Monday Prediction: The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley (8-26-14)

by Shiri Sondheimer · Published May 5, 2014 · Updated May 3, 2014

Luke and I have decided to change things up a bit on the prediction front. Well, okay, I decided, but I totally asked Luke if it was okay and he said it was. I haven’t been feeling the movie trailers lately (actually, they’ve been downright depressing) and I’m simply not watching TV or adding new shows the way I used to (though hubs and I decided we will be watching, at the very least, the pilot episode of Crossbones). Thusly, Luke and I will be splitting the prediction (and adding reviewing) duties, bringing to your attention whatever floats our particular boat on a given day.

Now that the new logistics are out of the way, I give you my first Monday prediction.

image via kameronhurley.com

I used to be a huge swords and sorcery girl. I am not so much anymore. Why? Nothing I can really parse out. Seems as I’ve gotten older (I thought for like, 20 minutes about a better way to say that and couldn’t come up with anything) my sensibilities have changed. I like the challenge of putting fantastical things in the real world, of hanging the framework, the puzzle, of reality to make them fit and I enjoying seeing how other people do the same. Also, admittedly, the “wherein elves are elves and unicorns are scared” bit putrified.

Maybe I was reading reading the wrong books and I’m missing some really good shit (if I am, please let me know).

There are things I miss about straight up fantasy, novels, however. Or did until I discovered Kameron Hurley.

One of the reason I’m a huge fangirl of Kameron Hurley’s work is her ability to take the best aspects of fantasy, twist them to something slightly grotesque, set them up with sci fi, and lead the rampaging couple to a beautiful bastard love child.

The first book of her new Worldbreaker Saga (what appears to be a) trilogy is set to be released on August 26th of this year, and I’m pretty excited about it. The blurb alone for The Mirror Empire hints at the layered word building, intense character development, and genre hybridization that made the Belle Dame Apocrypha so fucking incredible. Ms. Hurley also has incredible skill at culture creation and a knack for using what would be tropes in the hands of a less skilled author to create something entirely new.

Also, there are more mages. Blood mages.

I predict a really excellent read. Put it on your list, people. I, obviously, haven’t read it yet, but I can guarantee you it’s going to be awesome.

Shiri Sondheimer

Bloginatrix and disembodied voice at The Last Chance Salon (lastchancepod.com). RN at the Department of Therapeutic Misadventures. Currently at work on Hero Handlers (Spring '15).

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