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I read two short stories this month that I think qualify for Weirdathon status.
The Devil in America by Kai Ashante Wilson
“Scant years after the Civil War, a mysterious family confronts the legacy that has pursued them across centuries, out of slavery, and finally to the idyllic peace of the town of Rosetree. The shattering consequences of this confrontation echo backwards and forwards in time, even to the present day.”
This story looks at a family of former slaves who have an extreme way of protecting themselves from violence in the post-Civil War South. The format of the story is broken up with notes from a member of this family in the present day on the best way to tell the story.
One of the books that I selected to read for Weirdathon was:
“This trilogy follows the story of John Chen and Emma Donohoe. They have just found out that Emma has Demon blood and they have suffered the miscarriage of their first child. The Sidhe—or Shining folk, who defeated the Western Shen a thousand years ago—are prepared to do battle against the Western Shen to retain their dominance. Emma’s allegiance is torn: to fight for her kind, the Western demons she is descended from, or to stand alongside her beloved Xuan Wu.”
I’ve read all the rest of her books about these characters. It starts with Emma finding out that her new employer is the Chinese God Xuan Wu. It gets weirder from there.
I went to buy the ebook on Amazon and got a message that basically said, “You know you already own this, right?” Yeah, turns out I already read it. The next one isn’t out yet. I reread it because I didn’t remember all the details (obviously if I didn’t remember reading it) but it got familiar as it went on. I can’t really talk about everything that is weird about it for fear of the Google search results. I am looking forward to the next book.
In the meantime there are a few short stories in this world. I read this one.
The Gravity Engine by Kylie Chan
“Because of his unique heritage, Prince Michael has the opportunity to find out what’s happening in the silent European Heavens. He discovers wonder, beauty and a love he thought was lost forever – as well as a threat that could lead to the fall of his home in Asia.”
Michael is the son of the tiger god and a European woman. All the gods in these stories have animal and human aspects. This story was ok but nothing amazing. I still prefer the books.
I also found out that I’m not allowed to have this book on my TBR list.
“SMALL SHEN is the amazing story of Gold — a stone spirit and a chronic troublemaker in the court of the great Gods of Chinese mythology.
A mix of Kylie Chan′s brilliant storytelling and Queenie Chan′s beautiful illustrations, SMALL SHEN is a fantastic treat for fans of WHITE TIGER. Readers will be thrilled to discover the events leading up to John Chen and Emma Donahoe′s story in this wonderful prequel.”
Australia is holding it hostage.
It is only available in Australia. I can’t buy it anywhere in the States. I can’t get it from libraries.
I finally found a website that let me buy a used copy of it. I must admit that it made me get a little obsessed when it appeared that I wasn’t allowed to have it at all.
I have wanted to read Kylie Chan for a while but just haven’t got to it. Must remedy that soon!
Kylie Chan’s series sounds great. I have a soft spot for god/moral interactions. 🙂