Wolf’s Path, Joyce Chng
Read courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, Atthis Arts. It will be out in March.
A collection to mark Chng’s turning 50 this year, this is a collection that embraces the changing nature of the writer over their career: from their earliest published work, through to very recent pieces. Arranged roughly chronologically, the reader gets a sense of how Chng has changed over time – I think the later work is a bit more polished than the earlier pieces, although those early ones are certainly still worth reading. You also get to see some of the consistent themes that Chng keeps coming back to. In particular, questions of what life can and might be like during war pop up several times; and explorations of gender, ethnicity, and identity broadly defined are a consistent presence. And Chng’s experience as a Singaporean is also fundamental to their stories, with many of the stories taking place in either a real or imagined Southeast Asia.
It’s brilliant that Atthis Arts is publishing this retrospective collection. Too often white men get collected early in their careers and everyone else just… doesn’t. Chng’s voice is an example of one that should be highlighted and celebrated.
Upon a Starlit Tide
Read courtesy of NetGalley. It’s out in mid-February.
A simply glorious addition to the world of fairy-tale re-imaginings.
Did I think that mashing Cinderella and The Little Mermaid with a dash of Bluebeard (and a lesser known Breton tale) would work? I had doubts, but I did love Woods’ first novel so I decided to have faith. And it was amply rewarded.
Set in Saint-Malo in 1758, it seemed at first like this is going to be a largely real-world story… until it becomes clear that the Fae exist, although they have appeared less often to mortals in the last generation or two. And Saint-Malo, a coastal town thriving on the revenue of its sailors – both through legit trade and through privateering – is protected by storm-stone, which is also magical in some way.
The focus is Luce, youngest (and adopted) of three daughters of one of Saint-Malo’s chief and richest seamen. Her damaged feet only slightly hamper her determination to get out of the house when everyone else is asleep, to go beachcombing and even sailing with a pair of English smugglers she has befriended. And one day, she rescues a young man from drowning… you can already see some of the fairy-tale shapes here. Woods does a brilliant job of using familiar beats and combining them into an intriguing, captivating, and highly readable story.
I enjoyed Luce, and the stories of her sisters; I was generally delighted by the world (with the usual caveat that it’s not aiming to be an utterly realistic and historical warts n all story, plus it’s about a super wealthy family); I liked the way the Fae are imagined and presented.
I can’t wait to see what Woods does next.
Randomly Yours, Alex 