Much is happening this September in Mormon Literature, Theater, and Film. The Mormon Arts Center has issued a call for submissions. Stephen Bruce Gowen, a founder of Wido Publishing, passed away. Several scholarly works were published, including Megan Sanborn Jones’ book Contemporary Mormon Pageantry, and Darl Larson’s exploration of Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Todd Robert Peterson was interviewed about his recently published novel, It Needs to Look Like We Tried. Some great stories were published in Sunstone, as well as blog posts and interviews on Segullah. Sunstone announced its 2018 Fiction Contest winners. Many new and old books are reviewed here, including Ryan Habermeyer’s debut short fiction collection The Science of Lost Futures, and James Goldberg’s new collection of poetry called Phoenix Song. In theater, Eric Paul Lyman’s The Jawbone’s Daughter is a post-apocalytic comedy channeling Samuel Beckett and Tom Stoppard. New films include Jane and Emma, coming to cinemas on October 12. It was written by Melissa Leilani Larson, and links below will give you more information about the film, its historical context, as well as an inteview with Melissa and the other key people who produced it. And there is so much more! Read on!
Call for Submissions
The Mormon Arts Center is considering pitches for presentations at their conference or for projects to help fund. View information about submissions here.
Obituary
Stephen Bruce Gowen, 1948 ~ 2018. Stephen Bruce Gowen was born March 24, 1948 in Palo Alto, California to Forrest and Velda Gowen. He served a mission for the LDS church in the Southern States Mission from 1967–69, and married his love in the Oakland Temple in 1970. On April 25th, he survived an aortic rupture, but after complications from the emergency surgery, he passed away four months later surrounded by his family in Salt Lake City on August 23, 2018. He is survived by his wife Karen and children Jay (Shauna), Allie Maldonado (J.C.), Joseph (Natalie), Don (Lauren), Billy (Rob), Liesel Jones (Joseph), Nathan (Brenda), Sean (Erin), Travis (Jessica), Forrest, and 20 grandchildren.
Gowen helped found and run the Utah-based publisher Wido Publishing. His wife Karen Gowen is the company’s owner, and his son William is the CEO.
Scholarly Works
Ángel Chaparro-Sainz. “Isms and Prisms: A Mormon View on Writing about Nature and Women.” Women’s Studies 47:2, 2018. Introduction: “American authors Terry Tempest Williams, Patricia Gunter Karamesines, and Phyllis Barber share some common ground in their writing. They all have written about Western American landscapes. All three were (or are still) members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And they are all women. In this article I will explore the work of these authors by looking at the role played by nature in their writing, seeking to underline the importance of Mormonism here, but as a set of cultural and social values more than as a source of spiritual inspiration.” Chaparro-Sainz is a Basque-Spanish scholar, currently at the Universidad del Pais Vasco (University of the Basque Country).
Megan Sanborn Jones. Contemporary Mormon Pageantry: Seeking After the Dead. University of Michigan Press. Oct, 1. Theater scholar Megan Sanborn Jones looks at Mormon pageants, outdoor theatrical productions that celebrate church theology, reenact church history, and bring to life stories from the Book of Mormon. She examines four annual pageants in the United States: the Hill Cumorah Pageant in upstate New York, the Manti Pageant in Utah, the Nauvoo Pageant in Illinois, and the Mesa Easter Pageant in Arizona. The nature and extravagance of the pageants vary by location, with some live orchestras, dancing, and hundreds of costumed performers, mostly local church members. Based on deep historical research and enhanced by the author’s interviews with pageant producers and cast members as well as the author’s own experiences as a participant-observer, the book reveals the strategies by which these pageants resurrect the Mormon past on stage. Jones analyzes the place of the productions within the American theatrical landscape and draws connections between the Latter-day Saints theology of the redemption of the dead and Mormon pageantry in the three related sites of sacred space, participation, and spectatorship. Using a combination of religious and performance theory, Jones demonstrates that Mormon pageantry is a rich and complex site of engagement between theater, theology, and praxis that explores the saving power of performance.
“Contributes to a richer understanding of religious performance by exploring aspects of a faith that isn’t known for being liturgical and whose other sacred ritual performances are closed to outsiders-analysis of present-day Mormon practice is a welcome addition to the scholarly literature … An important and highly readable book that will interest readers across several different fields.”
—Tona Hangen, Worcester State University
“Reveals the distinctive relationship between theology and theater in the Mormon church. Through compelling and astute analyses of several annual pageants, Jones demonstrates how elements such as space, acting style, and spectacle are deployed in order to strengthen the relationship between the living and the dead, both for actors and spectators…this book [will be] accessible to a broad audience and a significant contribution to scholarship on religion and theater.”
—Jill Stevenson, Marymount Manhattan College
Darl Larsen. A Book about the Film Monty Python’s Life of Brian: All the References from Assyrians to Zeffirelli. Rowman and Littlefield, Feb. Criticism. “Darl Larsen identifies and examines the plethora of cultural, historical, and topical allusions in the film. In this resource, Larsen delineates virtually every allusion and reference that appears in the film—from first-century Jerusalem through 1970s Great Britain. Organized chronologically by scene, the entries in this cultural history cover literary and metaphoric allusions, symbolisms, names, peoples, and places, as well as the many social, cultural, and historical elements that populate this film. By closely examining each scene, this book explores the Pythons’ comparisons of the Roman and British Empires and of Pilate and Margaret Thatcher. In addition, Larsen helps to situate Life of Brian in the “Jesus” re-examination of the postwar period, while also taking a close look at the terror groups of first-century Judea and the modern world.”
Booklist: “Larsen ain’t kidding about his subtitle. Like his similar book about Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this one provides a microscopically close reading of Monty Python’s Life of Brian, about a fellow named Brian whose life parallels, in a satirical way, the life of Christ. The author teases out every last shred of meaning, every oblique reference, every nudge-nudge-wink-wink in-joke, every bit of political and religious commentary, allowing us to see the film in a new and frequently surprising light. For example, John Cleese’s line, ‘It is the Meek who are the problem,’ isn’t just a reference to the many people who refused to accept Jesus’ message; it’s also a reference to a specific agent of political change in Britain after WWII. Larsen’s scholarship is just remarkable, and his affection for Python is abundant on every page. For those who believe Monty Python is too often written off as merely a comedy troupe, this book is a reminder of just how erudite and talented the members of Python are. A must-read for fans.”
Kirkus: “Wry comments keep the scholarly text from becoming dry. Some background elements of Life of Brian are dated (needing explanation now, 40 years on), others timeless (but also usefully elucidated). Larsen examines script directions and mise-en-scène but focuses mostly on references in the dialog. In the introduction he discusses the comedy troupe’s influences and draws parallels between late-1970s Britain and the Pythons’ version of the holy land some 2,000 years before: religious and political zealotry, terrorism, protest, and cultural change. The introduction also notes the film’s relative lack of historicity (compared to The Holy Grail), emphasizing its reflection of contemporary events and culture. Setting this film in the context of the Pythons’ oeuvre, Larsen frequently cites his own previous work, not surprising as he is arguably the Pythons’ reigning scholar. VERDICT: The organization (by scene rather than by theme) can make it challenging to mine the gems here, but film students, social and cultural historians, and, naturally, fans, will find riches to pore over.”
Sarah Kate Johnson Stanley. “Lydia Dunford Alder: The Life of the Mormon Poet, Suffragist, and Missionary.” July 2018. BYU English Undergraduate Honors Thesis. “This thesis examines the life of Lydia Dunford Alder (1846–1923), who was a prominent but now nearly forgotten early Mormon writer, women’s rights activist, missionary, and leader of various women’s clubs. A respected member of the late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Salt Lake City, Utah community, Alder was the colleague and friend of various distinguished Mormon leaders. While these leaders have been studied in-depth by scholars, Alder’s similar achievements have never been examined in scholarship. As the first comprehensive biography ever written on Alder, this thesis explores her birth in England (1846), her immigration to the United States (1850), her return to England, her second immigration to the United States (1853), her migration to Utah and California (1854–1856), her migration and life to St. Louis (1856–1867), and her final migration to Utah (1867). Categorically, this thesis also explores Alder’s marriage (1864–1898), her children and her relationships with her children, her service to the Mormon Church, her proselyting mission to England (1899–1901), her poems, her prose writings, her suffrage work, her volunteer service for various clubs, her death, and her legacy. As a whole, this thesis seeks to put Alder’s life in historical and cultural context in order to both prove that Alder’s life is worth studying and provide scholars a basis for future study of Alder’s life, her literature, and her volunteer work in her Salt Lake City community.”
David Walker. “Mormon Melodrama and the Syndication of Satire, from Brigham Young (1940) to South Park (2003)”. The Journal of American Culture. September 2017.
Interviews and Blog Posts
Arizona Daily Sun interview with Todd Robert Peterson, about his novel, It Needs to Look Like We Tried.
Mette Ivie Harrison. “Prophets in their own country.” An essay on writing about Mormons, the Church’s November 2015 policy announcement, and how it caused her to rewrite parts of Time and All Eternities, the third in her Linda Wallheim Mormon mystery series.
Magazines and Short Works
Sunstone, Issue #187. Features Ryan Shoemaker’s humorous short story “Jesus Christ (Almost) Visits the Mormons,” Tyler Chadwick’s essay “Flesh, Language, Sacrament: Three Meditations on the Communal Meal,” Jacob Bender’s essay “Low and the Hermeneutics of Silence;” about the alternative rock band that is 2/3 Mormon, and the historian Martha Taysom’s essay “Arnold Lobel and Me,” about her son, homosexuality, and the author of the “Frog and Toad” books.
Segullah, September 2018. Featured Interview: Segullah’s new Co-Editors-in-Chief, Linda Hoffman Kimball and Sherilyn Olsen, interview each other. Interview with Featured Writer, Rachel Hunt Steenblik by Sandra Clark Jergensen. Review: Claire Åkebrand’s What was Left of the Stars Review by Terresa Wellborn.
Poetry: I Dreamed I Wrote Five Poems by Rachel Hunt Steenblik. To My Friend, Chronically Ill by Erin Brannigan (from 2006 archives). Cane Testimony – Jacob 4:5–8 by Heather Bergevin (from 2005 archives).
The 2018 Sunstone Fiction Contest Winners
1st Place: “You Can Give Him a Kiss,” by Alison Brimley. From the judges: “Any time a second-person POV can pull me in like this, I’m impressed.” “It surprised me at times, but each twist felt organic to the story.”
2nd Place: “Adam and Lilith. And Eve,” by Ryan Shoemaker. From the judges: “The irreverent sense of humor sparkles throughout ‘Adam and Lilith,’ without over-playing its hand or over-staying its welcome.” “The mixing of Biblical and contemporary details makes this feel surprisingly fresh.”
3rd place: “I Can See the Moon,” by Kevin K. Rex. From the judges: “It balances its nostalgia with a gently-biting wit, its ruminations with good humor.” “… the voice is engaging and unique …”. This is Kevin’s first published story.
Honorable Mention: “Back to the Meadow,” by William Morris. From the judges, “This story is strong out the gate, with a well-drawn premise [and] propulsive narrative …” “… this one had me curious and on the edge of my seat.” The stories will be published in future editions of Sunstone.
New Books and Their Reviews
Dave Butler. The Library Machine. Knopf, Sept. 11. MG fantasy/adventure. Clockwork Charlie #3. Conclusion to the trilogy.
Larry Correia. Target Rich Environment. Baen, Sept. 4. Fantasy. Fourteen short stories, including three never-before-published stories. Including stories set in Correia’s military fantasy Monster Hunter universe, and urban fantasy Grimnoir universe.
Kate Coombs and Lee Gatlin. Monster School. Chronicle Books, Aug. 28. Picture book. “Twilight’s here. The death bell rings. Everyone knows what the death bell brings—it’s time for class! You’re in the place where goblins wail and zombies drool. (That’s because they’re kindergartners.) Welcome to Monster School. In this entertaining collection of poems, award-winning poet Kate Coombs and debut artist Lee Gatlin bring to vivid life a wide and playful cast of characters (outgoing, shy, friendly, funny, prickly, proud) that may seem surprisingly like the kids you know…even if these kids are technically monsters.”
Kirkus: “While the subjects and daily schedule may look familiar, the students at Monster School are a bit different. Take Stevie, for example. He’s a zombie, and he’s always losing things. Sharp-eyed readers may be able to spy his homework—still at the end of his arm in the corner—or maybe his missing eye. And ‘multicultural’ has a rather different connotation when trolls, elves, witches, and boggarts make up your family tree. But many of the topics Coombs writes about seem more like middle school probs than those of picture-book readers: a girl other students moon over, an introvert, a queen-bee mummy who secretly wishes to be a commoner so she could play, a nerdy ‘Computer Wizard,’ hair care (the individual strands are snakes), and a poor ‘Ghost Girl’s Lament’ (she cries in the coat closet from loneliness and failure to haunt anyone). Other poems are typical of school collections: a gross-out one about cafeteria food; one about baseball (albeit with a few extra obstacles—avoid the ghouls and don’t trip on tombstones); and the requisite poem about homework—when one is dead, there’s not much incentive for doing it. Gatlin’s illustrations play up the gross and macabre in the small details—monkey in the middle with a head for a ball—and he certainly can’t be said to fail at portraying diversity. Middle graders will shiver over this angst-y collection of school verses.”
PW: “Coombs (Water Sings Blue) conjures up a school full of spooks using snappy rhymes, a variety of verse forms, and plenty of imagination. Amusing doggerel about the school cafeteria food (‘old shoe stew and ankle cake’) mixes with a dirge by a ghost who can’t scare anyone (‘The witch is the worst./ She doesn’t even flinch. She just says,/ ‘Stay out of my way, Sophie,/ or I’ll turn you to lint’) and a moody meditation from a lonely soul (‘People call me a ghost, like my edges are fluttering./ But I’m just quiet’). Comic artist Gatlin’s more ghoulish figures have blank black eyeholes, while more human-seeming kids sport colorful hair and regular duds (‘They’ll think I’m ordinary…until the moon is full’). Entwining tendrils and wisps of smoke deepen the sulfurous atmosphere, and classic school elements subverted for laughs will make kids want to ditch their own school and go to this one. Ages 5–8.”
Sarah M. Eden. Long Journey Home. Mirror Press, Sept. 4. Historical romance. Hope Springs #4.
James Goldberg. Phoenix Song. Poetry. Self, Sept. 21. “In this follow-up to his 2015 collection, Let Me Drown With Moses, James Goldberg explores themes of suffering, community, faith, and discipleship with both an unflinching commitment to God and a clear-eyed perspective on the difficulties of mortality. Whether telling stories from Goldberg’s LDS ward, chronicling his experience in chemotherapy, imagining alternate histories, or commenting on the scriptures and society, the poems in Phoenix Song describe what it means both to feel burned to the ground and to rise from the ashes.”
K. C. Grant. The Neverland Inn. Self, Sept. 1. Romance.
Ryan Habermeyer. The Science of Lost Futures. BOA Editions, May 30. Short story collection. Habermeyer is Assistant Professor at Salisbury University. His stories and essays, twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, have been published in dozens of national literary journals. This collection won the BoA Short Fiction Prize.
PW: “If the Brothers Grimm wrote today, they might turn out something like this imaginative collection, Habermeyer’s debut. Habermeyer’s biography identifies him as “a scholar of European folklore and fairy-tales.” That strain, combined with a puckish attitude towards the bizarre and grotesque, make his an arresting voice. The 19 stories collected here include a fair amount of flash fiction. “A Genealogical Approach to My Father’s Ass” begins with this piquant sentence: “Olaf Haber, respected oat farmer, ate raw human buttocks in the closing days of the third Silesian War.” The longer stories have similarly attention-getting openings and spool out like macabre fables. “The Foot” chronicles a coastal community’s obsession with a dismembered foot that washes up onshore and inexplicably becomes a kind of talisman. The very next story, “Visitation,” is about a runaway womb. In “The Good Nazi Karl Schmidt,” a typical American family gets a Nazi as a pet. Not all the stories announce their outrageousness right out of the gate, though it’s always waiting in the wings. In “The Fertile Yellow,” a husband goes through a series of weird rituals to enhance the chance of conception. “In Search of Fortunes Not Yet Lost” puts an impish twist on the myth of the frontier. Habermeyer’s stories are consistently outlandish and inventive.”
Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. The Princess in Black: Science Fair Scare. Princess in Black #6. Candlewick Press, Sept. 25. Illustrated superhero story, for young readers.
Colleen Houck. The Lantern’s Ember. Delacorte, Sept. 11. YA fantasy.
PW: “This standalone fantasy from Houck (the Tiger’s Curse series) focuses on 17-year-old witch Ember O’Dare and Jack, an immortal ‘lantern’ whose soul resides inside a pumpkin and whose job it is to guard the crossroads linking the Otherworld to Ember’s sleepy village of Hallowell. Lanterns mustn’t leave their posts, but when roguish vampire Dev sneaks into the mortal realm and charms the witch into returning home with him, Jack follows—less to punish Dev for trespassing than to protect Ember, for whom he’s developed feelings from afar. Jack and Dev aren’t the only ones with designs on Ember: the Otherworld runs on energy derived from witches, making the powerful girl a priceless commodity. Houck’s adventure, a take on the legend of Sleepy Hollow, suggests alternate origin stories for Halloween and various monsters. Regrettably, capable female characters are forced to share the page with moody, macho suitors and over-the-top villains—and the book’s strengths (elaborate costumes, swoony romance, and a sumptuous, steampunk-inspired backdrop) fail to compensate for leaden pacing and murky stakes.”
Allison Hymas. Arts and Thefts. Aladdin, Feb. 13. Middle grade adventure/humor. Sequel to Under Locker and Key (which was an AML award finalist). “Middle school retrieval specialist Jeremy Wilderson must team up with preteen private detective Becca Mills once again to solve his most mind-boggling case yet in this action-packed MAX novel.”
SLJ: “It’s the summer before seventh grade, and the retrieval (not theft) business is a little slow until one of Jeremy Wilderson’s best friends, Case, shows up out of breath and with bad news. Amateur P.I. Becca Mills is at it again, accusing Jeremy and his friends of stealing an artist’s paintbrushes. So when it appears someone’s set on sabotaging the annual Scottsville Youth Art Show and Competition, possibly with the stolen art supplies, Jeremy must yet again partner with Becca, this time to set the record straight and protect Case’s contest entry in the process. But can Becca and Jeremy ferret out the saboteur—without being spotted by Jeremy’s friends—before their tentative alliance falls apart? Fans of the first installment in this series will enjoy the return of the author’s witty dialog and quirky characters. While the tension between Becca and Jeremy occasionally borders on the absurd, readers’ patience with those moments will be rewarded when the partnership works perfectly. And with some surprising twists and turns, the mystery of whodunit will keep kids guessing until the very end. VERDICT: An engaging mystery that proves Hymas’s debut was only the beginning. A recommended purchase, especially for libraries that already have Under Locker and Key in their collections.”
Kirkus: “Hymas’ second twisty caper is fun if a bit too long; since it mostly takes place over the course of one afternoon, did it really need 300-plus pages? Readers will enjoy spending time with the realistic characters, who seem mostly to be white. The whiz-bang close will satisfy, but a bigger mystery and a startling discovery presage a third adventure.”
Josi Kilpack. Promises and Primroses. Shadow Mountain, Sept. 4. Regency romance. Rich family and a governess.
PW: “In Kilpack’s pleasant first Mayfield Family Regency, two romances blossom in two generations of the Mayfield family. Elliott Mayfield hatches a plan to marry off his nieces and nephews and save the dwindling family fortune. His first target is his nephew Peter, a widower. Peter is focused on finding a new governess for his daughters, but the most appealing candidate, Julia Hollingsworth, turns out to have a surprising connection to his uncle. Meanwhile, Elliott reconnects with a woman from his past. Kilpack (Miss Wilton’s Waltz) smoothly introduces the Mayfield clan and sets the stage for the series while making plenty of room for developing this volume’s central characters. Peter’s love for his daughters is balanced with his deficiencies as a father, and he’s plagued by his scandalous past. Independent Julia’s unconventional interest in dog breeding is set against her mother’s desire for Julia to marry well—but not into the Mayfield family. The passages about Julia’s interactions with the dogs can be wordy sometimes, but otherwise the narrative flows smoothly. Regency fans will be eager for more Mayfield romances.”
Melissa McShane. Warts and All: A Fairy Tale Collection. Self, Aug. 28. Short stories.
Beginner witch Chloe has a problem. There’s a frog in her tub who says he used to be a man. Worse, his memory is slipping away from him. Magic doesn’t work, so there’s only one way she can think of to turn him back—but can she bring herself to do it? And that’s only the beginning of her challenges. In these eleven short fairy tale retellings, including “Little Red Riding Hood,” “The Frog Prince,” and “The Bremen Town Musicians,” follow the adventures of Chloe and her family as they fall into one fairy tale after another.
Jennifer Moore. The Shipbuilder’s Wife. Covenant, Sept. 1. Regency romance. “The day of her parents’ garden party dawns bright as Lydia Prescott eagerly anticipates a marriage proposal from a handsome and wealthy plantation owner. The lovely debutante plans to steal a moment away with her beau, but her plans go terribly awry. Instead of her intended, she is joined by a stranger—the largest man she’s ever laid eyes on. And it is clear Jacob Steele is there for reasons far more sober than the party. With British raids erupting all around them, it is his job to reassure plantation owners of their safety. In reality, however, Jacob is an espionage agent, and the truth is dire: America is on the verge of invasion by the British. Blissfully unaware of the danger surrounding her, Lydia basks in the glow of her recent engagement. But her joy is short-lived—a surprise British attack results in a devastating wound, and her plans for the future are shattered. Lost in her devastation, Lydia could never dream that Jacob, that giant of a man she met so briefly, would prove to be her saving grace. And with a war raging around them, she may be called upon to save him too.”
*Jennie Hansen, *Meridian Magazine: “Jennifer Moore has proved herself a capable historical writer. She understands and uses appropriately the rules and conventions of the early 1800s, but places her focus on the other aspects of that time period particularly the Napoleonic war and the War of 1812. Solid research is a mark of diligent attention to details in her work. Her characters are believable; strong, likable, but not perfect. The setting for this story shows an understanding of the distances and terrain between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. and the waterways such as the James and Potomac Rivers which were key elements in the 1812 War. She also handles well, without being overly explicit, the carnage of the plantation attacks and the battle for the capitol. Though the cruelty and destruction of war are present, there are also a few gentler acts of kindness that reveal both sides are human and not all people lose their humanity in times of conflict. The romance portion of this story is low key. It begins with indifference bordering on dislike and gradually grows in strength. A few kisses and hugs are the only physical expressions of romance. The romance grows as the couple get to know each other and discover their shared values.”
Jennifer A. Nielsen. Resistance. Scholastic, Aug. 28. Middle grade historical fiction.
PW: “Sent away from her Krakow home in April 1941, 16-year-old Chaya Lindner becomes an activist in the Jewish armed resistance movement Akiva by October 1942. With features and coloring that belie her ethnicity, as well as fluency in Polish and a smattering of German, she can pass as the Polish Catholic Helena Nowak, which makes her the perfect courier. Confident Chaya is dismayed when she is paired to work with seemingly timid Esther, who possesses ‘every possible look and mannerism to radiate her Jewishness’ and who is to blame for a failed Akiva mission. As they travel from a ghetto in Krakow to one in Lodz, the young women witness horrific events and undergo harrowing experiences before arriving at their ultimate destination: the Warsaw Ghetto, where the action culminates in the historic uprising of April 1943. Suspense mounts continually as Chaya survives her ordeals, gaining strength and faith in her mission. The courage and self-sacrifice of many characters is inspiring, but the book is unapologetically grim and violent, like the events it so persuasively depicts, and may not suit readers at the younger end of its stated range.”
SLJ: “Readers will empathize with Chaya, who burns with anger against their occupiers and questions those who won’t fight back. But it’s complex Esther who will linger in kids’ minds. Nielsen uses this character to great effect, helping Chaya understand that violence is just one way to resist and that ‘a righteous resistance was victory in itself, no matter the outcome.’ Tension escalates as details of Esther’s backstory are withheld until pivotal moments. The edge-of-your-seat climax places readers amidst the gritty, horrifying street battles of the Warsaw Ghetto and pays tribute to those who sacrificed themselves so others would live. A fascinating afterword profiles real-life resistance fighters the fictional teens encounter throughout. VERDICT: Historical fiction at its finest, this informs, enlightens, and engages young readers.”
Kirkus: “The trajectory of the narrative skews toward the sensational, highlighting moments of resistance via cinematic action sequences but not pausing to linger on the emotional toll of the Holocaust’s atrocities. Younger readers without sufficient historical knowledge may not appreciate the gravity of the events depicted. The principal characters lack depth, and their actions and the situations they find themselves in often require too much suspension of disbelief to pass for realism. Sensitive subject matter that could have benefited from a subtler, more sober touch.”
Anne Perry. Dark Tide Running. Ballantine Books, Sept. 18. Mystery. William Monk #24.
PW: ”In Edgar-finalist Perry’s riveting 24th William Monk novel set in Victorian England (after 2017’s An Echo of Murder), an attorney approaches the Thames River police commander on behalf of Harry Exeter, an affluent man whose wife was abducted in broad daylight from a London riverbank the previous day. Exeter, who has assembled the considerable ransom demanded, wants Monk’s help with handing it over at the site that the kidnappers have set for the exchange: Jacob’s Island, not literally an island but a “region of interconnecting waterways with old offices and wharfs.” Monk agrees to accompany Exeter there the next day, and assembles a group of his most trusted officers to be on the scene in disguise. But despite Monk’s careful planning, the exchange ends in bloody failure, and he’s left to wonder who on his team gave the kidnappers the details of his operation. The added suspense from Monk’s mole hunt makes this one of the series’ more powerful recent entries.”
Kirkus: “One of the most successful of prolific Perry’s recent Victorian melodramas. The opening chapters are appropriately portentous, the mystification is authentic, and if the final surprise isn’t exactly a shock, it’s so well-prepared that even readers who don’t gasp will nod in satisfaction.”
Aprillyne Pike. Shatter. Random House, Feb. 13. YA romantic science fiction. Glitter #2. Second of a duology.
Kirkus: “In this sci-fi duology closer, Queen Danica must embrace her role to find a way to break out of her gilded, 22nd-century cage.Dani’s been back-stabbed by her crime-lord contact and returned to the palace, where she’s forced to wed the king and to continue dealing Glitter. The young white woman resolves to take down the men controlling her and to rescue her enslaved love, Saber (a green-eyed man of Mongolian descent). Playing along until she has the resources to make a true move, Dani must take down social rivals (such as King Justin’s bully of a mistress, Lady Cyn) and scheme against dissident factions within Sonoman-Versailles. The strategies required demand that she think of the consequences (and said consequences’ consequences) of her actions, which reinforces the guilt she feels about the casualties of her decisions—but they also reveal something she finds unpleasant about herself: she enjoys the power games, especially winning them. While pulling at threads to find weaknesses in her enemies, Dani and her friends uncover company secrets that trigger heavy themes about automation’s impact on economies and the concentration of wealth. Dani and Saber’s relationship is much better realized than in Glitter (2016), especially when they disagree or he’s criticizing her decisions (and helping her grow stronger—literally). The hard-fought ending tonally matches the story. A delicious drama of morally imperfect characters in a fantastical future world with timely, relevant politics.”
SLJ: Fans who have waited for this sequel to will not be disappointed. The complex plot and Pike’s highly adept writing will leave readers breathless to find out what happens next. VERDICT: Give this to those who enjoy “The Selection” series by Keira Cass, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, or Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.
Brandon Sanderson. Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds. Tor, Sept. 18. Legion #1–3. Fantasy. The collection will include the science fiction novellas Legion and Legion: Skin Deep, published together for the first time, as well as a brand new Stephen Leeds novella, Lies of the Beholder. This never-been-published novella will complete the series.
Liesel Shurtliff. Time Castaways: The Mona Lisa Key. Katherine Teegan Books, Sept. 18. Middle grade contemporary fantasy. First in a series. Overly careful children find themselves transported back to 1911.
SLJ: “Three siblings disobey their parents’ seemingly overprotective rule about never getting on the New York subway, only to find themselves aboard a time-traveling vessel whose mission is to collect artifacts around the world from different eras. Matt, the primary character and eldest, finds himself doubting their captain, the alternately creepy and fatherly Captain Vincent, as more is revealed. Third-person narration with memorable characters, an enticing plot, and some cool steam punk-like magic will attract readers who love Jen Swann Downey’s Ninja Librarians or Brian Farrey’s Vengekeep Prophecies. A strong sense of the characters’ humanity and interesting time travel paradoxes make up for what is lacking in humor or nail-biting tension. VERDICT: The first in a promising series for fantasy adventure fans.”
Kirkus: “Racially, chronologically, and culturally diverse characters and the convoluted plot, packed with surprising twists and turns, cleverly play on readers’ expectations. Matt’s, Corey’s, and Ruby’s races are unspecified, though on the cover the former appears with brown skin and the latter two with pale; Jia is described as Asian.Time-traveling pirates, whimsical humor, a sentient ship, and cliffhanger predicaments deliver generous helpings of quirky, retro-tinged entertainment.”
Krista Van Dolzer. Earth to Dad. Capstone, Aut. 1. Middle grade SF/dystopia.
SLJ: “Jameson, 11, checks the JICC (Jameson’s Interplanetary Communication Console) daily for new messages from his astronaut dad who left two years ago on a mission to colonize Mars. He knows something is wrong when the transmissions come fewer and farther between, and Dad starts looking thin and haggard. Everyone seems to know more than they are saying, including his new, feisty neighbor, Astra Primm, whose mother, Dr. Primm, was killed on a space mission. Together, the two embark on their own journey to fix the JICC and save Jameson’s dad. In this futuristic world, an asteroid has caused the earth to begin drifting ever closer to the sun; global warming, toxic radiation, food shortages, and new technologies are the new normal. There is just enough tension and unease to propel readers without overwhelming them. Jameson appears white on the cover, though his racial or ethnic background is not described in the text. Primm is described as having dark skin and black hair. Physical descriptions are not given for the secondary characters, though some ethnic diversity is suggested via surnames such as Patel, Segundo, Juwan, Haisheng, Ishii, and Branislav. VERDICT: A solid choice for upper elementary and middle school students who want dystopia but are not ready for the intensity and violence that defines the YA offerings in the genre.”
Kirkus: Van Dolzer uses her apocalyptic setting to highlight this story of grief, creating believable, likable child characters. Unfortunately, she undermines Jameson’s intelligence by driving the plot with an open secret only he is ignorant of. Jameson is white and Astra black, and though her initial hostility plays into the “angry black girl” stereotype (and, egregiously, her flared nostrils are compared to lima beans), she develops into a well-realized, complex character. Missteps don’t altogether take away from this thoughtful novel.
Kiersten White. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein. Delacorte, Sept. 25. YA horror. Follows Elizabeth, and abused orphan who enters the Frankenstein family, eventually becomes engaged to Viktor, realizes how dangerous he is.
PW (Starred review): “With this elegantly twisted retelling of the birth of a monster, White resurrects the Gothic tale of survival found in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which turns 200 this year. Rescued from an abusive caregiver at age five, Elizabeth Lavenza is brought to the Frankenstein family’s villa to act as companion to young Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant child prone to rage. Elizabeth becomes everything to Victor—his champion and protector, his friend and confidante—and hones her manipulative talents. But when the errant genius leaves the family to study and doesn’t write for almost two years, leaving Elizabeth open to possible dismissal from the Frankenstein home, she enlists the aid of her friend Justine to track him down. What she discovers in a strange Bavarian town is another link in a chain of horror that only grows after he’s found. Skillful worldbuilding and foreshadowing steadily build suspense to a breathtaking climax. Fans of psychological horror will luxuriate in the familiar feel of the timeless story and thrill at its unexpected twists.”
SLJ: “White adds emotional depth to a character who was passive in Shelley’s original. She highlights, with feminist sensitivity, Elizabeth’s total dependence as a woman of her time, playing whatever part is necessary to ensure her future. The novel continues in the gothic tradition of the source material, and the title speaks volumes about the darkness of tone and content. The language is often surprisingly lyrical with the narrative flowing smoothly despite frequent flashbacks. Twists and tweaks, especially toward the end, may take readers of Frankenstein by surprise, but will not spoil either book. VERDICT: Recommended for YA collections traveling on the dark side.”
Kirkus: “White creates an exciting tale with strong, witty, and certainly flawed, white female protagonists. Readers will ponder whether monsters are beings that are outwardly frightening or if it is one’s soul, or lack thereof, that makes one a true monster. Those familiar with the original story will enjoy the references to it scattered throughout. An all-around win for readers who enjoy (not too scary) horror, thrilling tales, and contemplating the deeper meaning of life.”
Reviews of Older Books
Scott Abbott. Immortal for Quite Some Time (Johnny Townsend, Western American Literature 52:4, Winter 2018).
Pamela Hayes-Bohanan. “Book Review: Elder Northfield’s Home or, Sacrificed on the Mormon Altar: A Story of the Blighting Curse of Polygamy” Journal of International Women’s Studies, 18(2), 2018. A review of the 2015 University of Nebraska Press republication of the 1882 novel.
George Handley. American Fork (Blair Hodges, BCC). 4 stars. “In his debut novel George Handley displays the same attentive care to the color and bend of a single leaf as he does to the tempo and tenor of the human heart. The two really aren’t so different—each existing within larger webs of relationship, each displaying something of the majesty and precariousness of God.”
Valynne Maetani. Ink and Ashes (Brandon Sanderson) 5 stars.
This excellent YA book sits carefully nestled between several genres. The packaging lists it as a thriller, and that’s not a bad way to present it. The opening chapters focus more on mystery, by my definition, than thriller. (They are more about the characters discovering secrets than they are about people being in danger.) However, as the story escalates, it does move into thriller territory. However—and few books manage to pull this off as well as Ink and Ashes—it’s also a slice of life drama, mixing family dynamics, friendships, and romance. While many books use these themes as seasoning, I believe that Valynne successfully creates a straight-up hybrid. I was impressed by how well she balanced the growing tension with a girl struggling through day-to-day challenges. Often when someone tries this, one of the two (either the daily life or the mystery) ends up feeling perfunctory. Not so here, and I thoroughly enjoyed the blend. I can sincerely say this was one of the best books I’ve read this year, and might even be in the top spot. An artful blend of Japanese culture, solid mystery, interesting characters, and an excellent use of viewpoint. I particularly enjoyed how the writer turned a major trope—the single girl in a cast of mostly guys—on its head by making it a feature of the story. I highly recommend the book to anyone who likes Young Adult fiction.
For Writers
The first thing I’d highlight for you to examine is how Valynne juggles the genres, and expectations for them, as mentioned above. Pay attention to the solid mystery hook, followed by balancing family life, then the escalation of discovery into true danger. Valynne is very good with promises; watch how she eases the reader through the transitions between family/school life and the action scenes. I’d say the book’s second strong feature is its use of viewpoint. Many first-person narratives rely on snark from the protagonist to give them personality and make their narrative more engaging, but Valynne goes a different direction, making the character powerfully inquisitive, and reinforcing this with the careful use of questions, curiosity, and impulsiveness from the main character. Valynne is excellent in her use of emotion, and the scenes of tension in particular popped for me—I truly felt that I was in the head of someone who was on the brink of panic, trying to keep herself together. This was done through deft manipulation of the first-person (first-person immediate, as I often call it) narrative. Also pay attention to the pacing, which is very interesting in this novel. It occasionally uses thriller style (short chapters, end on a moment of tension or cliffhanger that you resolve quickly in the next chapter) but often mixes more of a mystery style (end with a tease about a cool secret or clue to pull the reader along) and more of a traditional style (full arc within a chapter, ending on a short bit of falling action to give closure to issues raised early in the chapter). These help with the transition between action and drama, and vary the storytelling style to allow payoffs and different types of subplots to play out.
Theater
Jeff Gottesfeld and Elizabeth Wong. The World’s Strongest Librarian. BYU, Sept 28. Young Company. Based on the memoir by the Mormon author Josh Hanagarne. The play was first published in 2016. Two playwrights are not Mormon. Recently winning the American Alliance for Theatre & Education’s Distinguished Play Award, this play is based on the real life of Salt Lake City’s most famous librarian, Josh Hanagarne. Perfect for all ages, this story shows how the superpowers of learning and human kindness are as important as physical strength.
Eric Paul Lyman. The Jawbone’s Daughter. Oct. 4–12. Wasatch Theatre Company, Salt Lake City. Also was produced at the 2017 Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. Post-apocalyptic comedy. “Two starving wanderers wrangle with an addled doorkeeper about hospitality, a nosebleed, and the importance of hats.” Here are two reviews of the 2017 production:
UTBA: “In The Jawbone’s Daughter, as an absurdist piece by writer Eric Paul Lyman, there really is no story, because the story doesn’t matter. There is a trace of plot, however. Three men are poised after monumental disaster has struck, and two of them are starving. They appear at a locked door, and suddenly another man appears. He places a podium on the stage with a telephone, a bell, and a sign: “Please ring bell for service!” The haughty character Flince refuses to comply with anything: ringing the bell, submitting to a search and identify, or listening politely while someone reads a poem. Cannibalism is considered, and in the end, human nature gets a pie in the face. I love an absurdist piece. So, I may be slightly biased when I proclaim that The Jawbone’s Daughter is the best piece of work I have seen at the Fringe festival thus far. With a superb script, surprising and astonishing acting, and shock factor laughs, this play is one that I wish could go far.”
City Weekly: “A splendidly surreal mash-up of Samuel Beckett and Tom Stoppard, Eric Paul Lyman’s absurdist comedy opens with two men—Flince (Jon Liddiard) and Strothe (Chris Bentley)—trying to survive in a desolate landscape, until they find a potential refuge guarded by one-eyed Drummond (played by playwright Lyman). All three performances are terrific, though Liddiard has particular fun with a loquacious character whose florid vocabulary feels like an attempt to wrestle civilization out of chaos. Jake Ben Suazo’s deft direction nails both the timing of the physical comedy and the twisty verbal gymnastics, pulling multiple levels of humor out of a world of arbitrary displays of authority and confused identity, a world that only makes sense when you realize how little the world makes sense.”
James Omar Hansen. Hauntings. Oct. 19, 20, 27, 30. Wasatch Theatre Company, SLC. “Hauntings is a series of ghostly and scary stories for the whole family. It will put everyone in the spirit for Halloween!”
Matthew Greene. Good Standing. Plan-B, SLC, Oct. 18–28. Also November 4, 2018 – United Solo Theatre Festival, New York. A gay Mormon faces excommunication a week after marrying the man of his dreams. A solo play about faith, hope and catharsis.
BYU Microburst Theatre. BYU Nelke Theatre, Oct. 18–20. New short plays by BYU students, directed by George Nelson.
Film
Jane and Emma. Oct. 12. Chantelle Squires, director. Melissa Leilani Larson, writer. Jenn Lee Smith, Madeline Jorgenson, Tamu Smith and Zandra Vranes, producers. Deseret Book. Inspired by true events, Jane and Emma tells the story of two women (Jane Manning James and Emma Smith) who forged an unlikely friendship against the backdrop of race, religion and gender issues in 1844.
On a special edition of the Mormon News Report, Brandt and Jenny talk with Melissa Leilani Larson, Madeline Jorgansen, Jenn Smith and Chantelle Squires, the dream team behind the amazing Jane and Emma movie! Find out where the idea came from, what historical significance the movie has, and how it all came together.
The organization ReFrame recognized Jane and Emma a “Gender Balanced Production.” ReFrame is a coalition of industry leaders founded by Women in Film and the Sundance Institute. It announced nearly two dozen films to be certified for their gender-balanced productions. To earn the ReFrame Stamp, a film or TV show must meet a handful of requirements that call for women in key roles like starring, directing, producing, and writing. Additional points are awarded for having racial diversity.
The Insufferable Groo. Scott Christopherson, director. Documentary about the Provo filmmaker Stephen Groo. Producers include Eric Robertson, Jared Hess and Jared Harris. The producers are all Groo fans. Harris produced the film The Unexpected Race, which features the actor Jack Black. Appearing in several film festivals in 2018.
Comics
Wild Blue Yonder, an interactive comic book, sold as an app, was launched in July. Phil Goodwin, a BYU alumni, directed and animated the app. Set in a post-apocalyptic future where a fighter pilot and her family fight to survive in the skies after radiation has made Earth uninhabitable on the surface. It features voiceovers from Ed Harris, Gerard Butler, and Evan Peters. The original comic book, by Zachariah Howard, came out in 2013.
Best Sellers
Sept. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Tara Westover.** Educated
USA Today: #18, #10, #19, #16, #13 (30 weeks)
PW Hardcover Non-Fiction: #8, #6, #5, #6, #6 (30 weeks). 8334, 11,655, 11,277, 9839, 9697 units. 233,237 total.
NY Times Hardcover Non-Fiction: #4, #3, #3, #4, #2 (30 weeks)
NY Times Combined Print/Ebook Nonfiction: #3, #1, #2, #3, #4 (30 weeks)
RaeAnne Thayne. Springtime in Salt River
USA Today: x, x, #89, #98, x (2 weeks)
PW Mass Market: x, x, #3, #2, #6 (3 weeks). 8515, 8248, 6259 units. 23,202 total.
Christine Feehan. Dark Sentinel
USA Today: x, x, x, #6, #78 (2 weeks)
PW Hardcover: x, x, x, #5, #13 (2 weeks). 9487, 3757 units. 13,244 total.
NY Times Hardcover: x, x, x, #8, x (1 week)
NY Times Combined Print/Ebook Fiction: x, x, x, #4, x (1 week)
Christine Feehan. Dark Legacy
USA Today: x, x, #87, #134, x (4 weeks)
PW Mass Market: x, x, #6, #8, #16 (3 weeks). 7836, 6486, 4031 units. 18,353 total.
Brenda Novak. Face Off
USA Today: x, x, #96, x, x (1 week)
Featured photo by Nong Vang