Changing American Stories
Review: The Island of Dreams by Jaye Viner
On the list of things I’m not particularly fond of – Neverland riffs. I always found the original vaguely creepy, but I prefer to leave it behind as an artifact of childhood alongside that really creepy doll in the wedding dress that you really don’t want to see come alive.
(The B&B I stayed in on my last trip had one in the dining room).
The Island of Dreams falls into this category, although I found it less annoying than the one in which Peter grew up to be Hook.
But it’s still not for me, especially the completely unnecessary changing of Peter’s name…possibly it’s a reference I don’t get. Justine is a teenager who agrees to become the island’s new Mother in place of a friend…which involves dying.
All she really wanted was to find a good husband (this is the late 19th century) and settle down and have kids. But now she’s on an adventure.
Viner makes an interesting cosmology out of the ideas of Neverland, but in some ways it would be more interesting if not bound to that scaffold. That said, she’s a reasonably talented writer and the book is competently written.
I have no doubt that it would appeal to somebody who is there for twisted Neverland riffs and a reminder that Peter Pan is, in fact, pretty dang creepy.
I received a copy of this book for review and award consideration purposes.
Review: The Water Blade by Stuart Jaffe
Jaffe is a good writer. Which makes this book a shame (this is also the second Falstaff book I’ve read recently that had a similar problem, which disappoints me as Falstaff is not a conservative publisher) because I can’t recommend it.
Why not?
The Water Blade takes place in a thinly veiled fantasy America, with a technologically advanced east, a rural frontier, and a “savage” west.
I kept waiting to see evidence of subversion. Jaffe toys with it, but ultimately this book is straight up Colonists Good, Natives Bad/Filthy/Disgusting, Rah! I don’t even know if it was intentional, but the book left a foul taste in my mouth. Not to mention the gender essentialism which takes two forms…the classic “Only women can do magic” and gods of “both” sexes. Both cultures are gender essentialist in the same way.
Of our viewpoint characters, the detective, Zev, is by far the more interesting. Axon is the typical “princess who becomes a warrior against the wishes of her family” we’ve all seen a thousand times. I prefer sheepfarmer’s daughters, and if you get that reference, you’re my new friend.
There’s also a hint of royalist tendencies here. I don’t typically assume that an author carries the beliefs shown in their books, but in this case it doesn’t matter. Regardless of Jaffe’s views, the book carries a colonialist message…and the fact that Axon is described as being Black does not help matters.
Again, this is well written, I just couldn’t handle the attitudes the book showed. I’m past the point of wanting to read unexamined colonialism at this stage in my life.
This author can do so much better. It can even be fixed in this series! And not having read any of Jaffe’s other work, I’m going to give him some benefit of the doubt…but this first volume does not incline me to read on.
I received a copy of this book for review and award consideration purposes.