Episode 30: Break out of the box with your writing

For May’s book club episode, Fable and The Verbivore review and compare two vastly different novels both inspired by classic fairytales. Uprooted by author Naomi Novik reads like an eerie and dark mythological version of Beauty and the Beast. And the genre bending Cinder by Marissa Meyer, feels part Sci-Fi and part Fantasy in a story where Cinderella is a cyborg and everyday people fear magic.   

We start by talking about some of the elements shared by both novels that were well conceived and stood in contrast to each other, from the unique world building, magic systems, and the author’s choices for the narrative voice. Also, we compare the book genres as Uprooted is an adult high fantasy novel with more violence and overt romance, and Cinder has some dark elements but falls within the YA novel category.

Specifically for Uprooted, we dive into the dynamics of the two main characters who clash over how magic should be practiced, discuss the well-grounded depiction of a close and complicated friendship, and look at the depth of theme that seems to underpin many of the author’s choices.

During our discussion of Cinder, we touch on how the author shifts the Cinderella paradigm into previously unexplored group, uses an android companion with a faulty personality chip to act as a foil to the protagonist, and allows the reader to get a glimpse at the thoughts and motivations of this prince charming.

We hope you enjoy this episode, we sure had a lot of fun reading and talking about these books! Keep reading, writing, and putting your voice out there!

Into the woods,

Fable & The Verbivore

Notes:

The Verbivore references a part in Uprooted where Agnieszka calls out the changing feelings she has towards the Dragon and how she wants him to be human. Here is that quote:

“I would never have thought of speaking so to my lord, the Dragon: I had hated him, but I wouldn’t have reproached him, any more than I would have reproached a bolt of lightning for striking my house. He wasn’t a person, he was a lord and a wizard, a strange creature on another plane entirely, as far removed as storms and pestilence.

But he had stepped down from that plane; he had given me real kindness. He’d let his magic mingle with my own again, that strange breathtaking intimacy, all to save Kasia with me. I suppose it might seem strange that I should thank him by shouting at him, but it meant more than thanks: I wanted him to be human.”

Books Mentioned:

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
’Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

book clubBethany Stedman