THE SHAPESHIFTERS
Some creative types just can’t stick to one medium. Montreal filmmaker Eisha Marjara tests the literary waters with Fairie (Arsenal Pulp Press, Oct.). In the book, Lila – the daughter of Punjabi immigrants – responds to an irrational need to defy the passage of time and remain a child by falling into severe anorexia and resolving to kill herself before crossing the threshold to adulthood on her 18th birthday. She imagines herself as a half-fairy half-human otherworldly creature, but is really in treatment in a psychiatric facility.
Australian-Canadian illustrator Nathan Jurevicius is best known for his multi-platform Scarygirl project. In September, Koyama Press will publish his graphic novel, Junction, inspired by the tall tale that a change in wind direction can make a goofy expression stick.
Based on his The Thundermaker mixed-media exhibit, Mi’kmaw artist Alan Syliboy’s Little Thunder (Nimbus Publishing, Oct.) shares the story of Big Thunder teaching his son about the importance of creating the phenomenon for their people.
Dundurn’s Li Jun and the Iron Road is a novel adaptation of the 2009 TV miniseries Iron Road, co-authored by movie producer, screenwriter, casting director, and broadcaster Anne Tait and Franklin the Turtle creator Paulette Bourgeois.
THREE TIMES LUCKY
Erin Bow writes award winners. Her debut YA novel, Plain Kate, won the 2011 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Sorrow’s Knot won the 2014 Monica Hughes Award. Both books were lauded for their artistry, creativity, and resonant storytelling. Any bets on what her latest effort will win? While those first books delved deeply into mystical, folkloric places, Bow’s science-nerd roots (she’s a physicist and met husband James Bow through a Star Trek fanfic site) are showcased in The Scorpion Rules (S&S Canada, Sept.). Set in a future world, the story tells of fragile peace that is kept in check through brutal means. The children of world leaders are held hostage until their 18th birthdays. If war breaks out before they come of age, the children pay with their lives. But for crown princess Greta of the Panpolar Confederacy (a superpower comprising modern-day Canada), that fate won’t befall her without a fight.
Other slick reads for sci-fi fans coming this September:
Sick by Kate Blair (Dancing Cat Books)
Aptitude by Natalie Corbett Sampson (Fierce Ink Press)
The Unquiet by Mikaela Everett (HarperCollins Canada)
The fine print: Q&Q’s fall preview covers books published between July. 1 and December 31, 2015 • All information (titles, prices, publication dates, etc.) was supplied by publishers and may have been tentative at Q&Q’s press time • Titles that have been listed in previous previews do not appear here