Television writer-producer Glen A. Larson, who put Mormon references in Battlestar Gallatica, passed away. So did science fiction author Alan Lickiss. Luisa Perkins won The Mormon Lit Blitz, and #MormonPoetrySlam is ongoing. Tim Wirkus’ City of Brick and Shadow, a crime drama/mystery featuring Mormon missionaries in Brazil, continues a streak of nationally published books late in the year written by and about Mormons. Mette Ivie Harrison’s upcoming The Bishop’s Wife will wrap up the streak after Christmas. Wirkus is part of a small cadre of Mormon authors in the graduate Creative Writing program at the University of Southern California. Poet Neil Aitken, novelist Ryan McIlvain, and short story author Ryan Shoemaker are also there. Other Mormon authors with books published nationally this month include Richard Paul Evans, Charlie N. Holmberg, Shallee McArthur, Brandon Mull, Brandon Sanderson, and RaeAnne Thayne. Gerald Lund is starting a new historical fiction series with Deseret Book. Please send any announcements, news, or corrections to mormonlit AT gmial DOT com.
News and articles
Glen A. Larson, a television writer-producer whose work included Quincy M.E., Magnum, P.I., Battlestar Galactica, Knight Rider and The Fall Guy, died on November 14, at the age of 77. The cause was complications of esophageal cancer. Larson, who had been a member of the Church, infused the science fiction series Battlestar Galactica with, according to Jim Bennett, “a mythology with too many Mormon references to ignore. His Twelve Colonies of Man were essentially the Lost Tribes of Israel whose history began at Kobol, an obvious anagram for Kolob, which, in Mormon theology, is the star nearest to the throne of God. The colonies were led by a “Quorum of 12,” and marriages were referred to as “sealings” that extended beyond mortality and “through all the eternities.” The show never shied away from religious themes, and, at one point, the characters encounter a group of angels who paraphrase LDS Church President Lorenzo Snow. “As you are, we once were,” the angels tell the Galactica crew. “As we are, you may become.”” Larson was nominated three times for an Emmy and once for a Grammy award, and won the Edgar Award twice. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985. Larson was born in Long Beach, Calif in 1937. In 1956 he joined a vocal group called the Four Preps, which earned three gold records and appeared in the 1959 movie “Gidget”. He helped write and compose some of the Preps’ hits, including “Twenty-Six Miles (Santa Catalina),” “Big Man” and “Down by the Station.” New York Times obituary. The Hollywood Reporter obituary. Tribute by Jim Bennett, Deseret News.
LDS science fiction author Alan Lickiss passed away from cancer on November 8. Alan was raised in the suburbs of Washington DC, where he met and married his wife Rebecca, who is also a published SF author. They have lived in Colorado Springs. Alan’s first published story (co-authored with Rebecca) was published in The Leading Edge in 1996. Seven other stories were also published since then, including two stories in Analog. Five of his stories were collected in the book High Heeled Distraction. See Alan’s Facebook page,Alan and Rebecca’s home page, SFWA tribute, a tribute from his friend Daniel Hoyt, and from Sarah Hoyt.
The Mormon Lit Blitz’s “Meeting of the Myths” short story contest was held last week. This winners are: First Place: “Spring Hill” by Luisa Perkins. Second Place: “The Trail” by Stephen Carter. Third Place (tie): “A Voice Not Crying in the Wilderness” by Jonathon Penny and “Daughter of a Boto” by Katherine Cowley. You can read all of the stories here.
The Mormon Poetry Slam is being held this week. Day 1: Eric Jepson Reads “Mental Gas” by Eliza R. Snow. Day 2: Laura Craner Reads “How Long?” by Darlene L. Young. Day 3: Jonathon Penny Reads “hymn to a thing that I knew and still know to some degree” by Joe Plicka.
Dan Peterson. “Orson Scott Card and Mormonism, under the knife in San Diego” (Patheos). “I’ve just attended a panel discussion at this annual joint meeting of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature here in San Diego on “Extraterrestrial Mormonism.” Three doctoral candidates focused, in this panel, on the work of Orson Scott Card and on Battlestar Galactica.” (Peterson discusses how the first two panelists, Daniel Wyche and Meredith Ross, began from a criticism of Card’s politics and religion. Wyche contends “that Card’s insufficient enthusiasm for homosexuality is in tension with the values embodied in his Ender novels.” Ross “reads the Ender stories as representing a triumph of politically conservative Mormonism (allied with Catholicism) over secularists and Jews.” Christopher Ashley spoke on Mormonism in the two Battlestar Gallatica series, and “sees the more recent series as, in a sense, more deeply religious (and, in a way, more Mormon) than the older one.” “The respondent to the three papers was Margaret Toscano, who teaches at the University of Utah. To her credit, she took aim at the idea of separating an author from his or her work, and of reducing an author to his or her religio-political views — especially, I would add, to a somewhat hostile oversimplification or distortion of those views. One questioner, from (I think) the University of California at Santa Barbara, suggested that Scott Card’s depiction of pig-like creatures bearing Portuguese names (and on the planet Lusitania!) in Speaker for the Dead – subhuman, and perhaps representing black people! — might be his attempt to redeem (or, my word, to atone for) his missionary work in Brazil. I thought that idea rather silly, but I appreciated the questioner’s criticism of Daniel Wyche’s attempt to segregate Card’s work from its author and its author’s biography, and to deny that an author has any privileged authority in interpreting the author’s own writing.”
A related note, Orson Scott Card in A Storyteller in Zion criticized Larson’s use of Mormon tropes in Battlestar Gallatica. “I found the Glen Larson approach both silly and offensive; I also found that most Mormon critics who have commented on my work and Larson’s make the same self-contradictory mistake: They find Larson’s approach – dropping in trivial LDS references – superficial, and then complain that because I don’t do the same, I am denying/concealing/ignoring my Mormonism.” Ivan Wolfe replied to Card’s criticisms in an essay “Battlestar Galactica and Mormonism”.
Carys Bray and her book A Song for Issy Bradley was named as one of four writers who will compete for the 2014 Costa first novel prize. The book is one of 20 shortlisted in five categories for the 2014 awards. The Costas reward the enjoyability of books by British and Irish writers, with the five category winners competing for the overall book of the year prize.
Jennifer Quist’s Love Letters of the Angels of Death was one of 142 novels nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the world’s most valuable annual literary prize for a single work of fiction published in English.
IndieAuthorHub has opened up their own bookselling website, called Bookmarked Bargains.
Mormon Artist interview with film composer Robert Allen Elliott about his work on Errand of Angels, One Good Man, The Saratov Approach, and the upcoming Freetown.
An update of the Nunes plagiarism case. The case has been assigned to a magistrate judge.
Julie Bellon’s top novels of 2014.
At A Motley Vision, Tyler On the Mormon Vision of Language: God’s Works and God’s Words, Tutoring the Tongue, The Word of Enoch, Korihor’s Curse, and More Powerful Effect.
Theric on Here comes The Bishop’s Wife, and Let’s get those first forty to sixty pages out of the way first (the beginning of our thlook at The Bishop’s Wife), The Bishop’s Wife: the actual review, Gender in The Bishop’s Wife (divorced of context), and Fires of the Mind as “Mormon Tragedy”, and William gives an Update on the Alternate Mormon History anthology.
Magazines and Short Stories
Dialogue 47:4, Winter 2014, is now available. It includes the short story “Jesus Enough” by Levi Peterson, poetry or personal essays by Mark D. Bennion, Amber Blue, R. A. Christmas, Simon Peter Egertsen, Christian Heftel, and Robert Rees, Douglas L. Talley’s review of Susan Elizabeth Howe’s Salt: Poems, Julie M. Smith’s review of Neylan McBaine’s Women at Church, and Russell Arben Fox and his daughter Megan Elaine Fox’s reviews of Adam Miller’s Letters to a Young Mormon.
Mormon Studies Review #2. 2015. Includes Michael Austin’s essay “The Brief History and Perpetually Exciting Future of Mormon Literary Studies” which surveys the body of Mormon literary work, the presence of Mormon characters and thought in American and British literature, and the potential value of exploring the Book of Mormon as a literary text. (Fans of the contemporary TV show Sherlock may be surprised to learn that the murderer in Arthur Conan Doyle’s first Sherlock Homes novel, A Study in Scarlet, was a vengeful Mormon Danite.) In order for a true flowering of Mormon literary studies to occur, Austin argues, Mormon literary scholars “must follow more closely along the path that Mormon historians have taken” and learn how to “make their internal conversations external.” The issue also includes Scott Hales’ review of Steven Peck’s The Scholar of Moab and A Short Stay in Hell.
Shared Nightmares, Edited by Steve Diamond and Nathan Shumate. Cold Fusion Media, Nov. 27. An anthology of horror/supernatural short stories, with several Mormon authors, including D. J. Butler, Larry Correia, Michaelbrent Collings, Howard Tayler, and Dan Wells.
Shattered Shields. Baen, Nov. 4. An anthology of military fantasy. Includes several stories by Mormon authors, including, “The Keeper of Names” by Larry Correia (the first story set in Correia’s new epic fantasy series, the first book of which will come out October 2015), “Ashes and Starlight” by David Farland, and “Deadfall” by Nancy Fulda.
Leading Edge #66 was released Oct. 23.
Orson Scott Card’s Medicine Show #42, November 2014, is available. Eric James Stone served as guest editor. M.K. Hutchins makes her fourth appearance in IGMS with “A Dragon’s Doula.” Dragons may live among us in human form, but they still are born from eggs. The doula’s job is to make sure the egg can hatch in a calming environment, but that can be difficult when there’s an angry nine-year-old in the house.
The essay “Bring on the Spins,” by Joshua Foster, was published in Tin House Magazine, vol. 16, no. 2. The essay concerns Josh meeting up with his cousin Nathan in New York City after a decade-long lapse in their relationship. The tag-line for the essay reads, “Two Mormon cousins meet up in New York City and embark on an unlikely mission.”
“Mulek of Zarahemla,” By J.N. Washburn. Improvement Era, 1948. Keepapitchinin has been republishing this 10-part long Book of Mormon-based story. It’s a good one.
Steven Peck. “Pinewood Derby Unleashed.” By Common Consent short short fiction.
New Books
Christmas Booklets and Shorts.
Christmas Treasures. Covenant, Oct. “Acollection of timeless true stories told by a dozen of the finest LDS storytellers each with a heartwarming message for the season. Includes stories from Jennie Hansen, Hank Smith, Gale Sears, Jennifer Moore, Shauna Humphreys, Brent L. Top, Richard J. Allen, Jenny Proctor, Mike Winder, M.R. Durbin, Kristen McKendry, and Jeanette Miller.”
The Christmas Code by Ed J. Pinegar. Covenant, Oct.
The Miracle Maker by Ann Acton. Covenant, Oct.
Snow Angels by Lezlie Anderson. Sweetwater, Oct.
Because of Love by Shauna V. Brown. Sweetwater, Oct.
Jenny’s Christmas Gift by John Pontius. Sweetwater, Sept.
A Christmas Reunion by Donna Hatch. Wild Rose, Nov.
Julie Coulter Bellon. From the Ashes. Self, Nov. 8. Hostage Negotiation Team #2.5. Romantic Suspense. Novella.
Sarah E. Boucher. Becoming Beauty. Sweetwater, Nov. 11. YA Fantasy. Retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Debut novel.
Stephen Carter and Jett Atwood. iPlates Volume 2: Prophets, Priests, Rebels, and Kings, Self, Nov. 15. Book of Mormon comic book. “A compilation of our last three comic books: Alma in the Wilderness, Gideon’s Revolt, and Zerin’s Sacrifice.” Mosiah 12-13.
Susan Dayley. Hot Pursuit. Walnut Springs, Sept. 29. Mystery/suspense. Sequel to Cold Pursuit. Jackson Hole, eco-terrorism, and kidnappings.
Deseret News: “Dayley heats up the intrigue and the romantic interest, while again capitalizing on the interactive aspect introduced in the prequel . . . Both books allow for reader interaction. They decide for themselves which of two storylines, and then which of two endings to each storyline, they wish to follow. Also, at various places throughout the book, the author adds to the excitement by sharing links to images, videos, additional information about the settings and other details.”
Richard Paul Evans. The Mistletoe Promise. Simon & Schuster, Nov. 18. Romance/Christmas. A woman, years after a bitter divorce, begins a fake relationship, that starts to turn real.
Amy Harmon. The Law of Moses. Self, Nov. 27. YA Romance/Psychological Thriller. A girl’s relationship with a troubled teen who started as an abandoned crack baby. Paranormal twist half-way through.
Aesta Book Review: “Harmon is an incredibly gifted author. The way she writes is absolutely beautiful. I love her style, I love the unique quality that each of her stories have, and I will always auto-buy any book she writes.”
Charlie N. Holmberg. The Paper Magician. 47North (Amazon.com), Sept. 1. YA fantasy (steampunk alternative, plus romance).Debut novel. Takes place in an alternate, early 20th century England where schools of magic are as common as secondary school, and the practitioners of magic are well-respected. The magicians who animate manmade materials. A young magician is disappointed in her assignment out of school, but is thrust into an unexpected adventure.
PW: “Ceony displays commendable pluck facing a more experienced mage trained in the dark arts, and Holmberg gives her a complete story while leaving ample room for sequels. Short (almost too short) and to the point, this promising debut recalls the early work of Patricia Wrede.”
Rosalyn: 4 stars. “Quite charming . . . The magic system here was fun, and Ceony herself was delightful. I liked that she was smart, independent, and knew what she wanted out of life. I wasn’t sure about the speed at which the romance here developed, but I could see why Ceony found Thane appealing and intriguing. And I loved that Ceony had such limited resources for saving Thane–it made the stakes that much higher. So often in fantasy the heroine has this incredible power, but Ceony didn’t have any of that. She was just an ordinary magician who barely had the training she needed to animate paper. It was refreshing.”
Sally, Reading for Sanity: 4 stars. “The world-building is subtle and well integrated into the story, with the main character acknowledging the way things are without digressing from the story. The main character is vivacious and believable. She has a kind heart without being perfect and with a back-up plan…she could always go to culinary school if the magic thing doesn’t pan out. She accepts her world the way it is and so does the reader. The secondary characters are also fleshed out enough to make them interesting without threatening to steal the show. Her villain is appropriately evil with enough backstory to know the villain wasn’t always dark . . . Though this is the first novel in a series, it does not end on a cliffhanger or leave a reader with too many unanswered questions, though Holmberg wove in several excellent, unfinished plot threads. I can put the date for the next book on my calendar but I will not lose sleep over wondering what will happen next.
Charlie N. Holmberg. The Glass Magician. 57 North, Nov. 1. YA fantasy. The Paper Magician Trilogy, #2.
Carla Kelly. Softly Falling. Sweetwater, Nov. 11. Western/historical romance. Set in Wyoming in the terrible winter of 1886-1887. Newly arrived English woman and her ranch hand work to keep the cattle and themselves alive.
Carla Kelly. Marco and the Devil’s Bargain. Coffeetown Enterprises, Sept. 1. Historical/western romance. Spanish Brand #2. Sequel to The Double Cross. Set on a ranch in colonial New Mexico.
PW: “Kelly’s dramatic second Spanish Brand historical . . . Kelly brings historical verisimilitude to the setting, and her story brims with compassion for the human condition. The slightly saccharine cliché of natives adopting colonizers as family is mitigated by powerful themes of disease, infertility, strength in the face of loss, and kindness between individuals whose cultures are at war. Though la viruela is, in some ways, the story’s main character, the love between Marco and Paloma, equal parts strong attachment and mutual high regard, takes emotional center stage, a satisfying oasis of beauty in the midst of stark harshness.”
Deseret News. “Kelly’s ability to transport the reader into the unsettled Spanish territory of New Mexico is remarkable. From the daily life on the ranch to the travels into the wild, every word and action is well researched and natural . . .the theme of good people trying to make good choices in difficult situations resonates. The real struggles of making a marriage work and fighting for each other are shown again and again.”
Gerald N. Lund. A Generation Rising.Deseret, Nov. 28. Historical. Fire and Steel #1. Big new hardcover historical fiction series. Follows two families, one in Southern Utah, one in Southern Germany, starting in the early 20th century. The first volume will bring the families to WWI. Future volumes will to through WWII.
Shallee McArthur. The Unhappening of Genesis Lee. Sky Pony Press, Nov. 18. YA dystopian. Debut novel. The Memeni have the remarkable ability, and curse, to retain every memory they make. Excerpt at Tor.com.
Kirkus: “Montagues and Capulets, Sharks and Jets; now it’s the Mementi (with their genetically modified, storable memories) and the Populace . . . or readers hooked on earbuds and constant social networking, the storyline should be intriguing, the ambiguities and plot twists reasonable. But it’s the sensitive handling of emotional details and the trauma of too much connection that make this a story of interest. The reactions to memory losses are painful and poignant; “I’m broken,” laments a Mementi. “I’ll never be the person I was going to be without those memories.” Well-selected Tennyson quotations set the mood for each chapter. For anyone fascinated with thoughts of omniscience and total social connection—and who isn’t?—McArthur’s debut suggests fascinating and chilling possibilities”
School Library Journal: “This novel does raise some provocative questions. How much of our lives and personalities consist of our memories? Are genetic enhancements ethical? Overall, an effort that doesn’t stand out from the current crowd of dystopian young adult fiction.”
Deseret News: “The story has an interesting basic premise and McArthur has obviously worked hard on this fast-paced and unpredictable story. However, the storyline is a bit confusing and there are some holes in the logic. There isn’t quite enough depth and color to balance out the complexity and unrelenting danger and feels like it’s not been completely thought out.”
Mindy, LDSWBR: 4 stars. “This book is one wild ride. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I was WAY off! Wow, I enjoyed being wrong. To my credit, I was right about one thing, but there were reasons for everything and where it went was awesome. I loved the idea of this book. Our memories are precious. What would it be like to have them stolen. There is a BIG twist in this book that was very cool, but sad. Shallee wrote some amazing characters. As much as I liked Gena, I really liked Kalan. He was a breath of fresh air for this fantastic book. I won’t be giving anything away by saying this, but when Genesis keeps forgetting Kalan, it is heart breaking. But, Kalan doesn’t give up. I won’t say why or how she keeps doing so (that was one of the twists), but I thought it added quite an excitement to this page-turning book.”
Michael and Scott McLean. Fairy Tale Christmas. Shadow Mountain, Sept. 30. Middle grade fantasy. The evil characters from the fairy tales have captured Santa Claus, and the good characters need to find him. Short. A prelude to a musical. Deseret News feature story.
H. B. Moore. Eve: In the Beginning. Mirror Press, Nov. 22. Scriptural fiction. Eve and Adam in Genesis.
Mindy, LDSWBR: 5 stars. “I absolutely loved this book. Heather does an incredible job of telling this beautiful story of our first parents. I appreciated Heather’s notes in the beginning of the book, that she believes one day our questions will be answered about the Garden of Eden, and that this book is not to answer those questions, but to simply “bring to life an incredible man and woman who sacrificed immortality to start the human race” . . . Heather wrote these characters so well. I enjoyed how the story was told from both character’s point of view. I loved Eve, her sweet nature and innocence were enduring, but what I loved most about her was how she was strong too and came to Adam’s rescue at times. Adam is strong and shielding and the perfect protector, and Satan is just, well Satan.”
Brandon Mull. Rogue Knight. Aladdin, Nov. 18. Five Kingdoms #2. Middle Grade Fantasy Adventure. Sequel to Sky Raiders.
Kirkus: “In this second series installment, young Cole enters the second of five kingdoms in the otherworldly Outskirts, is exposed to a second culture and a second flavor of magic, and battles a second monster made of stolen magic as he continues the search for his fellow earthly kidnappees . . . Sprinkling his wordy, aimless plot with stingier-than-usual bits of banter and silliness, Mull eventually nudges his protagonists into a hard-fought victory, then sends them off to the next kingdom, captive, sister and, more than likely, monster. One can hardly wait. A flaccid, phoned-in sequel.”
Deseret News: “Mull continues to impress with his hearty stories that are targeted at a juvenile fiction audience but that are also captivating to older audiences.”
Kathi Oram Peterson, Deceived. Covenant, Nov. 3. Suspense. A witness to a murder flees to an Idaho ranch, finds romance, but danger is coming for her.
Mindy, LDSWBR: 4 Stars. “Once I was able to really sit down and take the time to delve into this book, I really enjoyed it. I did think the romance between Tara and Joseph was a bit rushed, they did have to play the part of an engaged couple, and I only worried about that since Tara was in such a fragile state. That being said, the characters were made for each other, and perfect for each other in many ways . . . The author does a great job of building the suspense and planting seeds throughout the book. The other characters in this book are written well and through all the suspense, there is a heart-felt love and the feeling of family, and a great example of love and guidance from Heavenly Father through prayer. I also want to add, the ending was shocking and so page-turning, it was well past my bed time when I finished reading.”
Ryan Rhodes. Free Electricity. Self, Oct. 2. An older man looks back at his time at BYU in the 1960s and 1970s, including its gay culture and aversion shock therapy.
Gerald Argetsinger. “Ryan Rhodes’ fanciful novel, “Free Electricity,” in the form of memoir, traverses territory that for many has been destroyed by the minefields of bitterness, justification and self righteousness. But his novel’s excavation into the painful experiences of growing up Mormon as “the other, the outcast” instead comes up with gems, truly pearls of great price that illuminate a life devastated and then reclaimed by one who could not find a place at the table of the “saints.” . . . The exit stories do not wallow in self pity or bitterness. Rather he creates Bernie, a character who in his retirement years after a successful life decorating the movie sets and homes of Hollywood’s elite, is confronted with his past when Mormon Missionaries knock at the door of his offbeat neighbors. When these two ladies discover that Bernie was born and raised Mormon, a secret kept from them for more than two decades, the secrets of his past life begin pouring out . . . The real prize of the story, though, starts as Bernie begins to discuss his mission to Argentina and his return home where he matriculates into the LDS church operated Brigham Young University. Rhodes creates the best description of what it means to be gay and Mormon that I have read, and as founder of the Gay Mormon Literature Project, I have read them all . . . The story falls short at the two self-described key moments in Bernie’s life when he attempts to take a stand against the bureaucracy of the church and its destructive policies aimed at gay members. He lines up his arguments but chokes when confronting his ecclesiastic leaders. Neither can Rhodes avoid the occasional cheap shot, merely going for the sarcastic put-down rather than a more sophisticated analysis. In the end, though, Rhodes redeems himself with a brilliant finish. He achieves a moving victory as Bernie recovers from what seemed to be nothing more than an embarrassing failure.”
Brandon Sanderson. Legion: Skin Deep. Subterranean Press/Dragonsteel Entertainment, Nov. 24. Fantasy. Sequel. Stephen tries to control the imaginary experts, or “aspects”, that are in his mind.
Adam Glendon Sidwell. Chum. Future House Publishing, Oct. 1. Middle grade fantasy. A young teen finagles his way onto a reality TV show. The show is set upon a boat traveling along the Pacific coast, and contestants are tasked with finding a small object known as a Chum each day. A player who doesn’t find his or her Chum by the end of the day will be tossed overboard in a sort of weird variation on musical chairs. The last player standing wins $1 million.
Kirkus: “There’s an interesting premise here, but unfortunately, the author seems unsure exactly how to exploit it. The novel’s tone constantly switches between satire and straight drama, making it difficult for readers to decide whether they should care about the characters aboard the preposterous, increasingly dangerous ship. Muddying the waters further are arguments against fame-based culture and reality TV that seem a decade too late. These complications continue to compound, leaving readers with little to latch on or relate to. Frustratingly ineffectual.”
Rebecca Talley. Best Kind of Love. Self, Nov. 4. Contemporary romance. Reunion Romance Novella. 10-year reunion romance.
RaeAnne Thayne. The Christmas Ranch and A Cold Creek Holiday. Harlequin, Nov. 25. Romance/Christmas.
Tim Wirkus. City of Brick and Shadow. Tyrus Books, Dec. 4. Mystery. Mormon missionaries in Brazil search for a missing convert, and get caught up in a murder mystery. Debut novel. Blurbs from T.C. Boyle and Percival Everett, both of whom teach at USC where Wirkus is studying. Tyrus is a national publisher specializing in hard-boiled crime fiction.
Booklist (Starred):” Young Mormon missionary Mike Schwartz feels doubly cursed when he’s reassigned to São Paulo’s dangerous Vila Barbosa neighborhood and partnered with know-it-all Elder John Toronto. His new ward has been stagnant for years, and the latest ray of hope is the new baptism of mysterious, charismatic Marco Aurélio. Inexplicably, Marco goes missing shortly after his baptism, and Elder Toronto convinces Schwartz that neither the police nor church leaders are motivated to find him. So the pair begins to track Marco through Vila Barbosa’s slums, powered by Toronto’s intricate, irrefutable logic models and Schwartz’s ethical center. After tangling with Marco’s brutish brother and street-savvy estranged wife and then stumbling upon the body of an investigator connected to Marco, Toronto’s conviction that their new recruit is in danger evolves into an all-consuming obsession. But the revelation of Marco’s con-man past and the malicious shadow of the neighborhood boss known only as the Argentine places the pair in dangerously unfamiliar territory, asking questions the police and the underworld don’t want answered. The story’s circular construction is intricate, but the narrative flows simply through personal stories interspersed with the fascinating, sometimes surrealistic folklore describing the Argentine’s reign in Vila Barbosa. Wirkus’ twisted tale of cons is an absorbing mental exercise that’s opaque enough for the most jaded armchair detectives and is guaranteed to spark delicious book-group debates.”
PW: “Unanswered questions hang wickedly in the air of Wirkus’s first novel. Elder Toronto and Elder Schwartz, two Mormon missionaries, roam the streets of Vila Barbosa, a Portuguese-speaking slum somewhere in what must be Brazil, in search of Marco Aurélio, a recent convert of theirs who has disappeared. Meanwhile, a powerful man referred to as the Argentine wields an omniscient, violent, yet strangely undefined grip over Vila Barbosa’s inhabitants. Aurélio’s fascinating backstory propels the plot just as its momentum begins to wilt. The banter between the two young Mormons serves to lighten the mood, as do descriptions of the tropical locale. A dangerous game of some kind seems to be in the works, though figuring out what that game is may leave some readers scratching their heads with the not unwelcome sense that they, too, have been played.”
Blurbs: “Intimate, mysterious, magical…as accomplished and compelling as anything I’ve read in recent years.” –T.C. Boyle, award-winning author of The Harder They Come. “Beautifully conceived and beautifully written…rendered with a strong, confident voice that is so rare in a first novel.” –Percival Everett, award-winning author of Assumption
Michal D. Young. Paladin: Down. Trifecta, Nov. 26. Middle Grade Fantasy. Chess Quest #1. “When nerdy eighth-grader Rich Witz unwittingly becomes a paladin, a white knight in training, he is thrust into a world where flunking a test can change the course of history, and a mysterious bully is playing for keeps with his life.”
Reviews of older books
Traci Hunter Abramson. Drop Zone (Jenni Hansen, Meridian). “Contains a low level romance, but the attraction between major characters is only a side light. Both books present a glimpse of some of the characters’ religious background and shows the part faith plays in their lives. Both stories portray government agencies dealing with traumatic situations and betrayal, though Drone Games is more political than Drop Zone. Drop Zone is written in a deceptively easy crisp, clean style while Narlock takes a tougher stance which shows less emotion and is more complicated to follow. Both books are filled with adventure, moral choices, and are exciting reads. Both are well-researched and will appeal to both genders and older teens through adults of any age.”
Matt Fraction & Lee Allred & Mike Allred & Joe Quinones. FF – Volume 2: Family Freakout (Theric).“This charming fan favorite is filled with metacomic humor and charming kid supers and gives Mike Allred everything he needs to be at his best. Plus, because it’s meta, we get to see how he draws himself and the missus. And brother Lee, when he comes in to take over writing from Matt Fraction, not only nails a seamless transition but excels. All good stuff. Probably even better if you’ve been baptized into the Marvel ethos.”
Marilyn Brown. Waking in Tombstone (Mike Whitmer, Deseret News). “A wonderful story that examines the lives of some very interesting people. Each character has personality and rings true to the actual events from the time period. The relationship between Cotter and Libby is tender and sweet and results in a positive ending that readers can appreciate.”
Chris Crowe. Death Coming Up the Hill (Michael Strickland, Deseret News). “Within the intense, emotion-filled events, the author’s electrically efficient use of language keeps the heavy subject matter from being overwhelming. One minor flaw in the text arises from the fact that in the late 1960s, the possibility of being drafted to fight in Vietnam terrified many high school boys and their loved ones, and this reality was missing from the story. The idea of a son making a horrific sacrifice would have paralleled the complexity and multiple gray areas in the battle between good and evil that was Vietnam. Crowe’s book speaks as a powerful work of historical fiction.
Eric Freeze. Hemingway on a Bike (Elizabeth Brady, Brevity). “Freeze covers a broad range of strange topics, from foosball to beards, pro wrestling to Vulcans, Angry Birds to barracudas. Freeze artfully captures not only his meditations on these varied subjects, but his enticing imagination as well. And his playfulness is contagious. With each essay, I found myself transported. I followed him from Canada to France to Midwestern America and back again. I felt invited to step away from the everyday familiarity of my own world for a few pages and examine the everyday familiarity of his world with him, simply because, as he says, “I couldn’t look away.” And he treats his subjects with delight. When pining for a particular foosball table, he writes: “A Bonzini. Just the uniqueness of the word, the unstressed, stressed, unstressed syllables, an amphibrach like in a limerick or a Dr. Seuss book, made me want to say it out loud . . . It was all I could do to keep the word out of my head: BON-ZI-NI. I felt like chanting it at a football game or naming a pasta dish after it.” And Freeze’s delight in turn delights me. I am willing to go with him wherever he leads. I become a teenage boy, a playful father, a world traveler, a professor obsessed with foosball. With him, I examine masculinity, parenthood, social pressures, identity. And I’m not satisfied with a simple answer. His collection unveils the complexities of an individual life, a single experience, desire, obsession. And with each essay I shed a little more self-consciousness. When I reached his final essay, “On Intimacy,” I was ready for this final rumination, the straight-faced honesty. I am left with beauty and pain, wonder and mystery. I am left changed. Freeze invites me to live, really live, to meet the absurd head-on, to not look away. And when I do, I walk away with a little more wisdom.”
Jacob Gowens. A Tale of Light and Shadow (Elizabeth Reid, Deseret News). “This book has managed to combine the right amounts of love, adventure and friendship into a page-turning masterpiece. Tension-filled moments can make staying up late to read a definite possibility, while the fast-paced action scenes help keep readers wide-eyed, eager to know what happens next. While many action/fantasy books are continually serious, the touches of humor found throughout “Tale” are true treasures.”
Moriah Jovan. We Were Gods and Paso Doble (Theric, Modern Mormon Men). “Moriah may now and then claim to be nothing more than a bawdy romance novelist, but those of us who’ve read her know better. With her latest pair of books, she explores the adult lives of twins Victoria and Étienne . . . Victoria’s extended virginity (and the white-knuckled grip with which she holds onto to it) lead to some of the most educational passages about female sexuality I’ve read—and her thinking about her role as a Mormon woman are similarly enlightening.
Kimberley Griffiths Little. Forbidden (Bloggin’ ‘bout Books) A. “Whether her novels take place on the bayous of Louisiana or in the arid deserts of the Middle East, Kimberley Griffiths Little knows how to make settings come alive. She has a particular gift for creating rich, atmospheric story worlds that pulse with life, tantalizing the reader with vibrant explosions of sight, sound, and smell. No matter how exotic the setting, though, Little infuses her tales with the kind of everyday emotion and drama with which we can all relate . . . As if an empathetic heroine isn’t appealing enough, the novel also offers an action-packed plot, a pulse-pounding romance, and plenty of family/tribal drama. With something for everyone, Forbidden is unique, masterful—the kind of novel that will delight anyone who enjoys thrilling, passionate tales about family, faith, and the fight to control your own fate. The first installment in what promises to be a brilliant trilogy, Forbidden should be at the top of everyone’s wishlist this Christmas.”
Zandra Vranes & Tamu Smith. Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons: Finding the Lord’s Lessons in Everyday Life (Allison McKenzie, AML). “It feels like you are sitting down with these women, casually chatting and laughing . . . This book is fun, light, and a quick read, but it speaks gospel truths. I thoroughly enjoyed their stories, their perspective, and their attitude of gratitude. These strong women provide a sanctuary from, and better understanding of, life’s challenges.”
Douglas Thayer. Will Wonders Never Cease (Scott Hales, A Motley Vision). “Loyal readers of Douglas Thayer’s fiction will not be surprised—at least initially—by his latest novel. For the last half-century, Thayer has been writing stories about young Mormon men, still naïve in the faith, whose battles with wilderness and human nature leave them emotionally and physically scarred, yet also hopeful and spiritually more mature. His protagonists are not the guilt-drenched youths of Levi Peterson’s fiction, whose forbidden experiments with sin and sex leave them feeling acutely the classic division between body and spirit. Instead, they are sensitive, righteous young men who take beating after beating from a world where God observes more than he intervenes. Thayer’s protagonists are acquainted with death, cruelty, and injustice. If anything redeems them, makes them willing to hope, it is their awakening to grace and the strong influence of their mothers . . . Will Wonders Never Cease is a typical Thayer coming-of-age story, yes, but it urges us to resist reading it as such. This is no small challenge, however, because, unlike Thayer’s other works, this new novel feels claustrophobic with its intense focus on the plight of the main character. Trapped in the Suburban, Kyle has very little to see and nowhere to go except to where his imagination takes him. Consequently, readers spend hardly any time away from Kyle, especially since his interactions with other characters, as played out in his memories, are generally vignette-length. Readers must work to dig their own way out of the snowpack of Kyle’s narrative voice—at least if they want a fresh experience with Thayer’s fiction. Will Wonders Never Cease is essentially a story about a mother’s love for her son, but unless you choose to read it that way, you likely miss that point. And what if you do miss it? I think you’ll still find a novel worth reading, although not one that trumps any of Thayer’s earlier novels. With The Tree House, Thayer delivered his masterpiece and I doubt any follow-up novel will ever rival it. Thayer, after all, turned 85 this year and has perhaps already produced the best work of his career. Reading Will Wonder Never Cease, I also felt as if Thayer’s connection to contemporary life was fading. While Kyle and his friends are modern teens, they talk as if they belong in mid-century . . . Despite these relatively minor issues, Will Wonders Never Cease is another worthy contribution from the pen of Douglas Thayer. And Kyle Hooper is a worthy protagonist—even if he doesn’t necessarily remind me of the young men I instruct every week in the teachers quorum. Like Thayer’s best characters, he is on the receiving end of a cosmic injustice and does his best to come to terms with it. Sarcastic and smart, he is a Mormon Holden Caulfield with a cleaner mouth and a better moral compass. He is also the closest thing Mormon literature has to a young Macgyver, although I would not say that is the novel’s chief selling point. Will Wonders Never Cease, rather, is an invitation to revisit Thayer’s work with new eyes, to see beyond the coming-of-age tropes and discern new patterns and formulas in the narratives. It may be true that if you’ve read one Thayer novel, you’ve read them all. But a novel like Will Wonders Never Cease will make you question whether you’ve been misreading Thayer’s work all along.”
Doug Thayer. Will Wonders Never Cease (Doug Gibson, Ogden Standard-Examiner). “Thayer is probably one of the top five or six Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints novelists out there and his newest is a good read that mixes an adventure with the protagonist’s stream of consciousness, thinking as he works to avoid peril and death . . . Kyle is a well-developed character of Thayer’s and the reader will enjoy following along with his ingenious and courageous efforts to save himself from what looks like a long, prolonged and certain death . . . Three characters are well-formed by Thayer, an author in his 80s. Kyle’s mother, Lucille, who is originally perceived as a Mormon scold but is revealed to be refreshingly progressive on issues such as homosexuality and premarital pregnancy, and possessed of a strong will, his Grandpa Hooper, whose legacy of common sense and handyman’s know-how is used to great advantage by Kyle . . . About the only thing I don’t like about this novel is the bland title, which seems more suitable for self-help or inspirational genres. But it’s a good read, compelling and thought-provoking and readers — drawn into Kyle’s plight — won’t be able to put the book down in the final pages.”
Zandra Vranes & Tamu Smith. Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons (Shelah Books It). 4 stars. “Their book is at its strongest when it delves into their personal stories, which is something that they do to highlight most of the points they want to make. They talk about the time Sista Beehive got caught shoplifting, when Sista Laurel pretended that her mom was dead and her hilarious experience at EFY as a teenager. They’re willing to talk about hard things and to help us see that even if we have hard circumstances in our lives, that shouldn’t separate us from the love Christ has for us or from his plans for our lives. The book is a quick, useful read. I think it’s important because of its perspective and because of its wonderful storytelling.
The Brothers Washburn. Mojave Green. (Alicia Cunningham, Deseret News). “The Brothers Washburn excel in drama and build a scene with masterful skill.”
Poetry
Kristen Eliason: Picture Dictionary. Flaming Giblet Press, March. Blurb: “As much memento as memento mori, Kristen Eliason’s Picture Dictionary resists easy summaries. This full-color collection, straddling the lines of denotation and connotation, will force you to rethink the nature of language, observation, beauty, and grief..””At first glance, this astonishing book appears to be an ingenious account of a young American’s year in Japan, told through a ‘picture dictionary” of anecdotes, usage notes and etiquette tips. But as this tale unfolds, a second, shadow narrative begins rising to the surface: an unbearably abrupt and severe loss suffered in another time and place. Suddenly the surface narrative, with its sour-sweet tastes, its new syllables, its nets of oranges, pink shirts and pickled plums, feels alive with pain, pain pricking through the skin of this text in nervy, exquisite relays. Eliason’s Picture Dictionary is a ravishing book about the inability of the heart to die with the dead, the sad burden of coming to know world in all its various and devastating beauty.- Joyelle McSweeney Read an excerpt here. Author note: “These prose poems are presented in the format of a dictionary—the primary tool I used for linguistic understanding and mis/representation while I was living in Japan. Each section follows the Katakana syllable that most closely matches the word’s pronunciation and the manuscript as a whole follows a Katakana syllabary table (Ka, Ki, Ku, Ke, Ko, etc.). The illustrations in a picture dictionary serve to simplify communication, and this version (all of the pictures are referential) serves as a vehicle for exploring cultural and emotional aphasia. The false English/Katakana structure further explores issues of translation, the fragmentation of cultural meaning, and the disintegration of memory in the wake of grief. This piece also serves as an elegy.”
Laura Stott. In the Museum of Coming and Going. New Issues Poetry & Prose (Western Michigan University), Sept. 16. Exceprt. Blurb: “By means of exceptionally concrete and direct language, Laura Stott’s poems lift dark matter up out of the shared unknown and give it shape. They have the simplicity of blue shadows and bells, the curiously beautiful postures of shore birds in a marsh. This book is as clear-eyed and original as any poetry I have read, and the poems do not melt away as you read them, they stay, they keep on reminding that mystery inheres not in abstract complexities but in our essential experience of the world. A truly wonderful debut volume.”—Christopher Howell. And, ”These are poems of travel and travail, of losing one’s bearings but finding one’s way. In short, they transform us into crows and lizards, into sacred cows in a blue city, into snakes or sea otters or sometimes stars. These poems invite and entice. Do not lose your eyes, says one poem. Child, hold God in those hands, says another. May we all grow so gently bold. May we all hold and keep holding.” —Lance Larsen
Theater
Denis Agle. Liken’s The First Christmas. SCERA, Orem. Dec. 1-13.
Kat Webb, UTBA Review: “This is the production’s third year, and the show offers a lovely introduction into the forthcoming holidays . . . While highly didactic in nature, there’s a fun campiness to the production that’s quite comforting and delightful this time of the year. The format of the play did not necessarily lend to a more grounded nature, and rather, fell into the “larger-than-life” quality prevalent in the Liken film canon. Joy and exuberance filled this production with high energy, and the blatant narrative made it an easy piece for younger audiences to enjoy. There’s a certain respect that naturally accompanies reading aloud the Christmas story, and I appreciated the ability of Dennis Agle‘s script to maintain a basic reverence for the spiritual while striving providing a sense of the comedic and spectacle. If Agle still plans to develop his script, I suggest keeping the story more tethered to the emotions of the season by finding the real heart and soul of Christ’s birth, and allowing moments where the Christmas spirit isn’t pushed to exuberant exaggeration. This worked to great effect with the Shepherds, who were a lively, excitable bunch that found a soulful resonance in their rendition of “He’s Born.” I believe the simplicity and beauty of that piece made it my favorite of the night.”
Jamie Erekson. Paint My Eyes. BYU, Nov. 19-22. “A new musical with book, lyrics, and music by Jamie Erekson. Directed by George Nelson. Germany, 1995. With two days left on his mission, Elder Garn, his new companion, and four others find their lives crossing on the anniversary of Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass). As they remember the past and look to the future, they decide which dreams to follow, and which to forget.”
Russell Warne. UTBA Review. ““Physician, heal thyself.” This proverb from the New Testament book of Luke implies that a person should repair their own faults before helping others fix their flaws. The central character of Paint My Eyes struggles with this very problem. As an LDS missionary in Germany the play opens finding Elder Garn struggling with his own personal crisis, which prevents him from fulfilling his purpose of helping others obtain spiritual healing . . . As Elder Garn, John Lane is convincing as the experienced, emotionally tired missionary. I particularly loved how much his companion embarrassed Elder Garn during some of the lessons they taught to their investigators. As more information about the character is revealed in the play, Lane’s performance becomes more impassioned, reaching a peak in the first song that occurs in his brain. Lane also showed the depth of the spiritual crisis that Elder Garn was passing through, especially in the scenes in the missionaries’ apartment. A lesser actor would have shown Elder Garn to be a mopey 21-year-old, but Lane made Garn’s pain apparent without making it overbearing or immature . . . I also appreciated how Bounous showed his character’s sincere concern for his companion’s problems and how he sometimes succumbed to his own impulses (such as telling white lies or invading his companion’s privacy). Bounous created his best performance, though, in “Shades of Gray,” which had the emotional power of any Broadway power ballad. Paint My Eyes is a work still in development, and Jamie Erekson (who wrote the book, music, and lyrics) will make some needed adjustments to the show before another audience sees it. One problem with the script is that the first half hour is entirely about Garn’s difficulties. Therefore, when the ugliness of the Kristallnacht begins to take on major importance, the purpose and central conflict of the show seem to shift. Moreover, it is not explicit how all the characters are tied into Kristallnacht, especially because the age of some characters (like Freymann) would imply that Kristallnacht, the Holocaust, and World War II all happened before they were even born . . . Yet, even without any changes Paint My Eyes is a strong piece of theatre. Director George D. Nelson was an excellent shepherd for this work, and his ability to create an emotionally intense second half cannot be overpraised. Nelson also mined the humor of the script effectively, which not only made the play genuinely enjoyable, but also provided a stark contrast with the deeper moments. Erekson’s score is also marvelous, with heavy influences from Stephen Sondheim and Jason Robert Brown, and the complex nature of songs like “Pull up a Chair” and “Two Years” would lend them a long afterlife on a cast album or iTunes downloads. Paint My Eyes is not a perfect show, but I am optimistic that Erekson can unify the disparate parts of the story without sacrificing the emotion or rich score. I look forward to the time when Erekson takes the musical to a fringe festival or when BYU gives the work another chance.”
Tim Slover. A Joyful Noise. Covey Center, Provo, Dec. 4-20.
Mahonri Stewart. Evening Eucalyptus. Russell Warne, UTBA review. “In many ways, Evening Eucalyptus is like a walkabout: both emphasize growing up. For both, the voyage is more important than the destination. And both have the potential to be meandering and aimless . . . Mahonri Stewart‘s script conveys the perfect mood to match the 19th century Australian setting of the play. The opening scene between Arthur and Abigail was ideal for the open, vast, beautiful emptiness of the terrain of the location. This scene eased me into the show and made me instinctively enjoy the two characters. However, the central aspect of the play—Arthur’s psychological journey—is not prominent enough until after the second act begins. This means that when intermission starts, there is not a compelling reason to return to the show after the first act . . . In addition to penning the script, Stewart also directed the production. Perhaps this is why the literary aspects of the script received a proper emphasis. Generally, Stewart was able to make me appreciate the characters, and he was superb in evoking the magical feeling of the vast wilderness that surrounded them. The most problematic aspect of the direction was the dreamtime, which was not visually appealing because of the sloppy, indistinct ways that the “spirits” moved on the stage. Overall, I feel mixed about Evening Eucalyptus. With its two-hour running time the play is in no hurry to tell its story, and as a result the characters’ actions did not seem important throughout the entire evening. Yet, Evening Eucalyptus is a play that pushes the boundaries of theatrical convention in Utah County, and the sweet story of a broken man and a strong woman in a enchanted land is one that I won’t forget soon.”
ECHO10: BEST OF SHOW–Six short plays selected for a final performance at the Provo festival: On the Romance of a Dying Child, by J. Scott Bronson, The Perfect Independent Film, by Trace Crawford, The Last Scenario, by James Best, Noir in Second Class, by C. J. Ehlrich, No Atheists in Foxholes, by Ashley Miller & Jaren Jolley, and She Smiled.
Film
Ender’s Game. Film review by Scott R. Parkin. BYU Studies 55:4. “Orson Scott Card might well be the most versatile, and one of the most Mormon, fiction authors writing today—a true “storyteller in Zion,” as suggested by the title of one collection of his essays . . . I believe the film stands well on its own as a story that is both intellectually and emotionally satisfying. The film necessarily combined and condensed many elements. I found that effort effective and clean. Yes, some useful detail was lost; some complexity and nuance were skimmed over. But the core ideas and themes remained strong, and the key narrative goals were effectively realized. Reading the novel will improve enjoyment of the film and deepen many of the details but is not necessary to understand it at a foundational level.”
Filmaker Gerald Molen is working on a documentary about a group called known as Operation Underground Railroad, works to prosecute child sex traffickers and to rescue the victims.
Bestsellers
Nov. 23, Nov. 30, Dec. 7, Dec. 14
Richard Paul Evans. The Mistletoe Promise
USA Today: x, x, #16, #63 (2 weeks)
PW Hardcover: x, x, #4, #11 (2 weeks). 21,977, 11,461 units. 33,438 total.
NY Times Hardcover: x, x, #4, #14 (2 weeks)
NYT Combined Print and Ebook: x, x, #9, x
NYT Ebook: x, x, #16, x
James Dashner. The Maze Runner
USA Today: #18, #25, #29, #33 (53 weeks)
USA Today: (full series) #154, #140, #145, #83 (11 weeks)
PW Children’s: #11, #11, #15, #22 (17 weeks) 6466, 5690, 5223, 7904 units. 187,461 total.
NYT Children’s Series: , #2, #2, #2 #2 (112 weeks)
James Dashner. The Kill Order
USA Today: #119, #150, #165, #133 (16 weeks)
PW Children’s: x, #10, #11, #20 (32 weeks) x, 6095, 6020, 8874 units. 190,661 total.
James Dashner. The Scorch Trials
USA Today: #37, #38, #49, #54 (38 weeks)
James Dashner. The Death Cure
USA Today: #52, #54, #63, #69 (40 weeks)
Shannon and Dean Hale. The Princess in Black
NY Times Middle Grade: #9, #9, #9 (3 weeks)
Shannon Hale. Ever After High: Once Upon a Time
PW Children’s: #18, #16, #19, x (5 weeks). 4336, 4260, 4075 units. 20,089 total.
Shannon Hale. Ever After High: A Wonderlandiful World
PW Children’s: x, #25, x, x (13 weeks): x, 2477 units. 55,547 total.
RaeAnne Thayne. Snow Angel Cove
USA Today: #69, #92, #128, x (4 weeks)
PW Mass Market: #12, #16, #16, x (4 weeks). 9313, 7094, 6053 units. 32,992 total
RaeAnne Thayne. The Christmas Ranch
PW Mass Market: x, x, x, #17 (1 week). 5917 units.
Orson Scott Card. Ender’s Game
PW Sci-Fi: #4, #4, #8
Brandon Mull. Rouge Night
PW Children’s: x, x, #12, x (1 week). 5853 units.
NY Times Middle Grade: #2, #10 (2 weeks)
Ally Condie. Atlantia
NYT Young Adult: #12, x, x, x (2 weeks)