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Two Stellar Speculative Fiction Reads for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

5 May

For May, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I’m sharing a Science Fiction and a Fantasy novel, which were written by Asian American authors, I read and enjoyed with our HPL Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Group.

The Grace of Kings
by Ken Liu
You may remember in a past blog post, I discussed The Three-Body Problem by Chinese author Cixin Liu translated by Chinese American author, Ken Liu.  Many of our members enjoyed the book so were curious to read a book written by Liu himself.  We read The Grace of Kings the first in Liu’s The Dandelion Dynasty trilogy for our August 2020 book; it is available to Hoboken patrons after you log in with your library card to eLibraryNJ.  I had read reviews of Liu’s book The Grace of Kings describing it as Silkpunk since it takes details from Asian countries and used them as a way to advance technology in a manner similar to how Steampunk used Victorian era steam technology in Europe.  The book does contain clever creations like battle kites, but Liu creates an even more elaborate world beyond this which will sure to entice Epic Fantasy fans like some of our book group members are.  You can check out the first and second book (The Wall of Storms) in the series in print from Hoboken and other BCCLS Libraries.  The third book The Veiled Throne is scheduled to be released at the beginning of November.

How to Live Safely in A Science Fictional Universe
by Charles Yu
Last month, our group read How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe.  The story focuses on a time machine repairmen and his relationship with his parents, one of whom disappeared and the other of whom has chosen to live in a time loop.  Charles Yu parents were immigrants from Taiwan and some autobiographical details from Yu’s own life are used in the story.  I enjoyed the philosophical musing throughout and I thought the window into the experience of immigrants that was provided was very insightful.  Some of the group found the book a bit slow going at first, but were drawn to the ending where the narrative began to coalesce more.  This book will appeal to those who enjoy unusual quirky narration and meta-fictional elements.  Yu’s latest novel, Interior China Town, won a 2020 National Book Award for Fiction.  Both of Yu’s novels are available in print from Hoboken and other BCCLS Libraries and you can log in for access to the eLibraryNJ.

Stay tuned I’ll be writing about a Chinese/Filipino author our book club enjoyed, Rin Chupeco, as part of my June post celebrating Trans and Non-Binary Speculative Fiction Authors for LGBTQ Pride Month.   

Email hplwriters@gmail.com, if you’d like to join the mailing list for our Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Group.  Our next group meeting will be on Thursday, May 27 at 4 PM, when we will be discussing All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders.  You can request or stop by the second floor reference desk for a print copy.

Share your favorite books written by Asian American Authors in our comments!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Head of Information and Digital Services

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Read Shadow & Bone Before the Streaming Premier!

21 Apr

April means many things to many people. To some, it’s the sign of the Easter Bunny coming with chocolates and sweets. Others might see it as the start of spring, warmer weather and vibrant gardens. 

But to many others, April 23 brings the premier of the Netflix adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s YA fantasy, Shadow and Bone, also know as the Grishaverse series. So for the month of April, I will be reviewing the original trilogy for this premier.

The first book in the series, Shadow and Bone, introduces us to the world of Ravka and our protagonist, Alina Starkov, a soldier and map maker entering a shadowed scar on the world known as the Shadow Fold, filled with only monsters and darkness. It is while there that she discovers and learns to control a newfound power.

The narrative is done through first person and Bardugo does an excellent job of letting us experience things through Alina’s eyes while still keeping things interesting and fresh. The magic system is simple enough that those new to fantasy will understand it, but interesting enough to add just enough flavor to the story and world.

So whether you’re just curios about the series as a whole or wish to read the books after watching the show, Shadow and Bone is one that I can firmly recommend. You can borrow it as an ebook from both eBCCLS and eLibraryNJ and in print from BCCLS libraries.

Written By:
Lauren Lapinski
Circulation Assistant

Don’t miss our exciting live Zoom event tonight: Meet the Author Book Talk with Chip Cheek, author of “Cape May”! Wednesday, April 21, at 7 pm EST
In honor of National Library Week, best-selling author Chip Cheek will present a Virtual Book Talk/ Meet the Author event tonight (Wednesday, April 21) at 7:00 pm to discuss his popular debut novel “Cape May.” Chip will read passages from the book, describe his writing process and the inspiration for the book, and answer your questions. This program will be hosted on Zoom, so registration is required.

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