Cindy Pon

REVIEW:  Diverse Energies edited by Tobias Buckell and Joe Monti

REVIEW: Diverse Energies edited by Tobias Buckell and Joe Monti

Dear authors, When I first heard the premise of this anthology, I was thrilled. Science fiction and dystopia stories about multicultural characters and worlds written by diverse authors? Sign me up! I say science fiction and dystopia because I’m not entirely sure how this anthology is being marketed and to be fair, the lines are(…)

What Janine is Reading, October 2011

What Janine is Reading, October 2011

October was a month for reading material with fantastical elements. All three of the works I read were promising, but only one ended up satisfying me. White Cat by Holly Black My husband and I started reading this contemporary YA paranormal, which Jia reviewed favorably awhile back, after it was recommended by a friend. We(…)

REVIEW: Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon

REVIEW: Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon

Dear Ms. Pon, I read your debut, Silver Phoenix, when it was first released and enjoyed it. Like Jane, I’m a big fan of multicultural stories and it was wonderful to see a YA fantasy featuring a setting based on ancient China. So I’ve been looking forward to your follow-up for a quite a while.(…)

REVIEW: Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

Dear Ms. Pon, I fall into that category of people who wish more fantasy novels set in non-Western settings were available to the general readership at large.   And while I’m it, I want more than just those non-Western settings; I also want the stories of the non-white characters that live in those worlds.     Diversity, multiculturalism(…)