One of the most unexpected Austenesque books I read this year was All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith. Smith took a year to visit in six Latin American countries where she set up reading groups to read the most popular Jane Austen novels. How would women (and more than a few men) respond to that most English of authors? Would Austen’s highly mannered, highly restricted, narrow style appeal across cultures not just Read more…
Apropos of the Akin scandal (and I find it annoying that his name is so close to my Mr. Aikens), I’ve been thinking about one of the plot points of The Crow God’s Girl. Kate Mossland, a modern girl from New York, is in Aeritan. She has her whole life planned out — she will marry the young lord Colar Terrick. She’ll bring modern medicine to a medieval world. She’ll be wealthy, protected, and respected. Read more…
In this updated retelling of the Odyssey, the adventure takes place across several manmade orbital spheres in our solar system. All of the familiar adventures are here — the Cyclops, Calypso, the Sirens, etc., but with a science fiction twist. Cesar Vaquero is our Ulysses and Penelope is his long-suffering wife, but he’s a complex rogue with a humble and insecure streak, and she’s a strong character in her own right in this retelling. Stauber Read more…