This Month in Mormon Literature, December 23, 2015

We said goodbye to the beloved fiction and non-fiction author Kathryn H. Kidd. Notable new books include Mette Ivie Harrison’s second Mormon mystery His Right Hand, J. Scott Bronson’s short tragedy and atonement novel The Agitated Heart, Chelsea Dyreng’s debut allegorical novel The Cenote, Karen Rosenbaum’s Mormon short story collection Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, and Wives, and H. B. Moore’s Middle East adventure Lost King. Also, I became aware of two well-reviewed YA novels that were published back in the Spring, Becky Wallace’s high fantasy debut The Storyspinner and Heather Dixon’s steampunk Illusionarium. Two films, Don Verdean and Christmas Eve opened to mediocre to poor reviews, and terrible box-office business. Please send your updates to mormonlit AT gmail DOT com.  

News and blogs

Kathryn H. Kidd passed away on December 14, 2015. She was 65. Kathy was an accomplished author, writing four novels (including Paradise Vue (1989) and Lovelock (1994)), one children’s book, and ten non-fiction books, as well as innumerable magazine and web articles. She was the associate editor (or managing editor) of Meridian Magazine until 2008, and wrote articles and moderated discussions for that web publication from at least 2004 to 2013. From 2012 she has written for Nauvoo Times, an Orson Scott Card-related web magazine. Her blog Planet Kathy includes a blog and links to many of her works.

“Everybody loves Star Wars. But here’s why Mormons especially love Star Wars.” Matthew Bowman, Washington Post. An article on Mormons’ love for Star Wars and science fiction in general. Name checks Nephi Anderson, Orson Scott Card, and Shannon Hale.

2015 Goodreads Choice Awards. Brandon Sanderson. Shadows of Self Fantasy #3. 18,171 votes, almost half of first place Neil Gaman’s 33,681 votes.

Brian McClellan, The Autumn Republic. Fantasy #18. 2093 votes.

Brandon Sanderson. Firefight Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction #8. 15,602 votes. Less than half of #1 Sarah Maas’s 35,770 votes.

Amy Harmon. The Law of Moses. Romance #12. 4430 votes.

Kasie West. The Fill-in Boyfriend. Young Adult Fiction #18. 1983 votes.

Brandon Mull. Rouge Knight. Middle Grade and Children’s, #14. 1938 votes.

Buzzfeed 32 Best Fantasy Novels of 2015

13. Son of the Black Sword by Larry Correia

20. Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson

25. The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan

Paste Magazine 30 Best YA Books of 2015

21. Shutter by Courtney Alameda. “Shutter focuses on one of the final descendants of the Van Helsing bloodline, Micheline Helsing, who exorcizes ghosts with her camera. She’s what’s known as a tetrachromat; she’s gifted with the ability to see the auras of the undead. When a curse infects Micheline and her group of friends, they only have a few days to reverse it before they’ll die. A great read for the Comic-Con crowd, Shutter will fill that Buffy the Vampire Slayer-shaped hole in your life.”

Paste Magazine Best Comic Books of 2015.

11. Fante Bukowski. Writer/Artist: Noah Van Sciver. Publisher: Fantagraphics. “We’ve all had that friend: a Charles Bukowski devotee who spends more time at the bottle than the typewriter. But the difference between that guy and Noah Van Sciver’s hilarious Fante Bukowski? You don’t want your time with this successful alcoholic/failed novelist to end. The book follows Fante Bukowski, a bar-dwelling writer who subs beers for honing his craft, or as he succinctly puts it to a fellow drinker: “I’ve been trying to be a famous writer for a year and I’m still empty-handed. I need to write a book! I have to show my father that I’m not a loser!” He’s a loyal follower of the drunk romantics, John Fante and the aforementioned Bukowski, so much so that he legally had his name changed. By the time I got to Fante Bukowski’s first piece of fiction, The Tragedy of Success, I’d laughed hard enough to stir a few tears. After the opening lines, how could you not? “Nothing I do is good enough for my dad. I sit in this cheap hotel and swig cheap wine. This is who I am. Dad. Dad. I want to kill you.” We’re unabashed fans of Van Sciver’s work, and Fante Bukowski only extends his vision of smart, flawed characters—just hilariously so.”

Dark Faerie Tales’ Top Ten (YA) Books of 2015.

2. Nameless, by Jennifer Jenkins. “I have no words to express how much I thoroughly enjoyed this book! My good friend Jaime told me I was going to love this and she was totally right. I picked it up and could not put it down! From the very first page the action begins and I was on the edge of my seat the entire way through. If you are a fantasy fan you have to pick up this book!”

6. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West. “I absolutely adore everything Kasie West writes. She creates these stories that make you want to fall in love again for the first time. They are cute, fun and completely heartwarming stories and The Fill-In Boyfriend was no exception! Every year I look forward to her books and she never disappoints.”

10. Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George. “This was such a fun story to read. The characters were interesting, the setting was captivating and this was just an all around entertaining read! I have always been a huge fan of Jessica Day George and this is my favorite book from her!”

Glen Nelson: A Mormon Art Juror. The Krakens. Glen talks about his experience as a juror for The 10th International Art Competition for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Three lessons he learned: “Mormon artists want to engage in creating imagery of the cross,” “There is a battle within the Church regarding what Jesus should look like in its sanctioned art,” and “Offense comes easily and disappointment, easier.”

Richard Paul Evans’ traumatic childhood is discussed in the NYT “Inside the List” section.

Dean Hughes feature story, Deseret News. ““Home and Away” is his 102nd published book. His first one, “Under the Same Stars,” a work of historical fiction about early Mormon conflict in Missouri, came out in 1979, published by Deseret Book. He’s gone on to print some 40 books with Deseret Book — he’s one of 19 authors on their Wall of Fame for selling over 1 million units — and another 60-plus for Simon & Schuster’s Atheneum imprint in New York. His biggest sellers? “Soldier Boys,” another story set in World War II, has sold more than 250,000 copies in the national market, while his five-volume “Children of the Promise” series has sold a combined 750,000 copies in the LDS market.”

At A Motely Vision: Is There a Distinctive Mormon Literary Esthetic? Part One, Part Two (Jonathan Langford).

Josi Kilpack on “The Benefit of a Bad Review”.

Sunstone Magazine’s holiday gift guide for Mormons.

Short stories

Joe Plicka. “Postcards”. Hobart, Dec. 11. Short story in the form of postcards from a husband on a long business trip to his wife.

New Books and their reviews

Various authors. Midwinter Ball. Mirror Press, Dec. 1. Regency romance anthology. Novellas by Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon, and Michele Paige Holmes.

Michael Allred and Chris Roberson. iZombie Omnibus. DC Comics, Dec. 8. Told from a female zombie’s perspective, IZOMBIE is a smart, witty detective series with a mix of urban fantasy and romantic dramedy. Gwendolyn “Gwen” Dylan is a 20-something gravedigger in an eco-friendly cemetery. Once a month she must eat a human brain to keep from losing her memories, but in the process she becomes consumed with the thoughts and personality of the dead person until she eats the next brain. She sets out to fulfill the dead person’s last request, solve a crime, or right a wrong.The inspiration behind the hit CW series created by Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) is now collected in its entirety for the first time ever in his oversized omnibus edition! This critically acclaimed series from Chris Roberson and Michael Allred is a can’t miss for fans of the show and graphic novel lovers alike! Collects issues #1-28.

J. Scott Bronson. The Agitated Heart. Arc Point Media, Dec. 9. LDS general. AKA “The Whipping Boy”. I first read this short family/religious novel over a decade ago, I am glad it is finally coming out.

Michael R. Collings (emeritus professor of creative writing, Pepperdine University). “The Agitated Heart is a sometimes comforting, sometimes heartbreaking story of that most atypical of entities, a typical family…in this case, typical LDS family . . . Bronson provides more than lip service to stereotypes and clichés. His characters struggle toward belief—and understanding and acceptance—on every level, constantly stymied by the inadequacy of language even to frame their struggles. . . . [B]elief follows pain and fear and effort, and begins the transformation of each character. . . . It is, at heart, about the inarticulable, inexplicable, and ultimately miraculous Atonement of Jesus Christ.    This makes The Agitated Heart a difficult book. There is pain and suffering. There is sinfulness, intentional and unintentional. There are words that hurt instead of heal. And there is blood. So much blood. And at the end, Bronson does not make the mistake of creating a fairy-tale ending in which everything is magically resolved. That cannot happen in this life. But through their own experiences—and most specifically through Christopher’s (Christopher = ‘Christ-bearer’)—the Arnolds each manage the first steps. They surpass the limitations of language to approach truth; they move beyond passive statements of belief to actions that are built upon belief; and—just as did the Valiant Elevens in Bishop Penrod’s class—they apprehend the suffering and the sacrifice of Christ on new levels, and are forever changed by it.

Eric Samuelsen. ” The Agitated Heart, is simply a beautiful, beautiful piece of writing. A troubled but faithful Mormon family struggles to cope with ordinary Mormon challenges; callings in the ward, disputes with ward members, a school bully terrorizing their oldest child. Underlying those tensions is a profound meditation on the atonement, on faith and forgiveness, on hard-heartedness and repentance. Profoundly simple, accessibly rich, human and real and lovely. I know these people. And I ached for them as I read.”

Andrew Hall. “The best piece of domestic LDS fiction I have ever read. Bronson succeeds in the literary ways: strong and clearly drawn characters, dialogue, and a focused but complex narrative. The narrative POV switches in each chapter between the four main characters, the mother, father, son, and daughter, work well. Often Bronson shows us scenes through two viewpoints, giving the reader greater understanding and charity for the characters. Even without the truly dramatic events of the final chapters, Bronson creates a slice of life of an average Mormon family that fascinated and engaged me. . . . It is not often you find literary excellence, emotional heart, and powerful religious messages wrapped up in a single work.”

Mette Ivie Harrison. “This is Mormon literature in the best sense. A story about a real, terrible family problem and a marriage that is both fraught with problems and eternal. The answers aren’t easy and the pain is real, but the storytelling is tender.” 

Shannen Crane Camp. Pwned. Future House, Dec. 3. YA romance. Cheerleader girl is secretly also a video gamer.

Mindy (LDSWBR) 4 stars. “Pwned is a great book that brings out the inner-gamer in us all! I loved getting to know and learn “gaming terminology”. Very fun! I really liked Reagan and her journey to find who she really is. Tawny was awful, sometimes a bit over the top for me (are girls really that evil?), but Shannen wrote her well. I was pleasantly surprised with the sweet relationship between Reagan and her brother, Cannon. I loved the scenes where they would interact, especially when they played Cannon’s matching game. What a great kid. I also liked that there was parental involvement too, and I appreciated some of the actions taken by Reagan’s mom. Actually there were lots of fun surprises in this book, one at the end, that I suspected, but when it was revealed, made complete sense. I say this a lot, but the boy stole the show for me. I loved Parker, he truly was a great guy and a great match for Reagan.”

Kathy, Book Worm Nation. 2 stars. “I wanted to like this one more than I did. It was entertaining, but when I finished I just didn’t like how everything played out. I liked the premise of the popular cheerleader being a nerd in her spare time . . . Overall, it was okay. The gaming stuff was a tad boring (unless you’re into that stuff) and I would have liked more dialog (too much inner thought for my taste). I also would have liked the romance bumped up a bit. I thought Parker was kind of an idiot.” 

Shannen Crane Camp. Keeping June. Sugar Coated Press, Dec. 21. YA romance. June #4. When fans of June’s television show start spreading online rumors about her faithfulness to her new husband and fabricating an off-set romance between her and her costar, she learns that even marriage offers no immunity from the gossip that always seems to haunt her.

Michaelbrent Collings. Child of the Empire. Self, Dec. 4. YA fantasy. Sword Chronicles #1. Dystopia where children fight in an arena.

Heather Dixon. Illusionarium. HarperCollins, May 19. YA steampunk fantasy.

PW (starred review). “Dixon returns with a steampunk take on a holodeck—or possibly on LSD, depending on how one views the experience of fantillium, a mysterious compound that allows illusionists to imagine a reality that others can share. Jonathan Gouden, son and apprentice to the second-best medical scientist in the empire, discovers that he is just such an illusionist when the king himself demands Dr. Gouden’s services in researching a cure for the Venen plague, which the queen has contracted. The catch? Fantillium causes acedia, the withering of conscience, a process already far advanced in the only other researcher working on the Venen cure. When the amoral researcher, Lady Florel, flees into the alternate reality, it falls to Jonathan to follow in her footsteps as those he loves become ill. Dixon casts Jonathan not as a pinup daredevil but as an ordinary, decent person who does some extraordinary (and morally questionable) things along the way. Her steampunk world is vibrantly imagined, and the page-turning quality of Jonathan’s wry narration (complete with footnotes and sub-footnotes) will have readers fully invested in his story.”

VOYA: “The premise of this curious steampunk tale is promising: two comparable worlds struggling with similar environmental, social, and economic problems and the different choices the societies make to solve them. Unfortunately, the storytelling tends to be convoluted, inconsistent, and overly violent. The overuse of onomatopoeia reduces most of the action scenes to a series of repetitive and capitalized BLAMS and BANGS. Characters are shallow and wearying, plot twists are predictable, and detailed descriptions of the characters’ clothing are annoyingly repetitive. The humorous footnotes Jonathan provides as he tells his story are insightful at first but quickly become silly, and finally so predictably tedious that they are not worth reading. Juvenile dialog and silly situations, coupled with complex math and scientific concepts, make this a book for which an audience will be difficult to find.”

SLJ: “This steampunk fantasy set in a futuristic London features so many fantasy elements, plot twists, and dramatic crescendos that it is easy to lose the thread of the story. Still, the lovable characters and the story’s originality will appeal to some readers. VERDICT Recommended as an additional purchase for places looking to expand their steampunk offerings.”

Tasha Robinson, NPR. “Reading Heather Dixon’s Illusionarium feels like riding a particularly rough roller coaster, and the first few hills are doozies. Dixon barely establishes the book’s fantasy world — a hastily sketched British-derived steampunk setting, with the requisite airships and an alternate version of London called Arthurise — before she upends it . . . The prospect of a jaded, sensation-starved society enjoying a public blood-sport populated by unwilling players is awfully familiar from other recent young-adult novels, but Dixon certainly finds a novel form for it. Still, the level of detail she puts into the action segments, at the expense of world-building or character-building, suggests Illusionarium was intended more as a movie treatment than a book. Granted, Dixon has a knack for giddy economy. She sketches out characters in a few brief lines: Lockwood, an arrogant guard Jonathan’s age, is “sharp. Crisp … and so confident it was off-putting.” In just a few words, Dixon sums him up well enough to explain everything else he does in the novel . . . There’s no mistaking who these characters are, or what their purpose will be in the story. They’re one-dimensional, but in all cases, that one dimension is colorful and heightened . . . And that’s a pity, because weighty things happen with clockwork efficiency. Characters die. Big reveals change the nature of the world, in ways that would seem momentous if the world was better established. Jonathan makes a series of major discoveries, though they come with frustrating ease: Surely when he learns to manipulate time and space itself with fantillium, such world-changing developments should take more than a breezy page or two. But this is a world that alters easily and often, and as a result, it often winds up feeling like no more than a fantillium illusion itself.”

L. T. (Lisa Torcasso) Downing. The Pilfered Papers. Zion Book Works, Nov. 25. YA historical. Joseph Smith, Martin Harris, and the 116 pages.

Chelsea Dyreng. The Cenote. Cedar Fort, Nov. 10. Allegorical drama, with fantasy and romance elements, set in ancient Mesoamerica. “Forced to marry a complete stranger, Sandpiper tries to adjust to life in her new village. But the mysterious Cenote, a great pool of water, has bewitched the men of the village, and Sandpiper must know why. This moving story of romance and redemption serves as an allegory with a timely message.” Debut novel.

Jennie Hansen, Meridian Magazine (5 stars). “This is a tale of the discovery of deep and lasting love, of lust and jealousy, of emotional infidelity, sacrifice, and the realization of true worth. It is told in a sensitive way that leaves much for the reader to grasp and feel for her/him self. The characters are vivid and real; though set in an ancient setting, they are easy to relate to and share their emotions. Dialog is natural. Many of the characters appear recognizable as people the reader knows in today’s world, not by what they say but by their attitudes and by the emotions they experience. The plot is compelling and keeps the reader’s interest. There are no slow, lag times as one element flows naturally into the next. Some of the events are heart breaking and the story doesn’t end as I expected, but isn’t disappointing either. This is a story that invites thought and suggests deeper meanings than the surface story.”

Wishful Readings. “I knew from the first page that this story could be a great one. And it was. I felt immersed in this tribal culture. I connected with the heroine, even though I could see how her choices were definitely not wise, nor that she had the best perspective all the time. I felt some pity for the hero, but that quickly changed as he became my favorite character from the story. I loved the mysteries surrounding the pool of water, what is called The Cenote, which really is life and death for this tribe. I was worried about what was going to happen and when and why… This is a beautiful piece of storytelling, one that I connected with and I felt all the way to my heart. It is one book that I will not forget and definitely a top read from this year.”

Bryce Moore. “This is a book with a lot to offer. It’s set in an ancient Mesoamerican culture, and that culture permeates the book throughout. The point of view alternates between a husband and wife, with each of them viewing the main events of the story through different lenses. Chelsea uses this to great effect, weaving in different layers of tension and advancing the plot in great ways . . . It took me some time to get into the book, but I think a lot of that has more to do with my unfamiliarity with the genre than anything else. Once it got rolling, it really zipped along. I finished the last two thirds in about a day. It’s funny in parts, insightful in others, and extraordinarily sad in yet others. You’re getting the complete package, that’s for sure.” 

Mette Ivie Harrison. His Right Hand. Soho Press, Dec. 1. LDS mystery. Linda Wallheim #2. Sequel to The Bishop’s Wife. The Bishop’s counselor is murdered, and it turns out he is transgender, a former female. Linda’s secret first marriage is also a part of the story.

Publishers Weekly (starred review). “Harrison’s outstanding sequel to 2014’s The Bishop’s Wife focuses on a timely social issue . . . The suspect pool may be small, but Harrison once again dramatizes the agonizing plight of those who firmly believe church doctrine and yet by their nature have a fundamental conflict with it.”

Kirkus: “This second case for Linda (The Bishop’s Wife, 2014, etc.) does a wonderful job of parting the curtain on many of the Mormon Church’s mysteries.”

Library Journal: “Harrison provides a fascinating look into the Mormon church from the point of view of a woman who sometimes struggles with its strict rules. Linda’s insider’s perspective is almost as engrossing as the mystery itself. Recommended for mystery lovers.”

Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 3 stars. “[It] is the kind of mystery novel that sneaks up on a reader. You wouldn’t expect a book about the crime-solving wife of a staid Mormon leader to be so edgy and engrossing. It has all the outward signs of being a conventional “cozy” mystery that plays it safe. But Linda Wallheim, the bishop’s wife, is quite the independent thinker who is full of surprises — and Harrison delivers a provocative tale that doesn’t shy away from timely social issues. The run-of-the-mill procedural aspects of the murder investigation are not this book’s strengths. His Right Hand stands out instead because of the uneasy questions that the characters ask themselves about their core beliefs.”

Bookgasm. “The implausibility of the situation is smoothly dealt with by Harrison’s unprepossessing style. She strives for artlessness in the best possible way. What I mean by that is she doesn’t go for the killer line or the purple paragraph. She tries for an honest style, without gaudy attachments, as if she’s telling you the story face to face. It’s not an easy effect to achieve, but when done well as it is here, it provides the honesty, the believability, and the emotional punch that connects the reader to the characters and the book. There is quite a bit of Mormon thought and theology in this work, a lot of Harrison’s struggling to explain the Mormon reaction to transgenderism, and its slow turn from complete intolerance to grudging acceptance (hopefully), and more than enough of the protagonist’s own introspection into her thoughts, deeds, and levels of acceptance. Some of that can get tedious, but Harrison is so earnest, so forthright in what she says and thinks and doubts and is unsure of, that one can’t help but feel sympathetic to the sympathetic character of Linda Wallheim.”

Book Riot. 2 stars. “Harrison seems to be writing to both a Mormon and non-Mormon audience, so she explains the Church and she explains a lot of gender/transgender elements to her audience. It can feel like a lot of explaining. And while Harrison obviously cares about these issues, the subplots feel clunky and like an attempt to do too much to make a statement. While a big part of Linda’s history is revealed and was really interesting, I still felt detached from her as a character. And I definitely felt more detached and confused about her marriage, which feels very stilted. I just didn’t connect with this book the way I hoped I would.”

 Michele Paige Holmes. Twelve Days in December. Mirror Press, Dec. 9. Regency romance novella. Hearthfire Romance #4.

Kirsten Jorgenson. Sediment & Veil: Poems. Horse Less Press, Oct. 2014. Poetry, about the nuclear test bombing and the downwinders in Nevada and Utah.

H. B. Moore. Lost King. Thomas & Mercer, Dec. 1. Thriller. Sequel to Finding Sheba. Undercover agent Omar Zagouri has been ordered to Giza. A prominent Egyptologist was murdered, and a priceless artifact—the only complete version of the Book of the Dead—is missing . . . . Their kidnapper is determined to discover the text’s rumored explosive revelation: that Moses did not receive the Ten Commandments from God but instead copied them from the Egyptians.”

Mindy, LDSWBR. 5 stars. “The reader will appreciate all the research and care she put into writing this book. All of the characters and scenes are written well. This story reads fast and is very action packed too. Omar is a great character too, and I enjoyed his sense of humor.”

 John D. Newman. Sandy and the Weird Sisters. Leicester Bay, Oct. 20. Middle grade. “12-year-old Sandy is left in the care of her three great aunts, referred to in family lore as the “weird sisters.” Each of the aunts espouses a different faith — Catholicism, Mormonism, and Unitarianism — and yet they respect and support each others’ practice, while Sandy views them as the outside seeker of truth she truly is. Sandy enrolls in a literature course, dance classes, and winds up in a community musical production, abandoning the girls’ soccer team with which she is supposed to be playing. During her three weeks with her aunts, and never having attended any religious services before, she takes part in services and activities at each of her aunts’ churches, finding things that she admires as well as things that confuse her. Her identity of self is to be forged during these three weeks — striking while the metal is hot, so to speak — an identity that she will take the remainder of her life to fashion and finish.”

Tristi Pinkston. Take My Advice. Trifecta Books, Nov. 26. YA general. The advice columnist for her high school newspaper gets thrown some curves she can’t handle.

Karen Rosenbaum. Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, and Wives. Zarahemla Books, Nov. 30. Short story collection. “The female protagonists of these fourteen short stories are daughters of devout Mormon women. Some choose to leave the family faith; some choose to stay. All hum the hymns of their forebears. They are women of the American West, but some have also journeyed a bit beyond those borders. One swims in a tributary of the Colorado; another dips her elbow into the Ganges. Each finds her own way to ask (not answer) the big questions. They represent four distinct families. They are separated by mountain ranges and deserts. But they share a common birthright. They are sisters.” Rosenbaum won a AML Lifetime Honorary Membership in 2014.

Angela Hallstrom. ““Karen Rosenbaum is a master of the short story, and this collection showcases her very best work. Her prose is elegant, and her stories are constructed with care, but beyond her technical skill, Rosenbaum writes with a wisdom and kindness that binds readers to her characters. The mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives in this collection, as well as all the men who surround them, will linger in your imagination long after you finish the book.”

Stephen Carter. “To read Karen Rosenbaum’s work is to read the backbone of Mormon literature: the vertebrae fashioned to provide not just strength, but flexibility. You can feel it in every precise word, every poised sentence, every assured story. Thoughtful Mormons will be nourished by the fruits of Karen’s forty-year labor of love.”

Eric Jepson. “Karen Rosenbaum has been a consistent source of excellent short stories for over forty years, but now we see her genius for character and relationship extends to longer forms as well. Although each story in this collection can be enjoyed on its own, the tapestry they weave together captures the full breadth of families, generation by generation, kindness by kindness, heartache by heartache.”

Levi S. Peterson. “I am happy to see this collection of stories by Karen Rosenbaum. It is the culmination of a fruitful, lifelong avocation on her part, the writing of succinct yet carefully detailed studies of women. Rosenbaum probes the feminine soul with deep empathy.”

Josi Russell. Caretaker. Future House, Sept. 2. Science fiction. A man becomes caretaker of a interstellar ship full of sleeping colonists. Arrives at an alien world, not the one they were heading for. First novel. The author is an Associate Professor of English teaching creative writing and fiction at Utah State University Eastern.

Mindy, LDSWBR: 4 stars. “I enjoyed how the author worked in the back story of Ethan and his family and especially how he learned a mysterious language. There are many twists to the story that really added to the plot and changed his life on the ship. Great book with fantastic characters and an enjoyable plot.”

Carolyn Steele. Soda Springs. Cedar Fort, Dec. 8. LDS historical fiction. Just after the Civil War, a family emigrates from their plantation in North Carolina on the Oregon Trail to Soda Springs, Idaho. They are part of the Morrisites, an LDS splinter group.

Jennie Hansen: 5 stars.

Becky Wallace. The Storyspinner. Margaret E. McElderry Books (Simon and Schuster), March 3. YA fantasy. The Keeper’s Chronicles #1. Debut author.

PW: “Political games meet magical intrigue in this Portuguese-flavored fantasy debut, first in a planned series. After Johanna Von Arlo’s father dies during a high-wire act, her family tries to scrape by in their home of Santarem. When Lord Rafael DeSilva mistakes Johanna for a (male) poacher and attacks her, he incurs a debt of honor and offers her employment as a Storyspinner. Meanwhile, in the neighboring mage-run nation of Olinda, Jacarй of the Elite Guard realizes that the heir of Santarem is in danger and that, without her, the magical barrier that separates these two lands will collapse. Jacarй crosses into Santarem in search of the lost princess, a search made all the more urgent when he discovers that girls who resemble the heiress are being murdered. Chapters shift among several viewpoints, keeping the action lively but diluting the narrative, and readers are asked too readily to accept a relationship between Johanna and a man who beat her into unconsciousness and, even when he’s trying to make amends, “itched to slap the smug grin off her face.””

VOYA: “This first installment of The Keepers’ Chronicles is as engaging as fantasy gets, full of magic and romance, intrigue and espionage, epic battles and heartbreaking loss. Johanna is a reluctant heroine that readers will embrace for her strength and loyalty to family. Many characters people this land—the web of relationships and factions is confusing at first, but once the reader is able to mentally line them up, the pages turn rapidly as the story builds to a surprising end. The quicker the second book comes out, the better. This is definitely recommended for public and high school libraries.”

SLJ: “In this beautifully constructed first installment of a new fantasy series, Wallace creates a lush environment, interweaving unique characters. The chapters vary among five different character’s points of view, all told in the third-person narrative. The chapters are brief, aiding the novel’s quick pacing. Wallace’s magical world is populated with clear-cut “good guys” as well as characters with varying and questionable motives. The many layers (political, magical, historical, and romantic) and multiple characters may prove difficult to keep track of for less confident readers. Violence is kept at a minimum and romance is tame. VERDICT Recommended for fans of classic fantasy as well as more modern fantasy adventures by Melina Marchetta, Kristin Cashore, and Sarah J. Maas.”

Kirkus: “Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of seven characters, sacrificing strong character development, and the minimal plot is dragged out, sadly necessitating sequels. Debut author Wallace bucks the trend of retold fairy tales, serves a (superficial) smattering of Spanish elements, offers but doesn’t overwhelm with political intrigue and nicely balances romances with adventure. An overlong and overcrowded but action-packed beginning.”

Rosalyn Eves. 4 stars. “This is the kind of YA fantasy I love: strong heroines, clever characters, a fun romance, and just the right amount of historical-esque details for a fantasy world . . . While some of the POV shifts were confusing at first (I didn’t fully understand what the Keepers were doing), I quickly became attached to the characters, particularly Johanna, who is strong and spunky and smart. Wallace writes wonderful romantic scenes–full of sweetness and tension and that heart-pinging sense of longing.”

Dorine White. Cleopatra’s Legacy: The Diamond Looking Glass. Skyrocket Press, Nov. 10. MG Speculative 

Reviews of older books

Traci Hunter Abramson. Spotlight (Jennie Hansen, Meridian) 5 stars. “Craig is a strong, well-developed character readers will love . . . Some of the secondary characters are strong characters in their own right, but a few are mere stereotypes. Overall the characters are well done and strengthen the story. Abramson always delivers a fascinating plot in her stories and Spotlight is no exception. Readers will love the twists in this one. There are reflective moments that build the tension, surprises, and a steady move toward an exciting and unexpected conclusion. This is the ninth Saints Squad volume and her fans are sure to want more.”

Orson Scott Card. Gatefather (Rachel Brutsch, Deseret News). “Mithermages presents a complex and engaging magic system that explains how many of the gods and legends of Norse, Greek and Egyptian mythology — among others — came to be, and that they are more than myth . . . the series seemed poised for what could only be an exciting and explosive conclusion in “Gatefather.” After all, many of the mages have had their powers amplified by passage through a Great Gate, the families are at odds and the stakes are higher than ever before. Instead, however, Card chose to have the story meander down the metaphysical route. Fans of Card’s work will find things feeling a bit familiar; many elements of “Gatefather” are reminiscent of “Xenocide” and “Children of the Mind,” with a focus on the nature and abilities of the soul — with prets here taking the place of aiuas — and with many conflicts being solved through diplomacy or avoided altogether, which may be ideal in the real world but is a little anticlimactic in a fantasy series. Some elements seem to carry influence from beliefs held by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which Card is a member. The different flavor of excitement could be a good fit for some readers, but it’s hard to imagine anyone not being frustrated by the dialogue between many of Danny’s teenage friends, which feels extremely forced and unnatural to the point where it’s annoying to read, as even the book seems to acknowledge: “And it finally dawned on Danny that maybe high school friendships weren’t necessarily a lifetime choice.” “Gatefather” is worth reading for those who have already invested in the Mithermages series and want to see how it ends, but it could be a bit of a letdown with its slower pacing and as several interesting story threads are left far from resolved while others are tied up all too conveniently.” 

Joey Franklin. My Wife Wants You to Know I’m Happily Married (The Star-Tribune [Minniapolis]). “Seeing this book’s cover, you could make some assumptions. It features the chest of a man wearing a comically yellow T-shirt emblazoned with the smile-inducing title “My Wife Wants You to Know I’m Happily Married.” But if you think this a collection of Dave Barry-esque essays, you’d be mistaken. I was. While the book is undeniably funny (and at times made me laugh out loud), it’s not a wordy frolic that endangers one to public snorting. The writing is sturdier than that, a construct built to sustain more than a quick laugh. Joey Franklin leverages humorous moments to make deeper, unexpected connections worthy of his editor, Tobias Wolff, as well as the University of Nebraska’s American Lives series. It starts with a kiss, as Franklin explores his own childhood preoccupation with the act and moves on to an unfortunate reality TV smooch that made one couple look like “two gerbils trying to drink out of the same water bottle.” Despite these fanciful segues (which include William Goldman’s “Princess Bride” and its perfect kiss rating formula), the essay veers smart. Franklin weaves the historical contributions of Dante, Chekhov and Rodin, while even slipping in the Japanese cultural views on the unsanitary aspects of the practice. All the rumination comes home with thoughts on not just the few transcendent kisses we experience in a lifetime, but also the everyday, pedestrian ones with longtime spouses. This collection gives us a peephole into Franklin’s journey as a religious person (a subject approached plainly with neither preachiness nor apology) transitioning from youth to young husband and father. Take an essay ostensibly about learning Latin dance from an instructor with “hips that rolled like a bolt of satin unspooling,” which Franklin compares with his own early efforts, “like a man with a squirrel down his shorts … trying to free a wedgie.” This cinematic description hooks readers to follow the piece through its real subject matter: maturity and sacrifice. First, a spiritual one as Franklin willingly sets aside his natural talent (his Latin steps improved) for a two-year missionary stint with the Latter-day Saints church. And later, through “the gravitational pull of adulthood,” he’s left dancing the steps of compromise in marriage while he and his wife finish their college educations, young children in tow. There are ruminations on starter houses with shag carpeting, cockroaches and history, the foibles of T-ball parents (his included) and the vain realities of hair loss. However, despite these seemingly mundane subjects, Franklin brings laughter and connection, illuminating a growth path that is earnest and self-effacing and that makes us hope our sons will be as contemplative and entertaining.”

Jennifer A. Nielsen. A Night Divided (Mindy, LDSWBR) 5 stars. “My tears have finally cleared so I can write this review.  This book was probably one of the best, if not the best, book I’ve read all year.  I read it as fast as the pages would turn.  Every turn of the page brought a new struggle for Gerta and her family . . . At one part, I was screaming for joy!  Well, many parts, but honestly, while reading the last couple chapters, I was barely breathing thinking I was going to be heard by the Grenzers.”

David G. Pace. Dream House on Golan Drive (Eric Samuelsen, 15 Bytes). “David Pace’s semi-autobiographical novel, Dream House on Golan Drive, navigates this map full of Mormon cultural terrains with dexterity and precision, thumping over bumps in the road, while simultaneously suggesting the possibility of flight. If Terryl Givens is right in suggesting that Mormon culture is, at its heart, a series of ever-receding paradoxes, those paradoxes find expression, if not resolution, in this novel. It’s a both/and novel, transcendent and transgressive, full of magic, but also appalling in its specificity. Once I started reading, I couldn’t set it aside; twice, I also nearly pitched it across the room. It’s an extraordinary achievement, and its publication marks a major cultural moment . . . And at times [Zed, the narrator who is one of the Three Nephites] is allowed to intervene, most especially at the end of the novel, where Pace creates for Riley the most remarkable spiritual encounter since Levi Peterson took Frank Windham into a men’s room and revealed to him the Cowboy Jesus . . . The paradoxes and contradictions of Mormonism batter away Riley’s faith. And that’s the heart of that novel; that battering. He’s too rigid to seek syntheses, too angry to experience much in the way of love. His first marriage founders and fails. His second marriage is poisoned—literally; AIDS is a constant subtext in this novel–by his continued sexual explorations. And Zed mourns. And finally, acts. It’s an extraordinary novel, beautifully conceived and written. Part of me also worries that it might be seen as a continuing act of betrayal. Certainly, most active Mormon readers will find it disturbing, in its specificity regarding what we tend to regard as sacred spaces. Again: it’s transgressive, deliberately and productively. It’s also a novel of a rare and powerful transcendence. Both/and. Terrific. And troubling. Do I recommend it? Wholeheartedly. And also, not at all.”

Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee. Ella (Reading for Sanity) 4.5 stars. “I loved it.  It’s not perfect, there are too many adjectives for my taste, a few of the villains are too perfectly villainous that it makes their existence a little difficult to swallow, and the prince didn’t really have a lot of depth to him . . . There was a level of redemption not only for Ella but for her stepmother that brought tears to my eyes.  Their coming to an understanding and forgiveness was beautifully written and created a depth to the story I hadn’t expected.  Furthermore, her interactions with the prince were exactly how it should be — I don’t know why no one had ever had this ending before.  It was so perfect. I know I’m one who loves to give books for gifts at every opportunity.  I have five nieces I wish I could give my copy to — this is perfect for those dreamy, innocent girls on your list!”

Theater

Tim Slover. A Joyful Noise. Covey Center (Provo), Dec. 3-21.

Tara Nicole Haas, UTBA: “I was most impressed with the strong acting in the production. Slover has created multi-faceted characters, and the actors all did a wonderful job at developing nuanced performances. As Handel, Bronson was able to balance his many moods quite nicely. Bronson showed the audience that underneath Handel’s angry and sometime oblivious exterior, he is truly a sweet old man who is in love with music and feels deeply passionate about his craft . . . I was most struck, though, by the play’s message of the power of music and theatre to touch the soul. Joyful Noise illustrates the struggle Handel faced to produce The Messiah because of thought that setting the text of the Bible and the life of Christ to music would be sacrilege and offensive. Nevertheless, the power of The Messiah was able to touch the characters and they learn, as I have, that it is through music and theatre that people are often brought closest to sacred things. Joyful Noise succeeded in doing just that, and I was unexpectedly inspired by the Covey’s production. Joyful Noise is perfect for Christmas time, and I would encourage all to spend the time to experience the Covey’s production for yourself.”

Morag Place Shepherd’s Not One Drop was one of two winners of the David Ross Fetzer Foundation for Emerging Artists grant at Plan-B Theatre. “Seventeen submissions from playwrights age 35 or younger were read blind and scored independently by Betsy Ross, The Davey Foundation’s Executive Director; Jerry Rapier, Plan-B’s Artistic Director and previous grant recipients Carleton Bluford and Rob Tennant. Congrats once again to our five finalists Elise Hanson, Megan Crivello, Michael Johnson, Austin Archer and Morag Shepherd.” Shepherd and Archer were the final winners.

Film

Christmas Eve opened December 4 in 44 theaters nationwide, including 9 in Utah. Davis was the director of LDS missionary drama The Other Side of Heaven. It is an ensemble comedy, like Love Actually or Valentine’s Day, where the characters are in separate vignettes. Several groups are stuck in elevators during a power outage on Christmas Eve. Patrick Stewart and Jon Herder star. Larry King was one of the producers.

Reviews have been very bad. After two weeks, the film has grossed only $91,302.

Don Verdean opened December 11 in 40 theaters nationwide. The satiric comedy is directed by Jared Hess, written by Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess, and produced by Dave Hunter, Brandt Andersen, and Jason Hatfield. As with all of Jared Hess’s post-Napoleon Dynamite films, the reviews are very mixed. A few, like A. O. Scott of the New York Times, and Sean Means of the Salt Lake Tribune, appreciate the off-beat humor. Many others are not amused. The film has grossed only $30,525 over a week and a half.

The AFI Docs/NBC Universal Impact organizations announced grant winners this past week.  Four documentary films were selected; two of the four winning films are made by Mormons:  Brad Barber and Scott Christopherson’s doc, Peace Officer, and  Greg Whiteley’s documentary, Most Likely to Succeed.  From the AFI website, “The NBCUniversal Impact Grants leverages the power of story and film to catalyze social change. By funding the outreach and social action campaigns for select films, NBCUniversal is empowering filmmakers to exponentially increase their impact and effect lasting change by supporting the social action campaigns for each of the winning documentaries.”

Bestsellers

Dec. 6, 13, 20, 27

Glenn Beck. The Immortal Nicholas

USA Today: #64, #63, #36, #54 (7 weeks)

PW Hardcover: #11, #13, #9, #13 (6 weeks). 9292, 9951, 17,796, 15,329 units. 91,591 total.

NYT Hardcover: #17, x, #17, #17 (4 weeks)

Richard Paul Evans. The Mistletoe Inn

USA Today: #15, #51, #80, #101 (4 weeks)

PW Hardcover: #8, #12, #15, #18 (4 weeks). 18,501, 11,007, 12,032, 11,465 units. 53,005 total.

NYT Hardcover: #9, #14, x, x (2 weeks)

NYT Combined Print & E-book: #11, x, x (1 week)

Christine Feehan. Wild Cat

USA Today: x, #15, #74, x (2 weeks)

PW Mass Market: x, #1, #7, #15 (3 weeks). 15,524, 11,484, 6293 units. 33,301 total.

NYT Mass Market: x, #1, #7, #12 (2 weeks)

NYT Ebook: x, #6, x, x (1 week)

NYT Combined Print and Ebook: x, #9, x (1 week)

Stephenie Meyer. Twilight: The Life and Death Dual Edition

USA Today: #88, #52, #106, #144 (10 weeks)

PW Children’s: #13, #8, #8, #9 (10 weeks). 9242, 13,305, 10,606, 11,446 units. 220,902 total.

NYT YA Series: x, #10, x, x (226 weeks)

RaeAnne Thayne. A Cold Creek Christmas Story & Christmas in Cold Creek

USA Today: #143, x, #97, x (2 weeks)

PW Mass Market: x, #17, #13, #21 (3 weeks). x, 5661, 7901, 5178 units. 18,740 total.

James Dashner. The Maze Runner Series

NYT Children’s Series: #10, #7, #5, #5 (166 weeks)

James Dashner. The Game of Lives (Morality Doctrine series)

USA Today: #48, x, x, x (1 week)

PW Children’s: ?, #23, x, x (2 weeks). 7287, 3847 units. 11,134 total.

NYT Children’s Series: #6, x, x, x (1 week)

Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. The Princess in Black

NYT Middle Grade Paperback: #6, #7, #5, #5 (18 weeks)

Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party

NYT Middle Grade Hardback: #9, #9, x, x (7 weeks)

Lora Koehler and Jake Parker. The Little Snowplow

USA Today: #47, #148, x, x (2 weeks)

NYT Picture: #2, #6, x, x (4 weeks)