Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here! Today, our writers share what they’ve been reading over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been reading over the past month, because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get things started by sharing what I’ve been reading over the past month.
Kyra’s Fiction
I read Brian Azzarello’s Joker for the first time this past month. It wasn’t what I was expecting. Honestly, I don’t know what to expect, so I guess I had no expectations. Joker was a wild read. Jonny Frost (one of The Joker’s henchmen) narrates the story. This was a bizarre choice for a point of view character. How many comic book stories have been told from the perspective of a super villain’s henchman? Harley Quinn doesn’t count. By this point, she’s become her own character. A no-name Joker henchman made for a fresh take on the character.
Because we’re not in Joker’s perspective or even Batman’s, Joker doesn’t dive too deep into its title character; Joker concerns itself with how The Joker affects Gotham City from outside perspective. Jonny Frost is to The Joker what Nick Carraway was Gatsby. We watch as Gotham defines itself by its most infamous criminal. We watch as The Joker seduces Jonny with his hedonistic lifestyle. Through Jonny’s point of view, we see the appeal of The Joker. We learn why someone would want to serve as one of The Joker’s henchmen. While I enjoyed the ideas presented in Joker, I’m glad the graphic novel didn’t last long. It ended when and how it should’ve. One shouldn’t spend too much time in The Joker’s world.
Author Ta-Nehisi Coates needs little introduction. Coates has received the MacArthur Fellowship a year before Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet was first released. Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet explores Wakanda’s identity, tensions, traditions, and where they fit in modern society while looking toward the future. This examination extends to the monarchy. Does Wakanda still need the Black Panther? These topics make sense, considering Coates is an American journalist and activist who often writes about cultural, social, and political issues, specifically African Americans and white supremacy. Coates authored “The Case for Reparations,” so a Wakandan story that examines its past while looking at how to move forward is something that Coates has immense experience.
Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet is a dense text. It deconstructs Black Panther as a character. It shows the Wakandan king step down as supreme leader, making way for Wakanda becoming a constitutional democracy with the Black Panther serving as a figure head. Think the English monarchy. T’Challa is still Black Panther. But Wakanda’s people are allowed to govern themselves. We’ve seen the MCU adopt some aspects of this story. I can’t help but think the MCU adapting A Nation Under Our Feet in a future Black Panther movie. Perhaps this storyline will inform Black Panther 3. I enjoyed my time with Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet and highly recommend the book, especially if you like the T’Challa and dive head first into Wakandan lore and politics.
It was only a matter of time before I started reading the sequel to TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea. Love that book. I had to pick up the sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. Quick Note: I love Klune’s dedication:
For the trans community the world over:
I see you, I hear you, I love you.
This story is for you.
Klune’s dedication rings true. While The House in the Cerulean Sea was more subversive with its queerness (the main character just happens to be gay), Somewhere Beyond the Sea has Arthur and Linus go to court and defend magical beings’ rights. With the dedication as context, Somewhere Beyond the Sea’s many scenes can be viewed through the lens of the trans community’s struggles for acceptance. The House in the Cerulean Sea did a lot the same things. Somewhere Beyond the Sea makes this a front and center discussion. I loved returning to these characters. Cozy romantasy has become one of my favorite genres, and The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of the reasons why.
We were teased David, a teenage yeti, during The House in the Cerulean Sea’s epilogue. Somewhere Beyond the Sea delivers on the first book’s promise. And David fits with this cast of characters. David’s viewpoint on the term “monster” recontextualizes Lucy’s relationship with Arthur and Linus. Great stuff. I love it when a new character can help us see a preexisting character in a new light. In short, Somewhere Beyond the Sea is charming. The magical children are wonderful. Each of them has a distinct personality. The world is lived in. Even the tertiary characters, like Marsyas Island’s ferryman Merle, has charm. I’ve read a lot of books since The House in the Cerulean Sea, but it took no time at all to go back into the world Klune created with Somewhere Beyond the Sea.
I can’t wait for the upcoming HBO Max animated series based on these novels, or the third novel in the series. Klune has released these novels every four years, so the third novel may release as soon as 2027, but realistically, in 2028. Guess I’ll have to wait. I read Somewhere Beyond the Sea at a slow pace. I wanted to savor the story. But I could reread the two novels. Hmm? These books are fantastic.
Kyra’s Nonfiction
I’ve talked about The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures in the past. This book is loaded with fantasy/magical creatures from various points of origin. While some of the creatures in this book will be familiar, I like the ones I know little to nothing about. But the surprise entries I’ve found in this book are real world creatures. The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures includes many real world animals and what those animals mean to various cultures and religions. This book is fascinating. I said this six or seven months ago, but I will finish The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures.
Those are the books I’ve been reading this past month, and it looks like Season and Skye are taking this week off. What have you been reading, Geekly Gang? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
