Baba Yaga’s Night By Akira Otani

Consider a revisionist pulp fiction novel that blends Kill Bill and The Bodyguard, set in modern Tokyo. Our main protagonist is Yoriko Shindo, who is kidnapped by the Yakuza after a street demonstration of blindingly fast and effective martial arts against gang members. After his escape, he was assigned to guard duties for Shoko, the doll-like daughter of the Yakuza boss. From the beginning, Shoko proves that she has a mind of her own and feels special as the only child of mob boss Naiki and the fantasy object of many of Naiki’s men. Extremely violent, fast-paced and exciting, the novel reveals the developing relationship between two people, Shindo and Shoko. Interspersed are the parallel narrative threads of Shoko’s mother and Naiki’s wife Yoshiko, who dares to abandon Naiki.

She eloped with Masa, a trusted Yakuza enforcer; and by the time the first Yoshiko episode rolls around, it looks like we’re following the story of this couple who are constantly on the run ten years into the future, as their Yakuza bosses hate losing face and will have nothing but revenge on their minds. This is the kind of novel that you can finish in two sittings at most. It progresses rapidly as you get drawn into the story and wonder what will happen next. It may not be an unexpected development that Shindo is very loyal and protective of his sheltered ward, Shoko. But we may not all be able to see what this leads to and what it leads to. Filled with drama and some big twists, Otani is definitely an author to watch out for because she also writes about gender identity and how fluid it can be.

Saint of Bright Doors By Vajra Chandrasekera

Author Chandrasekera, winner of the 2024 Crawford Prize and Nebula New Novel Award, hails from Sri Lanka. The main protagonist of this novel is Fetter, a man with powers who was raised by his mother to kill. His ultimate mission is to execute his own father, who is considered a pious great man in the region. However, the education he received from his mother is Fantasy-oriented and of a different type. First, he steals her shadow, separating her from this Earth, allowing her to float and hang upside down. But when you travel to this imaginary big city of Luriat, the story elevates to a different level of world-building. Of particular interest in Luriat are the bright doors that exist, portals to different dimensions and parallel worlds.

Luriat City, on the other hand, strangely sees itself as an independent political entity, consisting of two Presidents and two Prime Ministers. Pogroms and plagues occur, and the Bright Gates are seen as Luriat’s special attractions. An intricate structure that Chandrasekera created to add texture and detail to his legendary world. This complexity is accompanied by the creation of the enigma called Fetter. Struggling against his fate and his mother’s upbringing, Fetter seeks a future different from the one predetermined for him.
I would venture to add that what has impressed critics and awarding bodies alike about this work, both surreal and brilliant, is its masterful blending of the mundane and the mythic in the Luriat world he creates.

The Ballad of Smallhope and Pennyroyal By Jodi Taylor

Here’s a standalone film that brings back two of Jodi Taylor’s iconic ‘rescue agents’, Lady Amelia Smallhope and Pennyroyal. The first part of the book is the origin story of Lady Amelia, and there is something of the modern Dickens/Enola Holmes and comic book elements in the presentation. Fun, with a sly grin constantly on her face, you can imagine how much fun Taylor had writing this episode, as it’s a tribute to all the smart misfits/independent young women of the world. And when Pennyroyal comes along, it’s like we’ve paired the young, flirtatious Indiana Jones with the budding Lara Croft; because Amelia is 17 years old at the beginning of this adventure. And then there’s the time travel capsule and we get into classic Jodi Taylor territory.

We get timeline adventures, a meeting with the Time Police, and clues about how time travel is being abused and used for personal gain. We continue the Smallhope family saga; We follow Amelia’s father and brother George; George hears that the family seat has been trapped by a wife who has done nothing but take advantage of her mind. The person who becomes Amelia’s personal enemy throughout this story is a woman named Caroline. As for Pennyroyal, it’s nice to know her back story, and her sister’s tragic life becomes part of our understanding of why she’s the way she is. This ties back to the Time Police series and Chronicles of St. Louis, which are all part of the delightful universe-building that we know Taylor is so talented at. It is a wonderful companion piece to the Mary novels.