Tag: fantasy

Book Review – The Hour of Daydreams by Renee M Rutledge

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About the Book

At a river near his home in the Philippine countryside, respected doctor Manolo Lualhati encounters the unthinkable—a young woman with wings. After several incredible visits, he coaxes her to stay behind—to quit flying to the stars with her sisters each night—so they can marry. Tala agrees, but soon finds herself grounded in a new life where she must negotiate Manolo’s parents’ well-intentioned scrutiny.

As Tala tries to keep long-held family secrets from her new husband, Manolo begins questioning the gaps in her stories, and his suspicions push him even further from the truth.

Weaving in the perspectives of Manolo’s parents, Tala’s siblings, and the all-seeing housekeeper, The Hour of Daydreams delves into contemporary issues of identity and trust in marriage, while exploring how myths can take root from the seeds of our most difficult truths.

Format: ebook (232 pages) Publisher: Forest Avenue Press
Publication date: 14th March 2017 Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

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My Review

The author weaves fantasy and fable into the story of Tala and Manolo’s meeting and marriage. The writing has a lyrical, fairytale quality which at times is mesmerising – ‘He began walking along the lip of the water, where it saturated the sand with kisses’ – and the author has some imaginative metaphors/similes. ‘They talked rapidly and their conversation was like a dance; as one took the lead, the others were eager to follow. It was a meandering dance, circling from place to place…‘ However, at other times, the language is surprisingly clunky.

There are keenly observed descriptive passages of everyday life – the market, the quayside – but I found some of the author’s extended metaphors baffling, such as pretty much the whole of chapter 6. The supporting characters are well-drawn and the importance of food and sharing communal meals is lovingly described. I enjoyed the story of the main characters but found that, for me, the fantasy element confused rather than enhanced the narrative.

I received an advance review copy courtesy of Forest Avenue Press via NetGalley.

In three words: Lyrical, imaginative, emotional
Try something similar: Sealskin by Su Bristow

About the Author

Renee was born in Manila, Philippines, and raised in California from the age of four. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two daughters.  Renee received her Bachelor of Arts in English from UC Berkeley and Master of Fine Arts in English and Creative Writing from Mills College. Her reporting on minority issues facing Filipinos was nominated for a New American Media Award and New California Media Award by the editors of Filipinas Magazine. Renee works as a nonfiction book editor for Ulysses Press.

 

Book Review – Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař

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About the Book

spaceman-of-behemia

An intergalactic odyssey of love, ambition, and self-discovery

Orphaned as a boy, raised in the Czech countryside by his doting grandparents, Jakub Procházka has risen from small-time scientist to become the country’s first astronaut. When a dangerous solo mission to Venus offers him both the chance at heroism he’s dreamt of, and a way to atone for his father’s sins as a Communist informer, he ventures boldly into the vast unknown. But in so doing, he leaves behind his devoted wife, Lenka, whose love, he realizes too late, he has sacrificed on the altar of his ambitions.

Alone in Deep Space, Jakub discovers a possibly imaginary giant alien spider, who becomes his unlikely companion. Over philosophical conversations about the nature of love, life and death, and the deliciousness of bacon, the pair form an intense and emotional bond. Will it be enough to see Jakub through a clash with secret Russian rivals and return him safely to Earth for a second chance with Lenka?

Format: ebook (288 pages) Publisher: Little, Brown
Publication date: 9th March 2017 Genre: Science Fiction

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My Review

Spaceman of Bohemia is a space adventure, chronicle of recent Czech history and love story all rolled into one.

Blasted into space to investigate a purple dust cloud christened Chopra, like Robinson Crusoe, Jakub detects signs of his strange companion before his actual encounter.  But is this entity a product of space madness, Jakub’s infected tooth or a much more significant moment for mankind?  Whichever it is, the encounter is a vehicle for Jakub to revisit the events of his youth, notably the trauma of discovering his father’s chequered history and a meeting that will reverberate in future years. ‘When my father the hero was lost, my father the nation’s villain came to light.’

Jakub’s belief that he is the biological carrier of his father’s curse – ‘It must rest within my bowels like a tapeworm’ – and must make amends for it is the catalyst for his resolution to undertake the dangerous space mission, so important for the pride of his fledgling nation. 

A review would not be complete without mentioning the brutally honest depiction of the relationship between Jakub and Lenka that is both believable and ultimately moving.  The author’s writing style grew on me and some of his metaphors are very imaginative: ‘Comets are the universe’s dumpster divers, vagrants pushing their carts of intergalactic junk tirelessly over the centuries.’ Others occasionally less so.  His descriptions of sights, sounds and particularly smells are very evocative.    A very impressive first novel.

I received a review copy courtesy of Little, Brown via NetGalley.

Post review note: A film version of the book entitled Spaceman starring Adam Sandler and Carey Mulligan was released in 2004.

In three words: Quirky, imaginative, moving
Try something similar: The Things We Learn When We’re Dead by Charlie Laidlaw

About the Author

Jaroslav Kalfař was born and raised in Prague, Czech Republic, and emigrated to the United States at the age of fifteen, speaking little to no English at that time but learning it by watching Cartoon Network. His debut novel, Spaceman of Bohemia, was a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, The Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and a nominee for the Dublin Literary Award, and has been published in fourteen languages.

Jaroslav lives in Brooklyn where he splits his time between writing novels and screenplays, and devouring any book he can get his hands on, especially books that play with genre expectations and reflect the strangest parts of life which can be found both in the mundane and the extraordinary. He travels back to the Czech Republic as often as possible to reconnect with his family, his language, his culture and history.