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Historical Fantasies: Gods of Jade and Shadow & His Majesty’s Dragon

5 Feb

Gods of Jade and Shadow
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Gods of Jade and Shadow was our Hoboken Public Library Science Fiction/Fantasy Book Discussion Group’s pick for last June. The story is set in 1920’s Mexico. It is the coming of age story of Casiopea Tun who is treated like a servant compared with her spoiled male cousin. When Casiopea opens the chest in her grandfather’s room she get a sliver of bone stuck in her finger linking herself to a Mayan Death God who is dealing with his own family rivalry with his brother. Casiopea is a fun spunky heroine and I enjoyed reading her story as well as all the interesting spins Moreno-Garcia put on Mexican folk lore. This wasn’t as popular with the group as some of Moreno-Garcia’s work such as Mexican Gothic, but will delight fans of fairytale/folklore retellings. I think this might also be enjoyable for a teen audience as well.

His Majesty’s Dragon
by Naomi Novik
We read His Majesty’s Dragon for our Book Discussion Group in August 2025. The story takes place during the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. Captain Will Laurence is plunged from his seafaring life, into the world of Dragons when his ship captures a French frigate carrying a rare and highly prized dragon egg from China. The group had mixed feelings about the book. Some found the book slow paced and light on battles for something military focused, while others were charmed by the witty dragon, Tremeraire. I enjoyed seeing Laurence and Tremairaire’s bond grow over the course of the novel. If you enjoy His Majesty’s Dragon there are eight other books in the finished series to also enjoy. My son who loves fantasy stories about dragons also enjoyed the novel; his favorite part was in the beginning when Will is first raising Tremeraire.

Our next HPL Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Group is on February 23 at 6 PM. We will be discussing another fun fantasy, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty. Hope you can join us!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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City of Others and other Singapore Inspired Fantasies

21 Jan

City of Others
by Jared Poon
Though it is only January, the new urban fantasy, City of Others may already be one of my favorite books of the year. The story follows Benjamin Toh, a middle manager for the Division of Engagement of Unusual Stakeholders in Singapore, which oversees the nonhuman members of the city. He himself is a Gardner, who has the supernatural power to look inside himself and reshape his soul to not only be braver but to be physically stronger as well. This story has a sweet mm romance, an adorable set of workplace found family members, and a parade of intriguing Southeast Asian mythic creatures and humanoids to discover. The storyline about a housing complex which is periodically glitching out of our reality and Benjamin’s attempts to stop it and the entirety of Singapore from permanently vanishing was enjoyable, but I hope this isn’t the end of Benjamin’s adventures since the world Poon has created is so intriguing that I was left wanting more of it. If you are a fan of Men in Black or The Dresden Files then I highly recommend checking out City of Others.

Looking for more Singaporean Fantasies? Check out these other works:
Black Tides of Heaven
by Neon Yang
Black Tides of Heaven is the first, LGBTQ Asian inspired fantasy novella in the Tensorate Series by Singaporean author Neon Yang. The series was one of the 100 best fantasy books of all time, according to Time Magazine and a Finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards for Best Novella.

Sister Snake
by Amanda Lee Koe
Sister Snake is a modern spin on the Chinese folktale “The Legend of the White Snake” which follows two sisters, one in Singapore and one in New York City.

The Wicked and the Willing
by Lianyu Tan
The Wicked and the Willing is the 2023 Lambda Literary Award Winner for LGBTQ+ Speculative Fiction. It is a sapphic gothic horror vampire novel set in 1927 Singapore.

Have a fantasy recommendation to share; let us know in the comments!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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