Apr 16 2025

Hyo the Hellmaker by Mina Ikemoto Ghosh

a swirling figure holds up a hammer and nail on the cover of Hyo the Hellmaker by Mina Ikemoto Ghosh

Hyo the Hellmaker, by Mina Ikemoto Ghosh came out this week, from Scholastic! It’s got intricate world building, noir vibes, and atmospheric illustrations by the author for any manga-loving teen of your acquaintance.

Hyo is a “hellmaker,” which means she is able to make bespoke curses for your enemies. Once you commission her, she can curse someone who you specify with anything from a bad day to death. She lives in a world plagued by a magical poison, and the only known antidote comes from the island of Onogoro. When Hyo and her brother (who was raised as a living weapon) are confronted with a dead body on Onogoro, they are plunged into the seedy underbelly of the island—where both humans and gods have a lot to hide.

Hyo and her brother, new in town, navigate this situation warily. They acquire some new allies, but are not sure how much anyone can be trusted as they meet people and gods in different social positions. The way they balance favors to and from different factions, as the reader learns about the political machinations of the town, feels very noir to me, which I enjoy.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/16/hyo-the-hellmaker-by-mina-ikemoto-ghosh/

Apr 15 2025

An Interview With Kyle Casey Chu, author of The Queen Bees Of Tybee County

In conjunction with the publication of the first book in Kyle Casey Chu’s debut middle-grade duology, The Queen Bees Of Tybee County, we have a fabulous interview to share with you, dear readers! Also known as the drag queen Panda Dulce, Ms Chu was unwittingly thrust into the global spotlight in 2022 when far-right extremists stormed her Drag Story Hour in order to silence her. Undaunted, she is now leveraging her platform to tell even gayer stories.

TQBoTC is her first published effort. From the synopsis:

“After making the buzzer-beating shot at the Georgia basketball state championships, Derrick Chan becomes the star of Bayard Middle School. Derrick’s single dad could not be prouder. But there are parts of Derrick that no one knows about, like the toenail polish he wears under his basketball sneakers, his secret lip-sync performances in the bathroom mirror, and the feelings he’s developing for his best friend and teammate JJ.

“As the school year comes to a close, Derrick’s dad takes an out-of-town job and ships Derrick off to spend the summer with his estranged, eccentric grandmother Claudia. Soon, Claudia introduces Derrick to the world of small-town southern beauty pageants, and Derrick suddenly feels he’s found where he belongs. But when the opportunity arises to compete in the town pageant, Derrick is forced to decide just how much of himself he’s ready to show the world.

“Can he learn to love and accept the most unique parts of himself? And what will happen if others — like his father and JJ — can’t do the same?”

Read on for an illuminating interview with this bold, insightful author!

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/15/an-interview-with-kyle-casey-chu-author-of-the-queen-bees-of-tybee-county/

Apr 14 2025

All The Noise At Once by DeAndra Davis

Even if one of the supporting cast wasn’t named after an Arsenal Football Club legend, I would still rate this sensitive, witty and heartbreakingly realistic exploration of the effect of police brutality on a Black autistic teenager very highly.

All Aiden Wright has ever wanted to do is play football on the same team with his older brother Brandon. Brandon isn’t just the star quarterback at their Florida high school: he’s also being courted by multiple schools for his athletic prowess. Aiden is no slouch himself when it comes to both football analysis and speed. He’d be the perfect running back to complement his brother’s skills.

But Aiden suffers a massive sensory overload during his junior year tryout, so isn’t selected for the team. To add insult to injury, his Life Skills teacher is adamant that he use his ample free time to get an after-school job. At least his assigned partner for the task, Isabella, is both understanding and kind.

Things might start looking up even more when a running back position suddenly opens on the football team. Brandon persuades Coach Davis to give Aiden another chance, and the team acquit themselves well in their first game. While Aiden would really rather not go out with the rest of the team to celebrate at a local diner afterwards, he knows that it means a lot to Brandon, so does his best to return the support that his brother has always given him.

Unfortunately, not everyone on the team is thrilled that Aiden has joined them. When a fight breaks out, the police are called in and Aiden gets hurt. Worse: Brandon is arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer while trying to come to Aiden’s aid, putting his football career and entire future in grave jeopardy.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/14/all-the-noise-at-once-by-deandra-davis/

Apr 11 2025

Tantalizing Tales — April 2025 — Part Two

Hello, readers! Sorry everything’s been a bit chaotic this week. The funeral of my co-parent’s mom was yesterday and we’ve been doing a lot of family-wrangling, which has eaten up more of my time than anticipated. But at least there are books to escape to and relax in, including some of my most anticipated for the next few weeks!

First on this list is W A Simpson’s The Hatter’s Daughter, the third book in the Tales Of The Riven Isles dark fantasy series. In this speculative riff on Alice In Wonderland, the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat rule, until the Rot threatens the sanity and lives of all.

There is more to the Vine than mortals and immortals know. It reaches its branches and tendrils into realms beyond the Riven Isles. On the night that Faith was born, her mother perished, but not before sending Faith to safety in Underneath. The Mad Hatter discovered the newborn Faith and took her home to raise as his own.

When the Rot invades, Faith is determined to fight it. Fortunately, she won’t have to fight alone. Her childhood friend Prince Rowan accompanies her as she returns to her birthplace to find a Legendary Heroine to help save the Riven Isles.

But Overland is dangerous, and the minions of the Rot are in hot pursuit. If Faith doesn’t succeed, the minions of the Rot will destroy everything that she and Rowan know and love.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/11/tantalizing-tales-april-2025-part-two/

Apr 09 2025

Casey’s Cases, Vol 1: The Mysterious New Girl by Kay Healy

Oh my goodness, what a smart and funny way to start an advancing reader’s graphic novel series!

It’s Casey’s eleventh birthday, and she’s thrilled to be able to open two of her presents before school, saving the rest for her birthday party later on. She’s especially thrilled to discover that she’s been gifted a magnifying glass and binoculars, both of which will help in her quest to be a Super Detective.

As she’s waiting for the bus with her frenemy Dina, she spots a new girl arriving. Thus begins The Case Of The Mysterious New Girl, as Casey investigates this strange new student who’s wearing a tie to school. Subsequent cases ensue, as Casey befriends Jan (as the new girl is named) and they embark on a series of small but important adventures. It’s honestly one of the cutest and funniest things I’ve ever read, and I don’t want to spoil all the pleasant surprises of this book by saying too much more about the plot.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/09/caseys-cases-vol-1-the-mysterious-new-girl-by-kay-healy/

Apr 08 2025

Space Piracy by Marc Feldman & Hugh Taylor

subtitled: Preparing For A Criminal Crisis In Orbit. And this subtitle is very important, as while the authors acknowledge that piracy in space is not a serious problem yet, it certainly has the potential to be so in the not too distant future.

With humanity’s increasing exploration of space beyond our atmosphere, it’s almost inevitable that crime will follow. And not just the usual crimes of passion one can expect, but crime for profit, including the types of piracy common terrestrially. This isn’t just the historical picture of scallywags boarding a ship and taking the booty for themselves but also includes the hijacking of satellites by drones or other means that don’t require a physical human presence in outer space. An Intelsat satellite was taken over by Sri Lankan Tamil separatists, for example, to broadcast their propaganda in 2007, leading to a small but significant international incident, with fascinating ramifications for international law going forward.

In that sense, space piracy is already happening, and Marc Feldman and Hugh Taylor use this book to explore not only the current state of affairs but the likely trajectory along which criminality will continue to develop. For grounding, they include an illuminating look at piracy through the ages, to give readers unfamiliar with the history a better idea of how surprisingly crucial it has been to the rise and fall of nations. Ofc, law enforcement has grown in step with the criminals it pursues, but the authors argue that following established maritime law, for example, as precedent for dealing with space crimes is still a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has already bolted. Better for us to be proactive about regulating lawful behavior and its inverse, and establishing jurisdiction — or, as its stated better in this book, first principles and onward — so we can be prepared for when the worst happens.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/08/space-piracy-by-marc-feldman-hugh-taylor/

Apr 07 2025

Disney Classic Graphic Novel: Atlantis by Mike Mignola, Greg Ehrbar & Claudio Sciarrone

Lol, Live Action this, Disney.

I actually haven’t seen the movie that this graphic novel is based on, tho I vaguely remember the criticism of it being generally positive. While the story was originally created by Mike Mignola (who also provides the cover art here,) this adaptation was written by Greg Ehrbar, with lead pencils by Claudio Sciarrone.

The story itself is pretty interesting. An early 20th century academic named Milo Thatch is banished to the basement of the museum where he works, in part due to the reputation of his “crazy” grandfather Thaddeus, who died insisting that the lost city of Atlantis is real. Thaddeus was, understandably, laughed out of academia for trafficking in myths and rumors. Milo is facing the same reaction, even tho he now has definitive proof of a way to access the allegedly mythical city.

With the help of an unexpected benefactor, Milo joins the crew of a functional submersible ready to follow his map to Atlantis. The crew is diverse and of differing degrees of friendliness to our young explorer, tho that friendliness drops significantly as greater dangers are encountered and the body count begins to rise, even before they reach the ocean floor. Will Milo and the crew be able to band together, to not only find Atlantis but to survive the trip and safely make their way home?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/07/disney-classic-graphic-novel-atlantis-by-mike-mignola-greg-ehrbar-claudio-sciarrone/

Apr 04 2025

Tantalizing Tales — April 2025 — Part One

Happy April, dear readers! It finally feels like spring in the northern hemisphere, and I’ve been taking the opportunity to bring books with me on my daily walks to enjoy the weather as much as I can. Here’s a small selection of upcoming titles that I have my eye on for further jaunts, starting with Jon Hickey’s standout literary debut Big Chief, publishing on April 8.

Big Chief tells the story of a hotly contested election and the lengths that some people will go to in order to win, in an under-explored literary realm: the world of tribal politics. Filled with the energy of protest, activism and tumult, this novel faces political corruption head on while asking what you would do, reader, if the very problems that you sought to fix threatened to consume you.

But Big Chief isn’t just a book about politics. It’s also a big-hearted book about second chances, lost love and facing the ghosts of your past.

Mitch Caddo is a young law school graduate and aspiring political fixer who, much like the author himself at that age, feels like an outsider in the homeland of his Anishinaabe ancestors. Alongside his childhood friend, incumbent Tribal President Mack Beck, he runs the government of the Passage Rouge Nation, and with it, the tribe’s Golden Eagle Casino and Hotel.

On the eve of Mack’s reelection, the young men’s tenuous grip on power is threatened by nationally known activist and politician Gloria Hawkins and her young aide Layla Beck, who happens to be Mack’s estranged sister and Mitch’s former love. In their struggle for control over Passage Rouge, the campaigns resort to bare-knuckle political gamesmanship, testing the limits of how far they will go — and what they will sacrifice — to win it all.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/04/tantalizing-tales-april-2025-part-one/

Apr 03 2025

A Year of Diana Wynne Jones: The late 1990s!

In my quest to read all of Diana Wynne Jones’s books in one year, this month I read Deep Secret, Dark Lord of Derkholm, and Puss in Boots: three titles that could all start with the word “The” and in the U.S., do not. Deep thoughts!

Deep Secret and Dark Lord of Derkholm are two of my absolute favorite books, and Puss in Boots was new to me, so it was an exciting month all around.

This custom image by Marnanel Thurman shows the dates we read this book, the book’s title and the series title, "A Year of Diana Wynne Jones," with the cover of one edition of the book. Deep Secret (1997)
A lot of Deep Secret takes place at a fan convention, and there are discussions of the hotel breakfasts, the publisher parties, the snits during panels, and the conflicts in scheduling that will resonate deeply for anyone who has been to a similar event. I reread it every year when I attend a specific academic conference, and every year as I hear people exclaiming about how confusing the hotel is, I feel like the book is taking place where I am. It’s a cozy feeling.

So when I first thought of doing this project, influenced extremely heavily by an awesome friend who’d led a group read of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books called “A Year on Discworld,” I decided to shape the year around the week I’d be rereading this book anyway. It worked great.

In Deep Secret, we meet Maree, who is studying to be a vet, and who has been crossed in love. She is extremely broke, and has to live with a vague uncle and his terrible wife. She gets along with her teen cousin, Nick, but he’s hardly a reliable ally.

We also meet Rupert, a Magid who crosses the boundaries between worlds, following orders from the well-meaning Upper Room. Their paths cross when Rupert is on a search to find the next Magid he will train. Frustrated with the search (and Maree) he tweaks the fatelines of all his prospective Magid trainees, and they all converge upon PhantasmaCon, where the shit hits the fan. Highly recommended.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/03/a-year-of-diana-wynne-jones-the-late-1990s/

Apr 02 2025

Meant For More: Following Your Heart And Finding Your Purpose by Karen Olson (EXCERPT)

In an increasingly dark sociopolitical climate, it helps to know that there are people out there who genuinely care, who don’t think that empathy is a sin, and who understand that helping others in need isn’t a huge sacrifice but an everyday thing we can all incorporate into our lives. One such person is Karen Olson, who founded Family Promise, the nation’s foremost non-profit addressing the crisis of family homelessness. Today, the organization boasts more than 200 affiliates across the country, with more than 180,0000 men, women, and children served each year.

Starting a charitable foundation was not what Ms Olson set out to do with her life. Back in the 70s and 80s, she was a successful marketing executive who, like many of her peers, sought happiness through acquiring material goods and higher status. It was a good life, even if it didn’t really leave her feeling fulfilled.

A chance encounter with an elderly homeless woman outside Grand Central Station changed everything for her. Tho she was hurrying to a business meeting, she stopped to buy the woman a sandwich and an orange juice. Perhaps more importantly, she listened to the woman’s story and learned her name: Millie. A small act of kindness to someone in need swiftly changed the trajectory of her own life, as she discovered purpose not only in helping the homeless, but in encouraging others to join her mission.

Meant For More tells her story, from tragedy in childhood to an adulthood full of compassion and service that has made her feel stronger, healthier and more fulfilled than ever before. With firsthand testimonials from Karen and other volunteers, this autobiography is also an inspiring call to action: when you reach out beyond yourself and seek to make a difference in the lives of others, happiness will catch up with you.

Read on for one of these inspiring stories!

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/02/meant-for-more-following-your-heart-and-finding-your-purpose-by-karen-olson-excerpt/