What have you been
reading this month?
“Just started
Christopher Golden’s
Ararat, heard good
things. #BookClub”
@bloodyfl icks“Halfway through
@StephenKing’s
The Outsider. It’s
his best novel for
years. #BookClub”
@NakMac“Listening Godzilla:
King Of The
Monsters audio
book. Lot more
detail and explains
more than the fi lm
did. Narration
is excellent.
#BookClub”
@safcinexile“Been reading
Moon, by James
Herbert. A grim
tale full of haunting
visions and
grotesque murders.
Herbert ramps the
suspense up to the
max with this book,
it’s a real page
turner. #BookClub”
@paul_bowler“Good Omens by
Terry Pratchett and
@neilhimself - fi rst
time reading and
loving the banter
from Aziraphale
and Crowley, and
full of darkly comic
and witty writing
#BookClub”
@Kev_h80“I’ve picked up The
Atrocity Archives by
Charles Stross. First
novel in The Laundry
Files series and am
loving it #BookClub”
@farscape08“Am just fi nishing
Philip Roth’s The Plot
Against America - a
brilliant tale set in
an alternate history
1940s America.
#BookClub”
@BobHammond2“Am currently
rereading
Norman Mailer’s
Ancient Evenings.
#BookClub”
@SussueBlack
Tell us what you’re reading
on Twitter or FacebookBOOK CLUB
Gods Of Jade And Shadow // The Bone GardenGods Of
Jade And
Shadow
Death takes
a holiday
Release 6 August
Writer Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Publisher Quercus Books
Price £14.99
Poor Casiopea Tun. Named for
a constellation, she’s about as far
from the stars as it gets, working
as a glorifi ed servant in her
grandfather’s house in Mexico in
the Twenties. Her better-favoured
cousin, Martín, makes her life
a complete misery, and while
Casiopea dreams of moving to the
city or seeing the ocean, her days
are spent in drudgery.
That is, until she opens the
mysterious black box at the end
of her grandfather’s bed and
accidentally sets free Hun-Kamé,
one of the Mayan gods of death.
Imprisoned by his twin brother,
Hun-Kamé’s out for revenge, and
Casiopea gets taken along for the
ride. Ultimately, though, both of
their fates lie somewhere along
the Black Road of Xibalba, the
Mayan underworld...
Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s prose is
lush and evocative, deftly conjuring
the multiple dimensions of her
story. There are some elements of
the tale that feel kind of inevitable,especially as Hun-Kamé becomes
more human and Casiopea realises
how pretty she is – some fairy tale
tropes can’t be escaped – but the
combination of the period setting
and the Mayan mythology makes
everything else feel fresh. Every
page seems to bring new peril,
whether that’s a restriction on
Casiopea imposed by her place
in history or a magical obstacle
introduced by another trickster
god, so even if you suspect she’ll
triumph in the end, it’s all pretty
pulse-quickening.
And really, it’s impossible not to
feel for a heroine like Casiopea, so
full of longing and so thoroughly
screwed over by the world that
even working for the god of death
looks like a better deal than she’s
got at home. The ending promises
more adventures for Casiopea and
her newfound supernatural friends,
and rather than feeling like a plea
to buy the next book, that feels like
a genuinely exciting prospect.
Sarah Lines
The Bone
Garden
Dust and bone
Release Out now
Writer Heather Kassner
Publisher Titan Books
Price £7.99It’s always a real pleasure
to witness an author in absolute
control of the fantasy world they
have created, especially when it
comes to a story so tightly woven
as this.
Heather Kassner’s debut novel
is a short but very sweet tale that is
set almost entirely over the course
of just a single night in a graveyard
and it is a beautifully woven
gothic treat.
Irréelle has spent her short life
being told that she isn’t real. The
only one who can actually see her is
her creator, the horribly cruel Miss
Vesper, who brought her to life using
bone dust and magic.
Irréelle lives in servitude and the
hope of one day being made a realgirl. However, when Miss Vesper
decides that her last mistake will
most defi nitely be her last, Irréelle
fl ees into the graveyard where she
discovers two things. The fi rst is that
she is, in fact, not alone at all. The
second is that she may hold the
key to fi nding her mistress’ heart’s
desire, which could put her in a very
interesting position indeed...
Running to under 300 pages, The
Bone Garden knows exactly what
it’s all about. Kassner never allows
the focus to drift from Irréelle for a
second, even after she discovers
that she is not the only creature in
the cemetery.
Furthermore, her heartfelt
yearning is every bit as important
as the delightful dark details of Miss
Vesper’s enchantments and the
dangers of the graveyard beyond.
There is also a welcome sense
of humour in the novel which
perfectly complements the overall
mood, rather than detracting from
it at all.
At times, The Bone Garden does
feel a little slight and even at this
pretty short length there is far too
much repetition within it when it
comes to the threat.However, Irréelle’s sheer
determination makes her very
easy to root for, Miss Vesper is a
wonderfully horrid (but human)
villain, and there is just enough
anarchic mischief to keep things
quite exciting.
It’s certainly a striking debut,
and fans of moonlight shining on
gravestones should have a wonderful
time with this novel.
Jonathan Hatfull
YOUR READS
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