Ayize Jama-Everett

If we could use our minds to make others see what we wanted them to see, rearrange people’s internal organs and dissolve their musculature, call animals to do our every bidding, or know others’ thoughts as intimately as our own, wouldn’t we rule the world? Or would we be so preoccupied with fighting with others like us that humans would be mere pawns, little worth toying with? Or, even worse, would we be so damaged by our powers that we would be dangerous to ourselves and others?

These show more are all questions posed by Ayize Jama-Everett’s short, powerful first novel, The Liminal People. Jama-Everett’s first person narrator, Taggert, introduces himself while in the midst of conducting a drug sale he is conducting on behalf of his mentor, Nordeen Maximus. Taggert is able to keep the transaction from going sour by putting his would-be assassins to sleep with a mental nudge, a skill he’s developed from his greater ability to manipulate his own and others’ bodies on a molecular level. The deal resolves in his favor, not surprisingly given his advantage, and he returns to his home near Al Hoceima in Morocco. There, he finds a recorded message from Yasmine Petalas, a woman from his past with her own mental ability – to manipulate fire – who broke his heart. She is calling to tell him she needs him, and he must come quickly.

Taggert obtains Nordeen’s permission to leave the country, doing his best to avoid Nordeen’s questions but compelled nonetheless to reveal that Yasmine is “like us”; Nordeen would know if he was lying, apparently as part of his own ability. Taggert makes his way to London, telling us his back story (including his history with Yasmine) as he travels. Once there, he finds that Yasmine is married to a diplomat. Yasmine charges him with finding her daughter, Tamara, who is gifted with telekinesis. No one knows whether Tamara has simply run away or has been kidnapped, and no one knows whether it has anything to do with her ability or merely her status as the daughter of a diplomat.

From that point forward, the book is in high gear for adventure, though Jama-Everett never loses sight of the philosophical and moral points, particularly with regard to the responsibilities inherent – or not – in having great power. When Taggart finds Tamara, he finds himself schooling her in the use of her power, both in a practical, how-to sense, and in a moral sense, trying to explain when it is proper to use her power and when it is not. It’s an odd lesson coming from a man who has often used his own power in order to run drugs and other contraband in and out of Africa, and Taggart finds himself examining his own life as well.

The Liminal People is an excellent first novel full of insightful characters – however gradually they may gain that insight – engaged in a battle that seems to have only just begun. I’m hoping that this novel is the first in a series, as Jama-Everett has built a world and peopled it with characters about which and whom I wish to know more. show less

Off to a promising start!

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley. Trigger warning for racism, misogyny, and violence, including rape.)

I very rarely read single issues of comic books, let alone review them, for one simple fact: I just don't have the patience to wait for the next issue in the series! Much like TV shows, I'd rather wait until the entire series has come out and then binge them all at once. But when the fledgling issue of Box of Bones popped up on show more NetGalley, I just couldn't resist.

Luckily, the story in this first issue is somewhat self-contained. While we're introduced to the concept of the main plot, most of the action takes place in the form of a flashback.

UC Berkeley student Lindsay Ford's research into the appearance of "spectral creatures" at key moments in Black American (North and South) history has landed her in front of the faculty, arguing for the viability of her project. When asked if there's a personal reason behind her academic interests, Lindsay remembers a story told to her by her grandfather. As teenagers, Jim and his friend Gauge were brutally attacked - beaten nearly unconscious and, in Gauge's case, raped - by a gang of racist white classmates. Gauge turns to her mother's "New Orleans voodoo" - in the form of a box of bones to which the practitioner must sacrifice her soul - to unleash her revenge.

While I do enjoy a good rape revenge story - because, let's be honest, the world of fiction is pretty much the only time abusive men are held accountable for their actions - rape is also overused as a plot device. Gauge's violation takes place off-screen, but it still comes like a punch to the gut, especially since it looks for a hot second like she might escape. Revenge comes quickly and is satisfying as heck. So I guess my feelings are mixed on this one.

Otherwise the story is engaging enough; a solid start to what looks like a promising series. Overall I enjoyed the artwork; though the monster has an over-the-top, gonzo feel to it, I quickly found myself digging the style.

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/box-of-bones-1-02.jpg

I especially like how it changes and morphs with each "victim." (Scare quotes because some of those peeps totally had it coming.)

3.5 stars.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2018/04/24/box-of-bones-1-by-ayize-jama-everett-and-jo... show less

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Content warning for racist and sexist violence, including depictions of rape and murder.)

-- 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 --

UC Berkeley student Lindsay Ford is researching the appearance of "spectral creatures" at key moments in Black American (North and South) history. Her interest in these spirits was ignited by a story her grandfather told her years ago. As teenagers, Jim and his friend Gauge were brutally attacked - show more beaten nearly unconscious and, in Gauge's case, raped - by a gang of racist white classmates. Gauge turns to her mother's "New Orleans voodoo" - in the form of a box of bones to which the practitioner must sacrifice her soul - to unleash her revenge.

The Suffering, The Wretched, The Nobody, The Burden, The Night Doctor, and The Dark: Ford travels first to New Orleans, then to Philadelphia, and finally to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in search of proof that the box of bones exists. Or, perhaps, in search of the box itself?

I previously reviewed the inaugural issue of BOX OF BONES through Netgalley. The first issue introduces us to Lindsay Ford, by way of her oral examinations in front of the UC Berkeley faculty. I thought it a promising premise, and one that's certainly expanded upon here. My review from five (!) years ago still holds.

"While I do enjoy a good rape revenge story - because, let's be honest, the world of fiction is pretty much the only time abusive men are held accountable for their actions - rape is also overused as a plot device. Gauge's violation takes place off-screen, but it still comes like a punch to the gut, especially since it looks for a hot second like she might escape. Revenge comes quickly and is satisfying as heck. So I guess my feelings are mixed on this one.

"Otherwise the story is engaging enough; a solid start to what looks like a promising series. Overall I enjoyed the artwork; though the monster has an over-the-top, gonzo feel to it, I quickly found myself digging the style." show less

Liminal People is a super-powered mystery story featuring an unlikely detective. Taggart is a healer, with the power to control human bodies on a cellular level for good or ill. He's also a secret weapon for a drugs-and-other-things cartel based out of Morocco, headed by Nordeen, a boss with powers of his own and a predisposition to usefully complex plans. The self-reflection in Taggart, the part of him that is able to tell someone he wants to respect him that the best healers are the ones show more who know how to hurt, with the full knowledge that he has used his powers to turn a human body against itself, is what drew me in early.

The plot quickly moves from Taggart's settled life in Morocco, when he returns to London to answer a call for help from "the only woman I ever loved", Yasmene, and finds himself in the middle of a situation created by people with powers as unusual and deadly as his own. The mystery is centered on the disappearance of Yasmene's daughter, Tamara. When we do get to meet Tamara, she becomes my favorite character nearly immediately, with her strength of will, her teenager-ness, and her disregard of BS.

I'm writing vaguely on purpose, because an interesting aspect of the character reveals in this book is what flavor of superpowers they have - like a gritty Heroes or the X-Men. The trappings of the story are familiar to me from reading comic books (a trait I share with Taggart), but the weight of the story derives from the character arcs and emotional freight underpinning the story action. While the plot points themselves will read like an action movie, the philosophy and character development leave that genre behind and strive for something a little more hard-boiled, and a little more thoughtful.

I speak as someone who loves her comic books, but reading The Liminal People is like getting a glimpse of what superhero comics will be if they grow into depth of character. This book fed something in my soul, just by telling Taggart's story. show less