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Speculative Joys, Signs & Portents Then & Now



Full disclosure FYI: My reading self has been a fan of these two authors for years, making each of their works auto-reads for me with high expectations ingrained. Leslye Penelope and Maria Vale have also generously accepted invitations to the 5th annual The Write Women Book Fest as featured guest panelists at the authors expo/readers day on Saturday, October 14th at the Bowie Comfort Inn in Bowie, Maryland. thewritewomenbookfest.org 


The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope 

speculative 20th-c. historical fiction 

Redhook, August 2022 


Influenced by a real-life event in 1919 and opening with the Claude McKay poem that includes the title and a Marcus Garvey quote that likely inspired En Vogue’s “Free Your Mind” anthem, The Monsters We Defy offers a blend of magical realism, emotional gravity, and layers of historical context and complexity. Plus, it’s often fun and funny in subtle, slap-stick, and morbid ways. Clara, Zelda, and their band of unlikely allies engineer a heist that could save them or doom them. The mix of social commentary and cultural references evokes the comprehensive narrative substance and eloquence of Gloria Naylor with nods to Toni Morrison’s literary legacy in this ultimately hopeful recognition and celebration of historic Washington, D.C. and Blackness. 


The author’s note, acknowledgements, and interview transcript are also must-reads. My recommendation is to start reading it when there’s time to binge it, as in during a three-day weekend. 

 



Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death by Maria Vale, author & publisher 

speculative New Adult contemporary fiction 

April 4, 2023 



In her acknowledgements the author refers to MMatAoD as “this odd little book that fit nowhere.” It is odd. An allegorical tale using celestial beings, metaphysics, and a grumpy-clueless pairing to study the concept of being alive versus living a full life. Variations on themes regarding vulnerable and neglected children run throughout the narrative without losing its overall buoyant, absurdist tone. It’s a farce tackling serious, sometimes disturbing subjects. 


It’s quirky and charming and distinctive. Remembering that Maria Vale is a medievalist should also help readers recognize her nod to epic tales with pivotal refrains. Readers will probably fall into one of two categories: absolute enjoyment or complete befuddlement. MMatAoD inhabits space in the speculative universe populated by Lilith Saintcrow, early Katie MacAlister, N.K. Jemisin in terms of instantaneous altered reality, the Star Trek: The Next Generation character of Data, and the movies, City of Angels and Meet Joe Black. 


Occasional mid-scene shifts in points of view don’t dilute the power of this unconventional love story. 


For Maria Vale fans, approaching MMatAoD as its own unique work without preconceived expectations (beyond excellent storytelling) and allowing time for the initial chapters to establish the world-building parameters and  language shifts should maximize enjoyment of this fresh take on the risks, rewards, and consequences of human foibles and audacity.  


[note: Readers who are sensitive to oblique references to sexual exploitation and abuse may want to consider their possible impact.] 


More Three-day Weekend Reads




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