Neon Yang

ahhh, I love epistolary stories. Sign me the fuck up for some in-world document and main characters with potty mouths! The Descent of Monsters covers a time period of a few weeks during which Investigator Chuwan must figure out what happened at a remote, secretive research post. Mokoya and Akeha from the first two novellas are barely present, but much of the narrative twines Chuwan's investigation with Rider's search for their long-lost twin.

I thought the answer Rider sought would be much show more closer to home, but it's an intriguing sequel hook. There's a dash of thriller horror with Rider's account of the research station with a touch of X-Men here, and I want to know where this goes! show less

I didn't realize how short this novella was, but damn does it pack a punch. It feels like such a simple plot: a young girl is taken from her home and trained to kill dragons. When she gets sent to a neighboring kingdom, she discovers a secret that changes her way of thinking. The story is told by an unknown narrator, giving it a feel like a campfire legend or bedtime story. Everything unfolds in a pretty steady pace, though if you're looking for extensive worldbuilding this is not the story show more for you. It's about trust in a partner and trying to uncover who you are out of who you are told you are. show less

The Black Tides of Heaven (2017) by JY Yang is a fantasy novella that tells the story of twins Mokoya and Akeha, presented to the Grand Monastery by their mother, the Protector, for services rendered in thwarting a rebellion. While growing up in the monastery and learning the power of slackcraft (controlling nature), Mokoya uncovers their gift of prophetic dreams and soon becomes a pawn in their mother's plans for the Protectorate. Akeha, cast aside by their mother, joins the show more Machinists--those rebelling against the Protectorate.

While primarily a fantasy story, I liked that the plot relied more on the characters and their actions and feelings instead of on their magical powers. For me, it sometimes weighs a story down when the author focuses on the wondrous aspects of the characters' mystical gifts instead of on the characters themselves. In "The Black Tides of Heaven," the characters face a number of inner struggles, such as deciding which gender they want to be, their emotions involving love, dealing with the societal impacts of the family they come from and how that divides the protectorate. I found myself more involved with the characters instead of their powers.

I highly recommend this first novella in the Tensorate series. show less

TW: suicide ideation

I loved this little novella. It’s got awesome things like giant raptors and flying nagas, but the real reason I love this story is the deep emotional heart of the protagonist overcoming her grief and choosing to live after the death of her daughter.

I know there’s another novella set before this one, The Black Tides of Heaven, but I haven’t gotten the chance to read it yet. Clearly, The Red Threads of Fortune stands on its own.

After her young daughter died in a show more tragic accident, Sanao Mokoya abandoned her old life to go hunt wild nagas near the edges of the kingdom. For three years, she’s existed in a limbo, not really caring whether she lives or dies. Now, she and her pack of raptors are trailing a naga rumored to be bigger than any she’s hunted before. And she’s not the only one looking for the naga; she soon encounters someone else, a mysterious person named Rider, who has magical capabilities unlike any Mokoya has seen before. If she can trust Rider, they can work together to defend the city of Bataanar from the giant naga… and whomever is controlling it.

It’s amazing how much The Red Threads of Fortune packs into 160 pages. It’s an intricate, beautiful story of grief, loss, and healing and the relationships between mothers and daughters. And the prose is fantastic, which isn’t a huge surprise, since I’ve already known from their short stories that JY Yang is an amazing writer.

I adored Mokoya as a protagonist. The great thing about older characters is that they’ve got so much history. Mokoya is a woman in her forties with an estranged husband and a dead daughter. And a pack of raptors, of course. She’s scarred and world weary, and at certain points she contemplates suicide. She’s the sort of rough around the edges female character I adore.

Also, she’s queer, a word that could be applied to this novella in general. Part of the world building is that children are considered gender neutral and don’t chose their gender until they get older. There appears to be no prejudice against same-sex relationships, and one of the major characters, Rider, is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. It’s so wonderful to read a queer friendly, non-Western fantasy with great female characters. Also dinosaurs. I seriously loved the dinosaurs, you guys.

Actually, I just loved this novella in general. It’s doubtlessly one of my favorite reads of 2017, and it’s made me eager to get to The Black Tides of Heaven.

Originally posted on The Illustrated Page. show less