the book short enough) that it wasn't a major hurdle. It did leave me wondering in several places as to what the actual plot was, but then some cool new tech would come around, or Akeha would have a gender moment again, and I'd be right back in the story.

Lovers of steampunk and/or lovers of enby fantasy will have a great time with THE BLACK TIDES OF HEAVEN. Bonus- the author is on Twitter, active, and they are an absolute delight to follow.

You can buy THE BLACK TIDES OF HEAVEN in paperback here and ebook here.

RATING: Five stars

Reviewed by L.A. Ashton


Genre: Sci-Fi / Space Opera

Pairings: F/F (setup for future novels)

Queer Rep: NBs! Queers!

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence.

Synopsis

Neek is the pilot of a run-down transport ship, where she and her eclectic crew work to make ends meet. Exiled from her home world for not transcribing to the belief of the traveling planet Ardulum and its godly inhabitants, she seeks a way to earn favor to see her family again.

It seems like a normal day when the crew stumbles across a battle between a strange alien race and the sheriffs of the Charted Systems. Growing stranger by the moment, Neek and her crew are rewarded for their (accidental) aid with the gift of a slave girl. A slave girl who bears a striking resemblance to the Ardulan gods of lore, and whose ability to manipulate cellulose could make her a force of righteousness, or a paragon of destruction.

General

This is another “holy shit” book. And by “holy shit” book, I mean “holy God guys, read this immediately.”

Plot

Ardulum is beautifully paced, charming as hell, and delivers mounting excitement throughout.

The first scene is strange, delivering the narrative in a way that’s a bit unconventional, but easy to follow. I balked when I first began, but as I read on I became deeply entrenched in the moment. The reader’s next scene is with Neek, and she immediately makes you feel at home. The Firefly vibes are strong with this one, and the quippy charm and attitude was a sight for sore eyes.

Things unfold naturally; action and space battles flash through your mind’s eye, and personal struggles keep you grounded alongside the crew. I was always clamoring for more— more details, more info, more. This could be why I finished the book in less than two days.

Setting

The universe surrounding Neek is highly alien. Despite that, the world and intricacies are always palatable. My eyes never glazed over from info dumps or confusion. Instead, their lives and worlds bloomed to full color on the page in front of me. They felt like places that worked and moved even when I wasn’t watching them, realistic both in their structure and presentation.

Characters

Gosh darn it, I fell in love with the whole crew. I loved them and their interpersonal dynamics, which made every conversation a joy to read.

J. S. Fields does something wonderful in their writing, and it is something that calls to me specifically: Everything is gray. You think this character is chaotic evil? You think they’re the indisputable “bad guys”? Guess again.

The readers are given multiple povs that span the universe and its races, and every single glimpse left me more conflicted than the last. The characters I wanted to hate weren’t inherently awful! The guys you build up in your mind as good and untouchable might have dark ulterior motives! There is nothing more wonderful than this. It is human, and in this case it is also alien. Right and wrong shift depending on where you stand, and societal constructs color one’s upbringing. There is definitely commentary here— not heavy handed or brash, but nuanced. The reader has to reexamine their initial views and adjust as the book plows forward, and something as simple as this made the narrative all the more exhilarating. You are on a journey with the characters, sometimes with a touch of dramatic irony, and sometimes just as ignorant.
 
Ardulum was so good that I actually had to ban myself from downloading the second one, because I knew I’d read it the moment it hit my Kindle. I have things to do. It will be my reward. J. S. writes beautifully and stoically, if that makes sense to anyone but me. They deliver scientific information without forcing a laymen like me to scratch my head. The only parts I struggled with were during some battles, in which the manipulation of cellulose was being illustrated. It’s probably from a lack of understanding of the compound, but I didn’t feel I could envision it properly. Luckily this doesn’t detract much— the action is narrated internally as well as externally, so the effect of that manipulation is made obvious (and cool. It was super cool).
 
Please buy the book. Honestly, just... Here’s the link. Give it the ol’ click. 

J. S. Fields’ official site can be found here, and their twitter is here.

Note: I am an Amazon Associate and I am using affiliate links. These do not affect you or my reviews.
 
From Ninestar Press:
Ardulum (ebook) 
From Amazon.com:
Ardulum (print)     |    Ardulum (ebook) 

​* According to your author bio, you identify as trans and utilise gender neutral pronouns (their/them). How has your own life experience and identity influenced your writing?

I've been an avid reader my whole life, but characters with whom I could connect fully have always been few and far between. One of the reasons I started writing is to create stories that have queer and trans characters at the center, but aren't focused on gender or sexuality. I want action adventure stories with characters that truly resonate, and creating those stories has given me so much joy. I've made so many connections with youth and adults who feel the same way I do, that queer and trans stories deserve more than they're often given- as side characters or tokens, or solely defined by their gender/sexuality. Going through many different iterations of understanding my own sexuality and gender identity has allowed me to flesh out different experiences more fully, and the people I've met along my own journey have also heavily influenced my own writing. We all deserve to see ourselves as heroes, and more importantly, to be seen as heroes by others.  

* If you could re-make any Disney movie to include more gender and sexual diversity, which one would it be? 


MULAN, I'm still bitter that she's not officially genderqueer with her delightful pan boyfriend. It's so clear to me that this story deserved more depth and care for queer identities, and it would have been so important to young trans, gq and fluid people to see such an iconic character openly identify as not cis. 

* You have a series coming out soon, the Psionics. Who is your favourite character in this series? Why?
My favorite character in any series I've written is in this series! His name is Leaf and he's a pansexual transguy who makes his living as a trickster conman. He avoids fights at all costs, which makes me laugh, because I'm a martial artist and usually warrior characters are my favorites, but Leaf trumps all my tough guys by miles. He's sweet, witty, super quick and with a cutting sense of humor. He's just the best! Right now I'm actually working on a companion short story where he's the protagonist, and I'm having so much fun! His mission is to break an unknown spy out of jail, but first he has to get in... by getting arrested. While he's a major character in books 1, 3 and 4 of the Psionics, he's not a POV character, so getting to explore him more deeply is really satisfying. It's definitely going to inform my edits!  He's loosely based on a dude I met while backpacking in Australia, but I like my fictional version much better. 

* Tell us about Warp Weavers. What inspired a story about teens with super powers?
​
I love superpowers, I always have done. I've always been fascinated by the with-great-power paradigm. Warp Weavers deals a lot with what it means to be chosen as a hero, what if you don't want that burden? My protagonist for the first story in that series just wants to get her missing parents back and move on with her life, but that's not the way magic works in this universe. Once you're chosen, there's no backing out. To be honest, I think the main inspiration behind this series was the closing of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The idea of thousands of superpowered teens working together, making friends and fighting evil side by side, has always appealed to me. I'm a sucker for a found family. In the Warp Weavers universe, the magic comes in three strains- there are warriors, (you can probably guess what they can do), warlocks, who work magic to support their team, and finally, weavers. Weavers have the power to sense rifts between dimensions, as well as open and close those magical doorways. They're a key part in the fight against the encroaching demonic armies, as without them the doors would stay open forever, and we'd all be overrun and enslaved. 

​
* How do you choose your character names when writing fiction?

Ha, I'm not sure I should answer this question. Most of my characters are named after students! I'm a teacher, and that provides a lot of name inspiration. I try really hard to not base characters on my students though, just pinch their names. Working in Vancouver is especially good for this because we have such a vibrantly diverse community I'll never end up with five main characters with similar names. 

* If you could have dinner with two of your own characters in real life, who would you choose and why?

Leaf, my amazing conman as mentioned above, and Dent. Dent is actually Leaf's adopted father, but when he's not rescuing dozens of kids from poverty, he's actually the King of the Slums. He's a smuggler, land pirate and all around swashbuckler who loves playing tricks, having fun, and making sure everyone is well fed. I think having dinner with these two would be a barrel of laughs, although I'd probably leave without my wallet, cell phone and jewelry. I wouldn't put it past them to be able to get my lip rings out without me even noticing. I consider that to be a small price to pay, though, as I'm sure that the hilarity would be well worth it.
​
* Coffee or tea?

Why do people try to enforce false binaries?! :D I drink both. Usually tea on weekdays, both before and after work while coffee is more of a nice weekend treat. I have ADD and caffeine hits me pretty hard, so it's nice to have time to work off the extra buzz before having to function in public on the weekend. 

* Can you tell us about the BRAVE NEW GIRLS anthology? I understand you have a story featured in Volume 3.

It's an awesome project that is a collection of YA short stories all starring girls (trans inclusive!) who use science, tech, engineering or math skills to save the day. http://bravenewgirls.weebly.com/ you can find out more here if you like! My new story is about a trans lesbian mechanic who lives on Io (one of Jupiter's moons) and accidentally ends up embroiled with some outlaws because of a cute girl.