Description:
A Thousand Perfect Things In this epic new work, the award-winning Kenyon, whose work has be compared to Larry Nivens and Stephen R. Donaldson, creates an alternate Earth in the 19th century. This Earth is ruled by two warring factions—scientific Anglica (England) and magical Bharata (India).
Tori Harding, a Victorian woman, whose heart aches to claim the legendary powers of the golden lotus, must leave her reasoned world behind and journey to Bharata. In pursuit of the golden lotus, Tori will be forced to brave its magics, intrigues, deadly secrets and haunted places, to claim her destiny and choose between two lovers in two irreconcilable realms.
As a great native insurrection sweeps the continent of Bharata—Tori will find the thing she most desires, beautifully flawed and more wonderfully strange than she could have ever dreamed.
My fantasy of Victorian England and India, A Thousand Perfect Things, is my first fantasy after ten science fiction novels. Before starting out, I thought long and hard about what kind of fantasy to begin with. For awhile I considered a traditional fantasy, but though I love many of them--especially the work of Martin, Weeks and Abercrombie--I find epic fantasy is just not my thing. Nor am I comfortable with softer worlds of hedge-wizards and courtesans. It's too easy-going, maybe. I like something a bit stranger than that.
GUEST POST
Fantasy Mixed with History
I'm a big fan of historical fantasies. Stories like Under Heaven (Guy Gavriel Kay), and His Majesty's Dragon (Naomi Novik). Part of the appeal is exotic time periods, redolent with mystery, costumes, and inherent drama (because you can pick an era when history turned.)
Unlike Steampunk stories, historical fantasies enrich the Victorian era not with clockwork machines, but with magic.
What could be more fun than ghosts in 7th century China, or an 18th century airforce of dragons? Well, how about mid-19th century India, when the British Raj faces off with the Indian princely states?
India as a setting is replete with fabulous palaces, ancient roots, splendid mythologies, gorgeous colors, and the exotic trappings of rajas, tigers, and elephant gods. Add in kraken, demons, shape-shifters, ghosts and conjurers, and we have an alternate world that is ripe with adventure and romance.
My fantasy of Victorian England and India, A Thousand Perfect Things, is my first fantasy after ten science fiction novels. Before starting out, I thought long and hard about what kind of fantasy to begin with. For awhile I considered a traditional fantasy, but though I love many of them--especially the work of Martin, Weeks and Abercrombie--I find epic fantasy is just not my thing. Nor am I comfortable with softer worlds of hedge-wizards and courtesans. It's too easy-going, maybe. I like something a bit stranger than that.
What I love about fantasy mixed with history is that I can create unusual worlds that are still recognizable, and even famliar. Science fiction and fantasy readers enjoy the imaginative leaps, but most will only go so far. Because so much can be re-created in speculative fiction, we have to set some limits on strangeness. Where it is just too hard to follow, to relate.
Using the ground of history anchors the reader to something familiar. We can sink into, say, an 1857 English countryside manor, and feel that we know the place. From those recognizable surroundings we can then enjoy the slow unveiling of indigenous magic and extra-normal events. It's not all totally new.
And it's better so. I don't want to ask the reader to pedal uphill all the way, but to enjoy the magical surprises in the historical era and find them entertaining.
Or maybe I just like the lovely surprises--such as finding that outside a gracious country manor house there is a terrorist bird in a sycamore tree. And it can read.
Goodreads ** Amazon ** Barnes&Noble ** Kobo ** Book Depository
About the author:
Kay Kenyon is the author of eleven science fiction and fantasy novels, including A Thousand Perfect Things. She is the author of the critically acclaimed science fiction quartet, The Entire and The Rose. Bright of the Sky was among PW's top 150 books of 2007. The series has twice been shortlisted for the ALA Reading List awards and three times for the Endeavour Award. Four of her novels have been translated into French, Spanish and Czech. Along with her novels Tropic of Creation and Maximum Ice, two of the works in the quartet received starred reviews from PW.
Author's Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 3/31/14
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
No comments:
Post a Comment