Plus Rom-coms, dark academia, and a feminist Game of Thrones 👸
 | |
|
| |
|
| Hi there! We’re filling the quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s Day with lots of couch time—perfect for binging a hefty epic fantasy novel and filling our TBRs with books we can’t wait to read in 2023. Plus, a quirky classic turns 40. |  | The Introduction |
| |  | | G.R. Macallister’s Genre Switch | The Book
Scorpica introduces the sprawling world of the Five Queendoms, where a decade-long drought of the birth of baby girls threatens a longstanding peace. Fierce, unforgettable characters and a “page-turning plot” (Kirkus) made Macallister’s bloody, fast-paced fantasy one of Bustle’s Best Books of 2022.
The Author
G.R. Macallister writes bestselling historical fiction as Greer Macallister. With Scorpica, she turns her fanatical attention to detail and setting to building a fascinating matriarchal world. We talked to her about the genre switch and the characters she loves.
Scorpica is your first fantasy novel, but you've written lots of historical fiction. Why did you decide to switch genres?
G. R. Macallister: I started writing historical fiction almost by accident—one day, an idea specific to a historical time period sprang up in my head and wouldn’t let go. So I wrote that historical novel, then another, then another… and after the fourth historical novel, an epic fantasy idea sprang up in my head and wouldn’t let go. There was some soul-searching, but all in all, it was a pretty easy decision to make, because of the persistence and insistence of that idea. So I wrote a fantasy series! It’s been a blast.
Women hold most of the powerful roles in this series, which is rare in epic fantasy. What appealed to you about creating a matriarchal society?
GM: When I decided to write about a matriarchal world, I did a deep dive into other fantasy and science fiction set in matriarchal societies. I was surprised at how many took a clear fork in the road, making their matriarchy either utopian or dystopian. I didn’t want my book to follow either of those paths. I wanted a book where the matriarchy was taken for granted. … That was the real beauty of the world for me, and something I’d rarely seen in the epic fantasy genre—matriarchy or no matriarchy.
Scorpica has a huge cast of characters. Do you have a personal favorite or favorites?
GM: It changes from day to day. I have a handful of favorites, and they each take turns at the top of the list. Khara is a sentimental favorite, which is why she kicks things off and serves as the reader’s introduction to this unfamiliar world. Her likability and generosity may initially obscure her flaws, but make no mistake—she’s got them.
Tell us about three books that inspire you as a writer: |  | | A Wrinkle in Time | | GM: "My first inspiration, which happens to be a fantasy novel, was Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time—it showed me how immersive a well-made fictional world can be." | |
|
|  | | Alias Grace | | GM: “I love Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace, which I read at a time when I was obsessed with the “rules” of writing, and it demonstrates beautifully that you can break any writing rule you want if the writing is good enough.“ | |
|
|  | | The Chosen and the Beautiful | | GM: “I adored Nghi Vo’s The Chosen and the Beautiful, a supernatural riff on The Great Gatsby that’s more vibrant and creative than the source material. Originality doesn’t just mean coming up with something from scratch—it takes just as much creativity to reshape a familiar tale into something that feels wholly new.” | |
|
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | | | | |
|
|
|
 | 20 Words: Guess The Novel |
| | With royal help, a girl and her new friend deal with the nine bloodthirsty bullies who live in his neighborhood. | |
|
| |
|
| Answer in footer |  | The Stack |
| |
| | Books We Can’t Wait to Read in the First Half of 2023 | | We’re feeling that New Year’s optimism, especially when we look at all the exciting new books coming out between January and June. Dark academia and romantic comedies are huge for 2023, with new titles from our favorite genre authors and writers from the literary side of publishing tipping their toes into these beloved tropes. | |
|
 | | Maame | | Twentysomething Londoner Maddie balances the demands of her British-Ghanian family with an unsatisfying job in this debut that Publishers Weekly calls “pitch-perfect.” | |
|
|  | | I Have Some Questions for You | | A film professor returns to teach a class at her alma mater and realizes she may remember more about the death of her senior year roommate than she thought in this literary mystery from National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist Makkai. | |
|
|  | | Romantic Comedy | | A writer for a late-night comedy show writes a sketch skewering the many relationships between models and her extremely average male co-workers, only to find herself falling for the handsome actor who is guest hosting the show. | |
|
| | |
|
|
|
| | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| | | |  | Page to Screen |
|  | | Women Talking | | The critically acclaimed adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel about a group of Mennonite women under attack by their own community is in select theaters now and expands into wide-release in January. | | View Trailer |
|
| | |
| | | | PS: Products you purchase through our links may earn Likewise a commission. |
|
|
