Dancing Cat is despised by her tribe for circumstances that she had no control over. Stripped of her prized role as the tribe's messenger and condemned to a life of taunts and cruelty, she decides to peek into her tribe's sacred bundle to see what her future holds. But she doesn't get what she bargained for. Rather than seeing what is to become of her, for better or worse, she angers her powerful ancestor Small Tree. Dancing Cat is cursed by Small Tree and finds herself transported into the midst of enemy territory . . . transformed into a man. She is discovered by a kind man named Bearclaw, who nurses her back to health and treats her with a kindness she had forgotten humans were capable of, but she remains in a state of constant confusion and terror, for she knows she cannot evade her tribe or the truth about her true identity forever.Author Krista D. Ball contacted me about doing an early review of her soon to be released novella Harvest Moon, and I am so glad she did! (Thanks, Krista! :D) I enjoyed this well-written novella very much. In fact, my only disappointment was that it ended after only thirty four pages. I have read a few gender switch tales before, and usually I dislike them just because the premise is used as more of a plot gimmick than anything. Not so in Harvest Moon. Dancing Cat's already miserable circumstances are further exacerbated by her punishment and the psychological trauma that she endures as consequence are not skimmed over, which makes for a suspenseful and psychologically fascinating read.
I also liked the unique atmosphere this novella offers. I have always been interested in Native Americans, so I enjoyed this tale about the First Natives of Canada. The tribe's culture is vividly portrayed throughout the story, yet the description never bogs the narrative down. Instead, the atmosphere greatly enhances the story and provides a nice change from the Northern European setting of much fantasy, though I enjoy those, too.
As much as I enjoyed all aspects of this novella, the best part for me was the protagonist Dancing Cat. I am often frustrated by female main characters. So often they are either completely unbelievable or utterly unlikeable. Dancing Cat is neither of these characterizations. She is sympathetic and likable but never glamorized or glorified. Even better, she shines as a complex, intriguing character, which is hard to create in so few of pages.
Harvest Moon is a fascinating, well-crafted novella that delves into the nature of identity, rejection, and friendship. Fantasy fans will enjoy this story, and fans of historical fiction will relish the vivid historical details. You guys will need to be a little patient before you can get your hands on a copy, though the wait will be more than worth it. Harvest Moon will be early released as an e-book by MuseItUp Publishing on October 1st, 2010, with the official release in December. You can read an excerpt from the first chapter on Krista's blog.
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Next Week: Maybe W. Somerset Maugham's The Painted Veil but more probably Dodie Smith's I Capture The Castle.
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This Week in Literary History: 14 June 1811: Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, is born in Litchfield, Connecticut. Stowe's classic abolitionist novel was an influential text in the pre Civil War anti-slavery debate and is still considered a classic. I wish I could add some personal anecdote about the book, but I have never actually read this novel. I plan to remedy that. :D
You'd been telling me about this--it sounds awesome! Definitely a must-read. :D
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting! Native Americans are pretty cool to read about, although I haven't read anything about them since Last of The Mohicans. Gender switching isn't a topic I've read about either, but it sounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, you make me feel that my life won't be complete until I've read your latest discovery. And this one was a nice change of pace.
ReplyDeleteScott: It is definitely awesome! Let me know what you think of it when you read it. :)
ReplyDeleteRebel: I think you'll like this one if you like stories about Native Americans. It paints a very vivid portrait of their lives and their culture. I loved Last of the Mohicans! Great book. Have you seen the movie with Daniel Day Lewis? :D
Eric: Hehe Thank you! It's a very good read, and since it is a novella it is easily read in one sitting. I've been trying to add some more variety with different genres and different authors. I should have some sci fi coming soon. ^^
This book sounds very different from anything I've read- I don't think I've ever read a book about Native Canadians or gender switching, and definitely not together. Quite an original plot! I really hope it takes off well enough to end up in the library! :)
ReplyDeleteFeather - the story is too short for print. However, my plan is to do four more First Nations-themed stories around this length so that they can be bundled into a print collection.
ReplyDeleteZella Kate, thanks for a wonderful review. I'm so happy that you enjoyed Harvest Moon. It will be out in October and the advanced praised has been shocking great. I could get used to this!!
Krista
@Feathery: Yes, it is very original! I have never read anything like it, either. And I thought it was neat that it was set among Canadian Natives, whom I have never had much of an opportunity to read about. :D
ReplyDelete@Krista: You're welcome! Thank *you* for the great read and the chance to review it! I like the sounds of this collection! Would it feature the same characters or different ones? *awaits this happily* The advance praise is well earned. This was a very enjoyable read. Good luck with the release! :D
Just a tiny FYI, cultural thing, but up here we say First Nations or aboriginals. You can get away with native, too, but usually just in conversation. In Canada, we never put "Canadian" in front of things, like American Native, American Chinese, etc. It's a Canadian thing. We're weird like that in Canuckistan ;)
ReplyDeleteFor the next stories, it will be different groups. I plan to do a Beothuk story (from Newfoundland, who were all killed off), the Inuit in Labrador, the Mic'Maq in Nova Scotia or NF (haven't decided where yet), and another undecided group, though I might go far north for the final one.
All will feature the paranormal as a "normal" part of life.
Ah, thank you, Krista! I did not know that, so I am glad you told me! I corrected the one mention of that in the review. Now if only I could edit the comments . . . (First Natives actually sounds better than American Indian or Native American. Less patronizing.) :D
ReplyDeleteThe story collection sounds really cool! I cannot wait to read it. I am really looking forward to the paranormal Inuit story. :D
Oh, no worries. Dancing Cat wouldn't have know who Americans or Canadians were ;)
ReplyDelete@Krista- Yay, I was replied to by a soon-to-be-published author! Nice to meet you! :)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a cool plan, combining stories into a collection. Best of luck writing the others!
Krista, LOL That's very true. :D
ReplyDeleteOooh. This sounds really good. I'll be looking to check that out. But one thing. Isn't Harvest Moon the name of an old computer game? I'll have to ask the Chairman. Or Wikipedia.
ReplyDeleteNo, it is. In my defense, I didn't know that it was a kid's game! And, second, the Harvest Moon title is based on the chapter divisions, which are done by the changing moon cycles. Harvest Moon is the first moon of the book.
ReplyDeletePenguins, it is very good! And well worth checking out! I would love to hear your take on it. :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that was the name of a game, either. :D
Z, if you are looking to change things up then I'd like to request a review of a book you said you're reading, Stressed-Out Girls by Roni Cohen-Sandler. You've done non-fiction before and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book as I also plan to read and review.
ReplyDelete*gasp* That's a good idea, Eric! In fact, I am glad you mentioned it because I had been planning on doing a review on the Unblogged Chronicles and I just now realized, I have accidentally forgotten to do that series for awhile! I shall remedy it quickly and Cohen's book shall be on there! I can't wait to hear what you think of it! :)
ReplyDelete