Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday: Everfair

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine. Click here to join in on the fun.
This week I'm waiting on Everfair by Nisi Shawl
An alternate history / historical fantasy / steampunk novel set in the Belgian Congo, from noted short story writer Nisi Shawl.
Everfair is a wonderful Neo-Victorian alternate history novel that explores the question of what might have come of Belgium's disastrous colonization of the Congo if the native populations had learned about steam technology a bit earlier. Fabian Socialists from Great Britian join forces with African-American missionaries to purchase land from the Belgian Congo's "owner," King Leopold II. This land, named Everfair, is set aside as a safe haven, an imaginary Utopia for native populations of the Congo as well as escaped slaves returning from America and other places where African natives were being mistreated.
Shawl's speculative masterpiece manages to turn one of the worst human rights disasters on record into a marvelous and exciting exploration of the possibilities inherent in a turn of history. Everfair is told from a multiplicity of voices: Africans, Europeans, East Asians, and African Americans in complex relationships with one another, in a compelling range of voices that have historically been silenced. Everfair is not only a beautiful book but an educational and inspiring one that will give the reader new insight into an often ignored period of history.


Why I'm Waiting
DID SOMEONE SAY STEAMPUNK? Well, that's pretty much my reasoning. Steampunk is my favorite genre, and this one sounds really, really good.

Everfair releases September 6th, 2016

3 comments:

  1. This book and author are both new to me. I'm more of a YA/NA reader, but this sounds like a very thought provoking read. I hope you enjoy it!!

    My WoW: http://jacquesbooknook.blogspot.com/2016/02/waiting-on-wednesday-for-this-life-only.html

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  2. I haven't actually heard of this one. Weirdly, steampunk is not something I read much, and yet one of my WIP is steampunk fantasy. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME. Anyway...

    Here's my WoW

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