the salt roads

August 13, 2020

The awesome Nalo Hopkinson’s FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS is about as weird as it gets

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The love for Nalo Hopkinson’s FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS just keeps on coming.

Cover art by Chuma Hill
Design by Elizabeth Story

For BOOK RIOT, Mel Ashford includes the collection among 8 Weird Genre Fiction Books by Diverse Authors.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS is a collection of short stories by the fantastic Nalo Hopkinson. It’s about as weird as it gets, and Nalo Hopkinson is an excellent speculative fiction writer. There’s a flying cat in one of these stories, and it’s still the story that sticks in my mind the most.

Arianna Rebolini at BUZZ FEED NEWS in 20 Books To Read If You Want To Get Into Black Sci-Fi And Fantasy mentions two Hopkinson titles: Brown Girl in the Ring and FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS.

BuzzFeed Books recently asked Goodreads about its most popular Black speculative fiction titles. Below are 20 books that get high ratings and ample attention from the site’s many lovers of sci-fi and fantasy.

[…]

7. Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson
The rich and privileged have abandoned an alternate Toronto, leaving the rest of the population behind barricades and unable to escape. There, the inner city returns to an older way of life — farming, bartering, herbal medicine, and mysticism — until the wealthy decide to prey on the impoverished communities for organ donation, and a young mother must turn to spiritualism and ritual to save her family.

5-star review: “Compelling from beginning to end, I see how Hopkinson places Caribbean culture within the realm of scifi/fantasy, looking at race and gender in ways that resonate with current realities for many POC. Her work deserves the same recognition and reverence as Octavia Butler. Hopkinson is a masterful storyteller and gives us characters we can relate to and will remember long after putting down the book. I only regret that I didn’t read this one back in ’98 when it was released.” —Inda
[…]
18. FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS by Nalo Hopkinson
Falling in Love With Hominids comprises over a dozen years of Hopkinson’s new, uncollected fiction, which draws from Afro Caribbean folklore.
5-star review: “From macabre to magical, Nalo Hopkinson transports us worlds just half a step away. Horrific and beautiful characters and events weave a tapestry of stories that are engrossing and unlike anything you’ve read before. I savored every delectable story. You have to read this!” —Natalie Hébert

THE LESBRARY also include a pair of Hopkinson title (The Salt Roads and HOMINIDS) in The Sapphic Fantastic: Bi and Lesbian Fantasy Books.

The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson

Nalo Hopkinson’s books are always a trip, and The Salt Roads is no exception. This book bounces between different POV characters and time periods, all bound together by their relationship to the goddess Ezili. This has a focus on racism, colonialism, and slavery while also including several queer characters. The Salt Roads isn’t linear, and you do rocketed from place and to place while also jumping through time, but it’s fascinating and compelling throughout.

Check out my full review here.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS by Nalo Hopkinson

I’m cheating and putting in another Nalo Hopkinson book, even though only the novella has f/f content! FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS is worth reading for the novella alone, but this collection as a whole is one of my favourite books I’ve ever read. (And there is other queer content, just not f/f.) “Ours Is the Prettiest” is a Borderlands series, which means it shares characters and a setting with other authors. It also has an interesting look at a queer community and the complex, multi-layered relationships between everyone involved.

Check out my full review here.

COOL CURRY BOOKS shares a fascinating info graphic, QUEER SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY BOOKS BY AUTHORS OF COLOR, that includes FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS.

Angela Guh in SOCIAL DISTANZINER (ISSUE 2), includes FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS in Black Canadian Authors: A Reading List.

Non-Black readers, perhaps you have pledged to be an ally, or a better ally, in fighting anti-Black racism. Recognize that this is the first step in your commitment to a long journey of learning and unlearning. Allyship is not a status we can achieve by declaring it, it is something we have to continuously work at. As pandemic restrictions lift, and as we return back to our “normal” lives, we need to think about what this “normal” entails and recognize what needs to change, namely, the systems that perpetuate racial injustices.

Part of that work includes amplifying Black voices and reading more works by Black writers. This includes reading stories of Black joy in addition to stories of Black pain. It’s time to read more. Here are some books by Black Canadian authors – this is by no means a comprehensive reading list, but it can serve as a starting point.

Fulton College Library Queer Book Club‘s August selection was FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS.

February 13, 2020

Nalo Hopkinson’s excellent FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS is a collection to be loved

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In the BOOK RIOT video Black Bi & Lesbian Books for Black History Month and F/F February video, Danika Ellis mentions the Nalo Hopkinson titles The Salt Roads and FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS.

THINGS AS THEY ARE includes FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS in their January reading round-up.

I’m reading Nalo Hopkinson’s collection, FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS, which is excellent but the stories are very intense, so I’m taking it slow!

Michaela Stephen at ON THE DANFORTH places Hopkinson among 5 Canadian Authors Who are Breaking the Boundaries of Genre Fiction.

Although Nalo Hopkinson is well known to many Science Fiction readers after publishing six novels and two short story collections, my favourite will always be her first novel, Brown Girl in the Ring (Warner Aspect). Set in Toronto in a dystopic future, Hopkinson blends Caribbean folklore and cyberpunk elements to show the strength of three generations of women. For those new to genre fiction, Nalo Hopkinson’s novels are a great place to start.

October 2, 2017

Tachyon tidbits featuring James Patrick Kelly, Alastair Reynolds, and Nalo Hopkinson

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized alastair reynolds, Ann Monn, book riot, casey stepaniuk, eating the fantastic, elysium fire, futurism, interview, James Patrick Kelly, John Kessel, nalo hopkinson, neal ulen, podcast, scott edelman, sister mine, the salt roads, the secret history of science fiction

The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles and authors from around the web.

James Patrick Kelly (photo: Bill Clemente), Alastair Reynolds (Barbara Bella), and Nalo Hopkinson (David Findlay)

On his popular podcast EATING THE FANTASTIC, Scott Edelman sat down with the award-winning James Patrick Kelly.

When I’d asked Jim which kind of cuisine he’d prefer for our chat—because as you may have noticed, I do try to keep my guests happy, the better to loosen their tongues for you—he admitted to a weakness for Fettuccine Carbonara. That led us to Quincy’s Gennaro’s Eatery, which didn’t have Fettuccine Carbonara on the menu, but as the place served both Tortellini Carbonara and Fettuccine Alfredo, that seemed close enough.

(photo: Scott Edleman)

James Patrick Kelly is a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning writer who recently published a career short story retrospective as part of the Centipede Press Masters of Science Fiction series. And had I not been turned down by the Clarion Science Fiction Writers Workshop in 1974, I might have shared a dorm room with him! (But don’t worry. I was accepted in 1979.)

We discussed the reason he needed to attend the Clarion Science Fiction Workshop twice—and why the rules were then changed so no one could do it again, the suggestion Kate Wilhelm made that saved one of his short stories, why his reaction to comics as a kid was “Marvel, yes, DC, feh,” how the science fiction field survived the Cyberpunk/Humanist wars of the ‘80s, why he takes an expansive view of fanfic, how Cory Doctorow inspired him to enter the world of podcasting early, what allows him and frequent collaborator John Kessel to work together so well, his advice for how writing 10 endings to a story in progress will help writers find the right ending, and more.

Neal Ulen at FUTURISM interviews the acclaimed Alastair Reynolds.

On Artificial Intelligence—Great! Let’s jump right in. The development of artificial intelligence (AI) is a recurring theme in your works. Do you think AI could be a benefit to humanity, a danger (as many believe), or something slightly more… ambiguous?

I’d have to draw a line between what’s likely in the next few decades, and what might happen in a few hundred or thousand years. I’m rather skeptical about advances in AI in our immediate future, although I try to follow the field and I’m interested in the different strategies being pursued. But I don’t think we’re going to see a human or super-human level machine intelligence any time soon. I think what we’ll have is basically an extension of what we have today — lots of algorithms that can do rather impressive and useful things, such as voice recognition, face recognition, remote diagnosis, behaviour tracking, and so on, but which are only as beneficial or counter-beneficial as the intentions of the people deploying them.

On The Singularity—Following up on that question, what are your thoughts on the “technological singularity” as popularized by Vernor Vinge and how it’s interpreted today? Do you believe humanity will ever enter a state of hyperbolic advancement from which there’s no return? And if so is there a way to avoid this theoretical singularity?

I like Vernor’s work very much, but I’m a little skeptical of the whole idea of the singularity. I get the reasoning, but I don’t feel we’re on that particular track. I’m typing this on a fifteen year old Dell PC which provides everything I need in my non-internet-enabled writing office. I have a much more recent and powerful laptop in the house which I bought last year, and which — according to the prognostications of 15 years ago — ought to be some sort of quantum-optic supercomputer with a holographic keyboard and flawless voice recognition. But it’s not. It’s just another Windows PC, exactly as useful and stupid as the Dell, and it doesn’t even feel particularly faster or more powerful, because the software it’s obliged to run is much more bloated. For efficient word processing, I much prefer using the Dell.

Even if there is something like a singularity on the horizon, I think we’ll have plenty of warning as we approach the cusp, time enough to back off and consider our options. It’s not a groundless concern but I’d suggest that there are several dozen more pressing problems we need to be focusing our collective intelligence on. However, it does provide a very good story-generating trope for science fiction.

For BOOK RIOT, Casey Stepaniuk’s 100 Must-Read Bisexual Books includes a pair of Nalo Hopkinson’s novels.

SISTER MINE by Nalo Hopkinson*

Set in Toronto with fantasy elements informed by Afro-Caribbean mythology, this novel stars Makeda, a young woman with a human mom and demi-god dad. She was born conjoined with her twin Abby; their separation has left Abby disabled (she uses crutches) while Makeda hasn’t a drop of celestial mojo (magic). When her father goes missing, Makeda is forced to reconcile with her sister and jump back into the magical world she tried to leave.

The SALT ROADS by Nalo Hopkinson*

This genre-defying novel transports readers across centuries and civilizations as it fearlessly explores women’s relationships. Jeanne Duval, the ginger-colored entertainer, struggles with her lover poet Charles Baudelaire…Mer, plantation slave and doctor, both hungers for and dreads liberation…and Thais, a dark-skinned beauty from Alexandria, is impelled to seek a glorious revelation—as Ezili, a being born of hope, unites them all.

For more info about THE SECRET HISTORY OF SCIENCE FICTION, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Ann Monn

March 14, 2017

FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS showcases Nalo Hopkinson’s talents at their best

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized best science fiction books, black history month, book riot, brown girl in the ring, chuma hill, danika ellis, elizabeth story, falling in love with hominids, huffington post, international women's day, Matt Staggs, nalo hopkinson, sapphic, the salt roads, unbound worlds, winnipeg public library

FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS in particular and author Nalo Hopkinson in general continue to excite readers.

Photo: David Findlay

At UNBOUND WORLDS, Matt Staggs includes the collection among 19 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Reading Suggestions for International Women’s Day.

Jamaican-born author Nalo Hopkinson benefited from an incredibly diverse childhood, having lived at different times in Guyana and Canada. Her rich cultural heritage is reflected in her work, much of which is influenced by her Caribbean heritage. Her recent short story collection FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS showcases Hopkinson’s talents at their best.

Danika Ellis at BOOK RIOT recommends both the book and Hopkinson’s novel THE SALT ROADS in The Sapphic
Fantastic: Lesbian & Bi Women Fantasy Books.

Nalo Hopkinson’s books are always a trip, and THE SALT ROADS is no exception. This book bounces between different POV characters and time periods, all bound together by their relationship to the goddess Ezili. This has a focus on racism, colonialism, and slavery while also including several queer characters. THE SALT ROADS isn’t linear, and you do rocketed from place and to place while also jumping through time, but it’s fascinating and compelling throughout.

I’m cheating and putting in another Nalo Hopkinson book, even though only the novella has f/f content! FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS is worth reading for the novella alone, but this collection as a whole is one of my favourite books I’ve ever read. (And there is other queer content, just not f/f.) “Ours Is the Prettiest” is a Borderlands series, which means it shares characters and a setting with other authors. It also has an interesting look at a queer community and the complex, multi-layered relationships between everyone involved.

The Winnipeg Public Library’s READER’S SALON includes without comment FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS among it’s Black History Month selections.

BEST SCIENCE FICTION BOOKS offers a Hopkinson overview.

Hopkinson was born in Jamaica but moved to Canada while still in her teens, and the resultant culture clash is played out in her first novel, BROWN GIRL IN THE RING. It is set in a run-down, near-future Toronto where the rich have abandoned the city for their safe high-tech suburbs, while the inner city has become a wasteland ruled by criminal gangs. When the powerful want to harvest body parts from the poor for transplant, a young, black single mother finds herself at the centre of the conflict in which voodoo figures become an integral part of the battle for the soul of the city.

As with Okorafor, what is particularly interesting about Hopkinson is the way that distinctions between science fiction and fantasy break down. A different worldview informs their fiction, one in which technology and mythology are not necessarily separate. This is noticeable in her second novel, MIDNIGHT ROBBER, which tells the story of a young girl growing up first on the colony world of Toussaint, and then on New Half-Way Tree where convicts are exiled. Abused by her father from a young age, she eventually kills him and flees into the bush, where she takes on the traditional role of the Robber Queen to defend others from abuse. All her life is shaped by traditional stories drawn from Caribbean and Yoruba culture, and by the end of the novel the heroine has herself become the star of a new set of stories.

At THE HUFFINGTON POST, Hopkinson contributes to Feminist Sci-Fi Writers Dream Up A Better Future For Women And Reproductive Health.

For more information on FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Chuma Hill

Design by Elizabeth Story

Tachyon Publications

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