Kim Antieau

Oh, the many ways I hated this one. First there's the creepy rapey, near necrophiliac prologue. I would have pulled out there, but this book was a gift from a friend who counts it as a favorite. Next strike was the voice of the narrator. The premise of this book is that its heroine is a updated, near contemporary Frankenstein monster. She's been put together out of three dead women, and has the scars to prove it. It might have been easier to believe in Keelie if we had more distance from show more her--but her first person voice? Well, first I just can't believe this is a real woman who has been through anything like this, and then I believe she's an absolute idiot:

I went to him. His fingers touched mine. I wanted to drop into his arms. Yes, this was the reason for my existence. Him. It had to be.

I smiled. Pierced together to be a love machine for this gorgeous hunk of a man.

Later she has sex with this guy with a hairy back who asks her not to turn on the lights. And when Victor (his real name, and she thinks of him as "Frankie") is puzzled the next day by her references to them having made love, she's still clueless someone else took advantage of her. After this, a woman named Lillith--an obvious jealous rival--tricks her, but Keelie still believes what she has to say. Riiiiiight. I couldn't believe they had really attached a working brain to her body. Oh, and just about every male in the book is a sexual predator or abuser.

But then the fatal thing? The clanging New Age feminist Pagan twaddle where we're told how once upon a time women ruled the Earth and there was World Peace! The last straw was on page 79 where I was told nine million were killed during the "Burning Times" "because the women remembered a time when god wasn't in heaven and women and nature were sacred." First, we're talking about most probably 40,000 and at most 100,000 people who were executed as witches over about a 500 year period. And not all of them were women--a good number, maybe a quarter of them, were men. There's no evidence it had anything to do with Paganism either. Or that paganism has ever been linked with egalitarianism or matriarchy. Or that ancient times were ever more peaceful than our own other than they didn't have the population or technology to pull off genocide with our panache. But goodness they tried. Look up Pagan Roman history sometime.

So, as far as I'm concerned, what we have here is a badly written ill-conceived book filled with neopagan propaganda. There were interesting questions raised about what was really going on with Keelie, but by page 100 I couldn't stand the thought of lasting to page 340 to find out. Hell, I just couldn't stand her.

As I said, a friend of mine does adore this book. She says there are few books out there that hit the spot for her when it comes to her own Pagan beliefs. That there are fantasies out there that might reflect some, that have elements of the paranormal or Goddess worship, but that isn't the same thing. I hold unorthodox views myself in politics, and there was a time especially early on when a kind of "libertarian pornography" appealed to me just for the pleasure of seeing my own beliefs reflected in a fictional world, although these days I don't like books that are too preachy even when they do reflect my own beliefs. And if they are preachy, then they better have strong enough virtues in the writing to make up for it. So I do get the appeal of this sort of book for some. But this book most definitely doesn't do it for me. show less

Funny and painfully honest, this novel tells the story of anorexia from the viewpoint of Mercy, 15, who denies she has an eating disorder. Mercy is becoming an angel. She can feel her wings sprouting from her shoulder blades. They itch. Sometimes she even hears them rustling. And angels don't need to eat. So Mercy has decided she doesn't need to either. She is not sick, doesn't suffer from anorexia, is not trying to kill herself. She is an angel, and angels simply don't need food.

This is a delight tale of Ruby who sees the world in a wonderful, magical way. Despite the continual negativity directed toward her by her grandmother, Ruby thrives. Without triteness or corniness, the author weaves a beautiful story of Ruby who makes wonderment for all.

When Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, LA, and the leeves break, Ruby and her grandmother are able to climb to the attic. As the roof is blown away, they witness the incredible devastation.

In grand denial, Ruby's show more grandmother refused to leave. When her grandmother's boyfriend leaves before the hurricane hits, leaving them to fend for themselves, it is obvious that Ruby must be the strong one to navigate them to safety. show less

That being said, Ms Antieau is also quite an accomplished author. Sad to say, I'm not

familiar with others of her books, but I intend to be. Based on my reading of "Her Frozen

Wild," I can hardly wait!

"Her Frozen Wild" begins with an expedition in Siberia that uncovers a woman's body replete

with markings like tattoos. It is obvious to all the archaeologists involved that the woman

is some kind of shaman/princess. Her mtDNA which apparently matches Ursula Smith's, an

American archaeologist, show more brings them all together to solve the mystery of the frozen

princess's history. Ursula's mother's disappearance 30 years prior in the same location,

her instincts and her connections with her Russian male counterpart to the scientific

research work together to create the foundation of this startling novel. What makes this

book unique to others that may have been read with similar backgrounds is the mystical way

Ms Antieau puts thing together. There are some elements that will bring to mind Clan of the

Cave Bear in terms of the early exposure to cave people and magical thinking we experienced

in writing and reading in the early 1970's. There are some elements that are skating the

edges and outer limits of syfy or magical thinking today. This is a book couched between

different worlds, viewed through the eyes of different characters, captured in a landscape

so odd and so pristine, yet so foreign to most civilization that it's like an alien planet.

"Her Frozen Wild" is a strange and beautiful tale.

Before I go too far in this review, I want to reference for you a guest post Ms Antieau gave

earlier this month on a blog in which she explores how Her Frozen Wild became a concept to her. She was dreaming frequently about bears. She eventually connected that bears and ancient peoples were connected in forms considered to be healing totems and such. Or, that humans took on bear spirits or connections, and when they did so, they were known or seen to have healing powers...shaman powers. It was through her own recurring dreams and her reading about an actual discovery in Siberia of a frozen shaman woman with tattoos that she began her exploration of this novel.

Dreams and subconscious impressions undoubtedly inhabit this novel and overlap the story.

The characters are rich in this covering. This is one of the most unique novels

I've read because of the employ of this method, and the use of it so masterfully. And, I fell in love with Ursula and Sergei immediately. Ursula is a complex character, a beloved child who is brought up by a knowledgeable and mystical grandmother to guide her, as well as a mother who had the calling to another time and dimension through archaeology. This book has a storyline that is carried out in a most captivating way.

I recommend the book to those who love a mystery, but also who are looking for a change in

pace from the ordinary. Ms Antieau is an extraordinary writer. If nothing else, this is a

rare trip into the often unexplored side of creative writing. It's an amazing and beautiful

novel. show less