I love to read fantasy in which a far-off historical place inspires world-building, and there's mythology interwoven into the story. So, it's not surprising my favorite recent read is Stone Blind, Natalie Hayne's novel about Medusa.
People usually remember Medusa from Greek myth as a monstrous woman with snakes for hair. In Haynes' brilliant telling, we deeply care about this "monster," and we see this woman's story for the engaging, fully human tragedy it is. As Haynes says in the opening regarding the "hero" who cuts off Medusa's head: "Enough to know that the hero isn't the one who's kind or brave or loyal. Sometimes – not always, but sometimes – he is monstrous."
What makes this novel extra delightful? The dry, edgy, often humorous tone that is Haynes' signature style.
** Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023 **
In Stone Blind, the instant Sunday Times bestseller, Natalie Haynes brings the infamous Medusa to life as you have never seen her before.
'Witty, gripping, ruthless' - Margaret Atwood via Twitter 'Beautiful and moving' - Neil Gaiman via Twitter
'So to mortal men, we are monsters. Because of our flight, our strength. They fear us, so they call us monsters.'
Medusa is the sole mortal in a family of gods. Growing up with her Gorgon sisters, she begins to realize that she is the only one who experiences change, the…
The Pomegranate Gate takes place in two realms—Spain during the Spanish Inquisition anda fantastical realm of the semi-immortal Maziks that is inspired by Jewish folklore and mysticism. Its complex conspiracies and heartbreaking betrayals kept me glued to the page.
The two main characters, Toba and Naftaly, are humans with mysterious Mazik connections. Both are endearingly quirky and faulty, flavored with humor. Being heroic is the last thing either would expect of themselves, and yet both won over other characters’ loyalties and my heart.
The first adventure in the Mirror Realm Cycle, a Spanish Inquisition-era fantasy trilogy inspired by Jewish folklore, with echoes of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden.
Toba Peres can speak, but not shout; sleep, but not dream. She can write with both hands at once, in different languages, but she keeps her talents hidden at her grandparents' behest.
Naftaly Cresques sees things that aren't real, and dreams things that are. Always the family disappointment, Naftaly would still risk his life to honor his father's last wishes.
After the Queen demands every Jew convert or face banishment, Toba and Naftaly are among…
Rust in the Root, set in 1937, builds an alternate United States with widespread, highly imaginative magic, using a nuanced blend of mythic traditions from Norse to African.
This fantastical, “far-off” America brings into stark focus the racial injustices that are the poisonous legacy of slavery and its aftermath by showing the separate and unequal treatment of “colored” mages and their magical traditions.
The two main characters, a young queer mage, Laura Ann Langston, and her mentor, the Skylark, must stop the killing of their fellow Black mages inside what is called the Great Ohio Blight.
The magic practiced by Blacks is blamed for the “Blights” and the Great Rust, a magical equivalent of the Great Depression. Sound both devastatingly familiar and intriguingly fresh? That’s what grabbed me.
The author of the visionary New York Times bestseller Dread Nation returns with another spellbinding historical fantasy set at the crossroads of race and power in America.
It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided—between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology—otherwise known as Mechomancy—not the traditional mystical arts.
Award-winning historical fantasy, including a murder mystery, love story, sorcery, and lavish world-building, Priestess of Ishana draws on the true life of a remarkable but little-known Hittite queen who ruled over one of history’s most powerful empires.
Tesha, a priestess of the goddess of love and war, must overcome a malignant curse from the Underworld that threatens her city with fiery devastation. Charred remains of an enemy of the Hitolian Empire reveal both treason and evil magic.
Into this crisis, King Hattu arrives to make offerings but conceals his true mission. As the connection sparks between Hattu and Tesha, the Grand Votary accuses Hattu of murderous sorcery. Isolated in prison and facing execution, Hattu’s only hope lies in Tesha to uncover the conspiracy against him.
