Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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I’m as bad as the fool: filling up greedily, wanting more, loving it but not feeling satisfied

Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord

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It’s been difficult for me to write about Redemption in Indigo. Karen Lord’s novel feels familiar and good in so many ways. It reminds me of the kinds of fairy tales and fables we’re told as children of normal but brave lives interrupted by magic, gods or other mystical beings hidden in sight, and important lessons drawn from their exchanges. But this familiarity, which is partially drawn from the brevity of the tale, was also a draw back for me. I wanted even more from […]

A Tale of Supernatural Burn Out

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This novel, which could be classified as fantasy, folk tale or fairy tale, is, according to one review, based on a Senegalese folk tale and set in Barbados/the Caribbean. Our unnamed storyteller describes a world featuring deserts, pastures, villages and towns, and most importantly, djombi. Djombi are undying spirits, capable of taking on different forms — human, insect, animal — influencing events, and changing memories. Redemption in Indigo is the story of a djombi suffering from burn out and a human who must teach him […]

Not the best of all possible books.

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After thoroughly enjoying Redemption in Indigo, I picked up Karen Lord’s The Best of All Possible Worlds with high hopes. Unfortunately, my hopes were not met. The Sadiri are a proud, reserved race — positively Vulcan. Their home planet is destroyed suddenly and thoroughly. The survivors reach out to the indigenous humanoids of Cygnus Beta, many of whom have Sadiri ancestry and therefore would make suitable mates. Our heroine, biotechnician Grace Delarua, is assigned to work with Dllenahkh, a Sadiri councilor, on a mission to find […]

A Gem of a Fable

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Paama can cook. I mean, she can cook. She’s also married to Ansige, a man so gluttonous that he takes eight mules laden with food and two hunters (just in case) on a three-day journey, a man who can eat corn for 20 men and still feel dissatisfied. Ansige is, obviously, a clown–so Paama leaves him. Ansige searches for her and finds her…but embarrasses himself so thoroughly in the process that he leaves her alone afterwards. Now effectively a single woman, Paama attracts the attention […]



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