The dangers of silence

I was advised very early when I first established my own blog to keep it focused, to keep it out of controversial subjects. Always thought that was a bit ridiculous, being the passionate, idealistic sort of person I am. I've always thought people had an intrinsic right to express opinions in an intelligent, non-violent fashion. This is, after all, how we learn about one another, reach broader perspectives, perhaps even greater understanding.

This morning this foundation of freedom of information and speech, however, has been somewhat shaken by two seemingly disparate and yet similar occurrences from two allegedly polar political extremes. One comes from a British broadcaster in Tiananmen Square, who has been detained by Chinese officials without apparent reason, seemingly because he mentioned the infamous student uprising of 1989. (A year that will forever be etched upon my memory.)



Concurrent with that is a report is one here in Canada about yet another attempt by our Conservative government to muzzle any perceived disagreement with Prime Minister Harper's policies. This time it's not our scientists who are targeted, but rather Library and Archives employees. Now, it would appear, not only are our scientists being muzzled, but the archivists and employees who safeguard the bulk of Canada's history and intellectual properties.

It would seem the Harper government is steadily working toward shutting down the dissemination of information to Canadians, especially information the government deems we should not receive. Much of this, I'm sure, is done under some misguided sense of national security. But in truth, it has more to do with control of the people, because restriction of information is one of the first strategies toward control implemented by any totalitarian regime. Doesn't matter what label you put on that regime: Communist, Fascist: go far enough in any direction and it all ends up in the same place.

Here, however, in this country called Canada, where we've championed human rights, won Nobel prizes and  international recognition for our peace-keeping efforts, we're rapidly moving toward a government that serves not the people, but rather a self-serving political agenda and party that is all about consolidation of power and repression of any dissent.

How, then, does that make our current government any less insidious, dangerous, mis-representative of the people than China's government?

And why should this writer and this publisher care so very vehemently about the direction our Canadian government is heading?

Because I am a writer. Because my existence is based upon the gathering of knowledge, the dissemination of that knowledge, and the free exchange of ideas. Because I am a publisher, and the ability to provide knowledge to people is just part of the paradigm of my publishing house, and my own life.

So, in Canada, if elections can be skewed through the manipulation of information through robocalls, if scientists are no longer allowed to publish or discuss their findings without first receiving government sanction, and if the gatekeepers of our collective knowledge are no longer the non-political archivists and librarians of the nation but rather one political party serving its own interests -- then how is Canada any different from any despotic nation on the planet?

Sure, we're not incarcerating protesters. Yet. Sure, we're not shooting down protesters. Yet.

But as both a writer and a publisher I become increasingly concerned that Big Brother Canada is watching, listening, and at any time the wealth of small, independent publishers and authors across this nation will fall under the same cloak of silence, because we won't have the international political or economic clout to take on the juggernaut of Harper's regime. What if silencing scientists and librarians isn't enough? What if the Harper government chooses to silence other outlets of information? Our magazines, our newspapers, our publishers, our writers? What, if like China, our government chooses to monitor the Internet and social media, and individuals start receiving polite but pointed gag-orders from the Prime Minister's office?

Nonsense, many will say. Lorina, you're chasing shadows.

Really? How is it, then, other totalitarian governments have come to exist? Because the people did nothing. Because people shrugged their massive shoulders and said it can never happen here. We're civilized. Nothing extreme going on here.

But it is. Right now. Right under our noses. Tampering with elections. Silencing of scientists. Silencing of librarians. Will you be next? Will I?

Review: And All the Stars

Andrea K. Höst writes a credible alien-invasion story in her novel And All the Stars. The pacing is brisk, characters well-defined and believable, alien concept freshly original, and the writing is crisp, at times startling. And if this is a self-published book, as I suspect, Höst deserves a great deal of credit, because this is just the best damned SF novel I've read in quite some time.

Höst writes about a complex alien invasion in which there are many forms of alien that descend to earth, all with the intent of staging a series of life and death games, using human hosts like clothing easily discarded, all to determine the next ruler of their hierarchical clan system.

Caught in this invasion are a group of young people who learn to live and work together to at first escape, and eventually overthrow, their alien overlords, while dealing with their own physical transformation, induced by an alien infection.

As a pleasant aside, the novel is set in Australia, and doesn't have a single American-centric moment.

My only criticism, and it is slight, is a lack of development as to how society's infrastructure continues to operate when that society comes to a standstill. There is amazingly still power that runs refrigeration, lights, allowing batteries to be recharged. The Internet remains intact, without seemingly having anyone there to maintain servers and satellites and cables. Food choices for the ravenously blue-stained humans consistently revert to sugar-based foods, without scientific background as to why sugar could sustain such enormous physical output, something which flies in the face of conventional wisdom. And Höst's society is remarkably dominated by youth. Rarely a person under 21 makes any significant appearance, which is another plausibility point given the depth of scientific knowledge required to understand and take down the alien invasion.

But, truly, I quibble.

This is a really great read, and as soon as you can, if you love SF, you need to acquire a copy.

The Goddess Chronicle: Review

It's always difficult to review a translated work, because when you come across either brilliance or lack of lustre, it's difficult to assess whether that boon or bane is attributable to the author or the translator.

Such is the case with <The Goddess Chronicle</i>, by Natsuo Kirino, translated by Rebecca Copeland.

The story is a retelling of an original Japanese creation story. I suspect the original work by Kirino is a charged, tight story. Copeland's translation, however, lacks passion, and certainly this is a story about passion, in fact eons of passion as we trace the history of the Yin/Yang gods of Izanami and Izanaki through the mortal lives of Namima and her unscrupulous lover.

There is much here of sibling rivalry and betrayal of sacred trusts, of epic journeys both temporal and spiritual. There is a genesis story, a parallel to the Greek Persephone myth. There is the struggle of the desperately poor serving religious tenets that serve only to embed their poverty.

It's all there. And not a single phrase of elegance or startling insight to lift the reader from a grey narrative to the chiaroscuro the story demands.

Review: Hell to Pay

Hell to Pay by Matthew Hughes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



In this conclusion to Chesney Arnstruther's adventures, author Matthew Hughes take a more philosophical and darker turn to his tale of the autistic actuary turned crime fighter, who is added and abetted in his deeds of good by former Al Capone assistant-now-demon, Xaphan.

Hughes continues the concept God is writing a book and making up the plot as He goes. Along the way we are introduced to Biblical characters who have been written-out, and who have found themselves caught in an equivalent of a Groundhog's Day loop.

The humour that started with The Damned Busters diminishes greatly in this third book, and for some readers who are seeking a farcical romp may find this third instalment off-putting. For myself, I found the story quite intriguing, far more developed and rounded than the almost comic-book narrative of the first.

All things considered, a satisfying end to an intelligently written trilogy, from an author who deftly handles farce and wit.



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Featured on Women in Horror Month

I was featured this past week on Colleen Anderson's Women in Horror Month. 

The mandate of the event, which is sponsored by the Viscera Organization, is to highlight women who are under-represented in the artistic field. You can find their vision and mission statements at the end of the article.

Review: Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World

Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Joan Druett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Joan Druett's Island of the Lost is an impeccably researched, well-written, well-presented history of two concurrent wrecks on the Auckland Islands in the late 19th century.

Her easy style balances journalistic integrity with the need to captivate the reader, and holds you from the first paragraph and never lags.

Overall, the stories of these two groups of shipwrecked sailors is a keen contrast between the higher ideals and purposes of humans, and our more base, predatory instincts. In fact, the actions of these real, historical people will both astonish and disgust you.

Oh, and now Auckland Islands is now the second place on earth I would never wish to visit unless I had a death-wish.



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Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Sarah Ettrich was kind enough to tag me in the Next Big Thing Blog Hop, which is a Goodreads promotional enterprise among indie authors and publishers to highlight authors and books which might otherwise slide under the radar of many readers.

We all answer the same 10 questions, which allows readers an opportunity to receive a brief overview of either a published work or a work in progress.

1. What is the working title of the book?

This particular novel is called Shadow Song.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

When I was researching for the book on the Niagara Escarpment my husband and I produced (published by Boston Mills Press), I came across an historical reference to a tragedy in the village of Hornings Mills, which is located at the foot of the Pine River Valley. Several children went missing all at once in the Melancthon Swamp, and their disappearance was blamed on the local natives. That tragedy intrigued me, and became the hook upon which I hung my story.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Historical fantasy.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I've been asked that before, and have been completely stumped. I think if ever Shadow Song were to hit theatres, the characters would best be drawn from relatively unknown actors. I just can't see big names portraying these parts.

5. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Vengeance in 1830s Upper Canada.

6. What is the longer synopsis of your book?

Danielle Michele Fleming, 10 year old daughter of a French aristocratic mother, and the second son of English gentry, finds herself caught in the economic ruin that surrounds the failure of the Bourbon Monarchy. She finds herself aboard ship, destined for the Queen’s Bush of Upper Canada and a life with the catalyst of her doom, her uncle, Edgar Fleming. Relentless in his hunt for her, her uncle has her tracked not only by bounty hunters, but in the end through another shaman of evil intent and a blood-debt to settle with Shadow Song.

7. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I self-published Shadow Song in 2008, and as a result founded a publishing house (Five Rivers Publishing) that now features 22 publications and represents 24 authors.

8. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

It took about a year to write the first draft, after about two years of research, and about seven years in total to polish it to the point I felt satisfied enough to publish.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

As I wrote earlier, it was the story of a tragedy that occurred in the 1830s in the hamlet of Hornings Mills that formed the inspiration for the novel.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

Shadow Song is rife with minute historical details taken directly from the area and the period; small things like the cost of a stage coach, the name of the captain with whom Danielle sails to Upper Canada, rituals of the Midewiwin and so forth.

The novel is available in both print and eBook versions through online retailers globally, and will shortly be available as an audiobook through Iambik and Audible.

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop bounces over to Michell Plested on January 16, who has written a delightful YA novel, Mik Murdoch: Boy Superhero.