Oct 26 2023

Magical History Tour Vol 13 – Marie Curie: A Life In Science by Fabrice Erre & Sylvain Savoie

I continue to be impressed by the breadth, depth and humanity Fabrice Erre and Sylvain Savoie show in their long-running series on famous historical figures and events.

This thirteenth volume of the children’s illustrated series focuses on Marie Skłodowska Curie, who did so much and fought so hard to be able to help people and, along the way, get the recognition she so rightfully deserved. I, like so many others, know that she battled the sexism that sought to deprive her of an education, opportunities and career in order to become a Nobel-prize-winning scientist twice over. I know that her research into radioactivity and celebrated discovery of radium eventually led to her death by leukemia. But there was so much more that I didn’t know about this fascinating, complicated, heroic woman before reading Mssrs Erre & Savoia’s excellent biography, and so much I’m grateful to have been able to learn from the best and most accessible history series on the market today.

Framed as a conversation between level-headed, knowledgeable teenager Annie and her much more impulsive younger brother Nico, the book begins with the latter complaining that there’s nothing left to discover in all the world. Annie, ofc, points out that we cannot know what we do not know, which leads to a discussion of science and, specifically, Marie Curie.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/26/magical-history-tour-vol-13-marie-curie-a-life-in-science-by-fabrice-erre-sylvain-savoie/

Oct 25 2023

The Düngeonmeister Goblin Quest Coloring Book by Jef Aldrich, Jon Taylor & Zachary Bacus

Follow Along with―and Color―This All-New RPG Fantasy Adventure! (as the tagline goes)

So this is something of a departure from your usual book of role-playing adventure. Most modules/campaign books are just stuffed with stats and info to help the Dungeon Master (or Dungeon Meister, in this case. We’ll just use the standard DM from here on in to reference that) lead their party on a grand tale of derring-do. This adventure-coloring-book is much lighter on detail but gives players way more agency in randomly determining what happens next in the story — if that isn’t a contradiction in terms — often by choosing what to color.

The book also claims that you don’t need a DM to play but I genuinely cannot think of a role-playing system where that would actually succeed. Maybe a solo system like Ironsworn? It’s likely a failure of my imagination that I can’t come up with any alternatives for larger groups. That, however, does lead me to the next selling point of this volume: how it’s set up to be system agnostic. While the default is clearly Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, this adventure is easily adaptable to any high fantasy campaign. The book itself starts you off with four characters: a stalwart dragonborn fighter, a sly halfling rogue, a solemn human paladin and a comical tiefling warlock. They are all named but none have stats, so you have freedom in building their specialties. The book also adds villains and helpers as you go along, again with names and no stats.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/25/the-dungeonmeister-goblin-quest-coloring-book-by-jef-aldrich-jon-taylor-zachary-bacus/

Oct 24 2023

Sacrifices For Kingdoms by Patricia D’Arcy Laughlin (EXCERPT)

Read an excerpt from Sacrifices For Kingdoms, a debut contemporary romance/women’s fiction novel featuring Elizabeth, a sophisticated activist and philanthropist from Trinidad, and Michael, a socially conscious European prince, who are irresistibly drawn to one another. As their love deepens, they must navigate dangerous secrets, political intrigue, and the struggle to reconcile their opposing loyalties.

Elizabeth is a charismatic public speaker, advocating for equality with her provocative speeches on topics like “God Has No Gender.” Her activism draws the wrath of religious extremists, putting her safety at risk. Tragedy strikes when an assassin’s bullet hits its mark, leading to shocking revelations and the division of loyalties.

We were graciously given permission to let you take a look inside, with a passage from Chapter 2!

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CHAPTER 2
An Audacious Prince

They were about to slip away from the crowd when Elizabeth caught a glimpse of the group who had befriended her earlier. “I forgot to say goodbye to those lovely young people.”

The prince looked in the direction in which she was looking and said, “Ah, the twins and their friends. I’ll tell them you had to leave in a hurry later.”

“You know them?”

He grinned, “I should hope so. I’ve spent 18 long years helping them grow up. They’re my sister and brother.”

Elizabeth couldn’t hide her surprised look—she hadn’t recognized them, all grown up now. She smiled at him as she said, “This day has certainly been full of surprises.”

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/24/sacrifices-for-kingdoms-by-patricia-darcy-laughlin-excerpt/

Oct 23 2023

Mariko Between Worlds by Matthew Erman & Liana Kangas

with colors by Rebecca Nalty and lettering by Micah Myers.

First off, this is not a rom-com. As a fan of modern romances, I think it’s important that media with that label actually have the Happily Ever After (or For Now) ending, and this graphic novel certainly doesn’t. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t say anything about an ending that even hints at being a spoiler, but calling this a rom-com (as the official descriptions do!) feels like false advertising.

While Mariko Between Worlds may not be a rom-com, it is definitely a coming-of-age story. Our title protagonist has put her life on hold while she dates her boyfriend Rem. Rem has recently gotten what seems like a cushy job on the Moon Of Plenty. Unfortunately, the government has rejected her application to join him, effectively ending their six-year relationship.

Rem, a perpetual optimist, thinks that this means they have one last perfect day to spend together before he has to move away. The more responsible Mariko urges him to get his affairs in order before they embark on a hedonistic exploration of the Mall of Portals on the Plane of Games, where they live. But this last hurrah raises the question in Mariko’s mind of exactly why she’s held on to Rem for so long, even as an opportunity for her to earn the coveted visa appears, if she’ll only do an illicit favor for a shadowy figure.

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Oct 20 2023

Let The Dead Bury The Dead by Allison Epstein (EXCERPT)

Hi, readers! As we head into the weekend, let me gift you with an excerpt from Allison Epstein’s latest novel, Let The Dead Bury The Dead.

The war is over – it’s 1812 and Russian forces have defeated Napoleon. Sasha, a self-made captain of the Imperial Army, is finally coming home to his lover, the wayward Grand Duke Felix in Saint Petersburg. Sasha’s been dreaming of this moment but before he even makes it to Felix’s doorstep, their reunion is interrupted by a mysterious woman lying in the snow, Sofia. Maybe it’s all the folk tales Sasha grew up on, but he begins to suspect Sofia may not be…human. This twisted tale unfolds in Allison Epstein’s latest novel, LET THE DEAD BURY THE DEAD (Doubleday, Fiction; October 17, 2023).

Sofia’s presence drives an instant wedge between the reunited lovers. Sasha sees a cunning and dangerous witch, while Felix is charmed and taken by her political suggestions. Under her spell, Felix and Sofia separate from Sasha to join a dissident group of organizers, the Koalitsiya. They’re brewing up the largest strike the city has ever seen and Sasha is tasked with tracking the man he loves. Sofia’s power grows and tensions rise as the future of Russia could be forever changed.

Inspired by the Decembrist Revolt, Epstein creates a rich world full of revolutionaries, fairy tales and love in this reimagined history. Her irreverent and infectious sense of humor jumps through the thrilling and fast-paced story as she transports readers to dark and surreal Imperial Russia. Read on for an excerpt from the very first chapter:

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/20/let-the-dead-bury-the-dead-by-allison-epstein-excerpt/

Oct 19 2023

Looking Up by Stephan Pastis

Oh nooooo, this book gutted me at a time when I am already feeling down, ow, not okay! The biggest bummer is that I can’t tell you why because that would give away the tremendous plot, and frankly everyone of any age deserves to experience that for themselves.

So here’s the story I can tell you. Saint is a lonely young girl who doesn’t have a lot of friends because she is, objectively, an oddball. She’s that kid at parties who rescues pinatas and refuses to pin a tail on a donkey, no matter how fake, and won’t slice into a cake with a gnome on it because she protects everything with a face. She collects toy knights and has a life partner in the form of a painted turtle. Her relationship with her mother is contentious because, according to her, Mom never keeps promises. She’s really hoping, tho, that Mom will actually honor one to take her to her favorite toy store in a week.

But when that toy store is sold and demolished before Saint gets a chance to go again, her disappointment turns into action. She’s tired of all these gentrifiers coming into her town and buying up properties and getting rid of all the stores and people she knows and loves, and darned if she isn’t going to do something about it! With the help of the round-faced boy across the street, Daniel “Chance” McGibbons, she embarks on a plan to drive away change and save what’s left of her hometown.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/19/looking-up-by-stephan-pastis/

Oct 18 2023

Heart Attack by Shawn Kittelsen, Eric Zawadzki & Mike Spicer

In comparison to most of the graphic novels for grown-ups I’ve read recently, this felt quite long, but I think there’s a good reason for that. The original, published in 2020, only collected the first six issues of the series. This follow-up contains those and six more chapters that round out, at least for now, the story of Jill, Charlie and the (awesome) Free Betties.

Several decades in the future, gene therapy to prevent pandemic deaths accidentally brought into being children known as Variants. Their altered DNA gave them usually very small-time superpowers. Jill Kearney is an influencer/anchor on the Austin-based Freebodies HQ News, and has a tactile telekinesis (and no, I don’t fully understand what that is, either. Like she can move things with her mind that she could ordinarily move with her hands? Not sure, tbh.) Charlie North has hands that go hot. Both are perfect examples of the vast majority of Variants: possessed of an unusual but honestly quite limited extrasensory ability.

But when Jill and Charlie touch, something inexplicable happens. Their powers amplify, turning them into the Powers of Mass Destruction that Texas Governor Ann Pritchard warned of and won election on in a fear-mongering landslide. Because, people being people, the very existence of Variants terrifies the average voter, leading to a new strata of entirely legal discrimination against the mostly harmless. The Freebodies movement is a necessary reaction against the government and social oppression of Variants, with their founder and CEO Sefton Smith promoting nonviolent resistance against the fascism encroaching on their existence.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/18/heart-attack-by-shawn-kittelsen-eric-zawadzki-mike-spicer/

Oct 17 2023

Monster Support Group: The Mummy’s Curse by Laura Suárez

What an utterly charming book about learning how to listen to others!

The Mummy’s Curse is ostensibly the story of a stubborn young pharaoh doomed to remain trapped in her mummy form, possibly for all eternity. Anatiti, the mummy in question, is “celebrating” her 3000th Death Day with the other monsters of Deadbury’s Monster Support Group. On this auspicious occasion, she’s finally decided to admit that she needs help in lifting a curse that’s likely of her own making.

Back when she was alive, Anatiti refused to listen to anyone. She was chosen by the gods to be pharoah, after all, so who were mere mortals to try to tell her what to do? This worldview led, alas, to her untimely demise when she went to inspect the tomb built for her eternal rest. In a fatal stroke of irony, her refusal to listen to her advisors led to her accidentally triggering one of the traps meant to protect her remains, to deadly effect.

Anatiti is subsequently mummified with all pomp and circumstance, but her soul soon discovers that refusing to study while still alive means that she has no idea what to do next in order to make her way safely to the afterlife. And so she lingers inside her sarcophagus until the day a Victorian grave robber uncovers her and ships her to England. Said grave robber’s daughter, Pearl, discovers that Anatiti is still alive (after a fashion) and attempts to help, but Anatiti’s stubbornness gets in the way once more.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/17/monster-support-group-the-mummys-curse-by-laura-suarez/

Oct 16 2023

Parasocial by Alex de Campi & Erica Henderson

It should give you some idea of how expertly inhabited this male-protagonist-driven graphic novel is that I was genuinely surprised that the author and artist are both women.

The story itself takes place just as pandemic lockdowns are easing in the USA. People are going to fan conventions again, tho with greater precautions than before, of course. One of these people is C-List TV star Luke Indiana, famous for his cult hit role on the sci-fi TV show Rogue Nebula. He’s a featured celebrity guest, sitting on panels, doing meet and greets, and taking photos with fans. As with any job, there are high points and low points, even before taking into account the less than ideal state of his own personal and professional lives.

Things only start to go really bad when he’s on the road away from the con. His phone battery is dying, he can’t find a charger cable, and he’s not 100% sure how to get back to the friends’ house where he’s staying. When a semi runs him off the road, he thinks he’s hit rock bottom. But a fan shows up to make sure he’s okay, a fan who’s perhaps been chattering a little too much online about “accidentally” running into him after the con. Their roadside conversation sparks a cat and mouse game of blood and fire that could end up claiming more than just one victim.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/10/16/parasocial-by-alex-de-campi-erica-henderson/

Oct 14 2023

Mitsou by Colette

A funny thing happens when you hide a lieutenant, or indeed two, in your wardrobe. Mitsou is a performer in a Paris revue during the Great War, and the novella that bears her name opens backstage between acts, with the old stage manager trying to keep the young performers out of too much mischief and the show ticking along. One of the performers, Mitsou’s friend Petite Chose (“Little Thing”), has invited two attractive lieutenants — one in blue and one in khaki — backstage with her, but is worried about getting caught. So she persuades Mitsou to let them hide in her wardrobe. The two lieutenants barely escape the manager’s attention when Mitsou’s boyfriend, an elegant older man, appears and sees them in dashing uniforms plus Mitsou rather deshabille. Mitsou shoos them out just as Petite Chose is returning, and there’s a great comedic scene as the elegant man veers between jealousy and exasperation, while Petite Chose waxes enthusiastic about almost everything male.

Mitsou by Colette

Petite Chose, from the corridor: Are you there, Mitsou?
Mitsou, opening the door, sternly: Yes, you come in here!
PC, out of breath: You sent them away? At least I still caught them, they just went downstairs.
M: First apologize to my boyfriend! He’s just had quite a shock! Just imagine: he comes in and finds two soldiers in my wardrobe…
PC, in her usual flattering manner, snuggling up closely to the elegant man: Really? I’m so sorry! You can’t be mad at me — and you can’t be mad at Mitsou either. They were just so charming! Did you see them, Monsieur? Especially the blue one. He has eyes..
Elegant Man, jealous: What kind of eyes?
PC, passionately: Fiery eyes! And then his mouth! Don’t you think so, Monsieur? Mitsou, did you see his mouth? And his nostrils? Cute little nostrils that quaver when he takes a deep breath … Anyway, if you think about it, the one in khaki is just as cute. He has a wonderful complexion. Did you notice that Monsieur?
EM, drily: I must admit that I did not give them as much attention as you have.
PC, enthusiastically: Oh! I don’t miss something like that so easily! Monsieur, Monsieur, you will miss the ballet of the frantic Kabylles!
EM: I have already seen it.
PC, entirely a lady of the world: So you will remain with us. What a party!
EM: No, because I have to get back to my guests, two flour exporters, I left them back in the foyer.
PC: Two flour exporters? Oh! Send them to me! Are they good looking?
EM: The one is my uncle, the other his brother-in-law.
PC [as if she had just swallowed something bitter]: You can’t have everything.
(pp. 16–17, my translation of the German, which was translated from the French by Alexandra Auer)

The novella is written partly in the style of a play, as the quotation above shows, interspersed with short descriptions and asides. Two days after the misadventure backstage, Mitsou receives a package of small presents and a letter from the blue lieutenant. From there, Colette adds to the literary mix the letters that pass back and forth between Mitsou and the blue lieutenant. The letters show Mitsou reflecting on life and her position, alternately enticing the blue lieutenant and reminding him of their separate worlds. The chance meeting appears to be developing into something more, but do the young people even know themselves well enough to say?

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