Hats off to all you magical people out there! I mentioned in last week’s roundup about us not getting rain in my corner of Japan, then wished for your help in securing said rain through whimsical, unscientific means, and voilà! It rained! Not all week, but in long-enough spurts to actually mean something to the poor, dried-out land around here. My fellow wizards, witches, and magical creatures: ありがとうございました (thank you very much). And with that happy episode at an end, let’s start this week’s roundup of events at Speculative Chic!
Monday
Noted artist, musician, and all-around creative magician Steven Archer stopped by the MFT to celebrate the upcoming release of Donna Lynch’s poetry collection, Choking Back the Devil, which he illustrates. Join us as he divulges his current favorite things that make him tick — from tools of the trade to music and mixing, and books that are so impactful they color works for years to come. Intrigued? Come take a look!
Tuesday
J.L. knocks another book off the list for her Resolution Project with Gunmetal Magic, a novel by Ilona Andrews in her Kate Daniels urban fantasy series. J.L. read Gunmetal Magic years ago — with this revisit, does it hold up to the passage of time? What was it like to read the book with new eyes? With creative magic and a different POV, how does this volume add to the Kate Daniels mythos? J.L.’s got you covered here.
Wednesday
We are on fire this week with review coverage! Kendra brings you her take on Ladycastle, a unique graphic novel that takes the traditional swords-and-sorcery adventure and turns it on its head. With men getting themselves killed and the monsters cursed to attack, who’s left to save the day? Read on for more — you don’t want to miss this story or review. Have at it!
Thursday
Behold, a trifecta: Nancy hits you with her review of S.L. Huang’s Zero Sum Game, a science fiction odyssey that delights in both the power of mathematics and complicated morality — a fascinating combo, but there’s so much more going on here! On top of that, the book’s been on a journey from self-published to traditionally pubbed (its current iteration from Tor), and Nancy’s experienced both versions. For her take, look no further!
Friday
The moment you’ve all been waiting for is here! Merrin leads the pack with a discussion of this month’s Book Club selection, David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks. Chosen in honor of the recent Summer Solstice, Merrin breaks down the plot and the discussion points. Mitchell is noted for works that span generations, characters, and time periods (Cloud Atlas, anyone?), and The Bone Clocks runs along a similar vein. So, how’d we do? How did you do? Jump into the conversation here!
Book Club
In addition to the June discussion, here’s your friendly reminder to pop open V.E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic, which we’ll discuss in July. On top of that, we’re still running the poll for the August pick, themed around the back-to-school season — with a speculative twist! We’re talking universities of magic, and you can choose from Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, Elizabeth Hand’s Waking the Moon, and Suzette Mayr’s Dr. Edith Vane and the Hares of Crawley Hall. Who will win? Vote here!
That’s all for this week! What’s the weather like in your corner of the world right now? If you need rain, I hope you get it. If you want sun, I hope you get it. If you want dry heat and no humidity, I hope you get it. Whatever magic was conjured before, let’s hope it works again, and your summer is comfortable and whatever you need it to be. We’ll see you again next time!
Photo by JR Korpa for Unsplash
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