Child of the Morning by Pauline Gedge
Child of the Morning
Hatshepsut was considered a child of the gods, and not only because she was the daughter of the Pharaoh. She fated to be strong, intelligent and a leader. Unfortunately, she was born the wrong gender. She lived in a world where only men could learn, fight and rule, but she was determined to prove that even as a woman, she was the true ruler of Egypt. It is with this determination and the love given and recieved by her followers that Hatshepsut was to become Egypt’s one and only female Pharoah.
Child of the Morning is a brilliant piece of historical fiction that transports the reader to Egypt’s magnificent 18th dynasty and brings to life one of the most controversial rulers in its history – Queen Hatshepsut. Though considered a work of fiction Pauline takes a lot of her story from history, digging into the past and giving it a soul with her vivid descriptions and dialog.
The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar
Good Fairies of New York
Having been kicked out of Scotland two rogue faeries – Heather and Morag- find themselves in New York where they can’t seem to keep themselves out of trouble. In a fight of clan honour the two faeries separate, one befriending Kerry, a young girl suffer from Crohn’s disease and the other tagging along with the humbug Dinnie who lives across the street. In a comedy of errors the two faeries find themselves unexpectedly at war with the native faeries of New York, and all the while trying to find a solution to their banishment from their home.
I picked up this book originally because it was about faeries, thinking it was going to be similar to the Holly Black’s novels for teens. I was pleasantly surprised to see how Martin Millar was able to take the fantasy of faerie lore and display it in a gritty, down to earth way.
What hit me the hardest emotionally was Kerry’s struggle with Crohn’s disease. My brother suffers from this and it has been such a struggle for him to deal with. Granted his is not as severe as it was written in the book, but none-the-less it scared the snot out of me. What I loved the most was though the character had such an unfortunate affliction she never loses the creativity and light inside of her heart.
Was by Geoff Ryman
Was
What if Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz was based off of a real person? In this book the Kansas prairies contain the story of a young Dorothy Gael who, after the tragic deaths of her mother and brother, is transfered into the care of her aunt Em and uncle Henry. In this version, however, there is no over the rainbow.
Though the core of the story follows the “real” Dorothy as she suffers through her life in Kansas, it also gives us glimpses of the life of Jonathan, a young actor suffering from aids who has been greatly influenced by the Wizard of Oz. In both story’s the characters are searching for something that was, but doesn’t exist in the is.
My only critique about the book is the three random stories about Judy Garland. I felt that it was added more as a fan service to the Wizard of Oz then to actually perpetuate the story. It did give a little bit of insight into the filming of the movie, but I found myself questioning the relevancy of it when the book came to an end.
Tags: Books, Egypt, faeries, Wizard of Oz
i loved martin miller’s “good fairies of new york” ! i thought i was the only person who’d heard of it, right on.