J.S. Fields

Author & Scientist

Review: Heathen, Volume 3, by Alterici, Woods, and Martinez

This is a review for the third and final volume in a series. Read the review for volume one here and volume two here.

Genre: fantasy – sword and sorcery

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian

Warnings: none

Review

In the final installment of HEATHEN, Aydis takes on Odin in the Land of the Gods while her friends battle Odin’s army. It’s valkyrie against valkyrie, Aydis against the gods, in this rushed and disappointing end to the HEATHEN storyline.

I don’t have too much to say about this volume, as I found it a general disappointment all around. I know Alterici had a ton of issues with publication and rights being tied up with various companies, and I’m guessing by the time she wrote this, her head wasn’t in the game anymore. Still, the first two installments were just so good that to have it wrap with a mediocre ending left me grumpy. Even the cover art lacks the sheer joy we could see in the other two volumes. This reads more as a ‘I have to finish’ more than ‘look at my amazing world!’

We begin with a lackluster chase scene in which Aydis is captured by giants and taken to see Odin. During their journey we get a story about an old tree that the gods used to consult with the Norns about governing the human world. Aydis befriends the giants just as they leave her at the door to Odin’s castle, and she promises to free their mother.

She enters and is immediately captured by Odin and thrown into the dungeon.

Meanwhile, the valkyrie Aydis saved and did not marry whyyyyy finds the girl Aydis once (almost?) kissed. They begin traveling together. Various side character break Aydis out of her cell and she is lead to the mystic tree discussed earlier (that did not appear in earlier volumes that I recall, making it very Plot Convenient).

Not-wife and Almost-Kissed team up with the all-lady pirate crew and take on Odin’s army, which includes the valkyries. They…talk it out.

Aydis sees a naked woman in the tree, then a baby, which apparently represents her mother and her, and gives her the will to live?? She leaves the tree and goes to again confront Odin. Not-wife and the very scantily clad Aphrodite-like valkyrie go with her. Aphrodite takes pity on Odin who is cowering in a corner for a reason I’m not too sure of, and convinces Odin to undo his wrongs and free Brynhild (not-wife). Aydis tells him the story of her mother and he relents. Aphrodite gives Byrnhild the leader-helmet of the valkyries and everyone lives on.

With a degraded art style, what felt like a forced and often too-convenient plot (and plot devices), and no resolution on the ‘loves the ladies’ thing which started the whole series, this volume was definitely a letdown. I hold out hope that Alterici will revisit the series later and give it the ending it deserves.

You can check out volume three here.

Review: Skywhisperers by Natasja Hellenthal

Genre: fantasy – sword and sorcery

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian

Warnings: ableism, ‘almond eye’ and other food-based descriptions, consent issues

Review

Nemsa is born into a world with stagnating landscapes and dried husks of people – a land without wind (don’t think about pollination and other critical life elements too hard or the premise unravels). Her arrival at a small village and the death of the wind seem a coincidence, and Nemsa grows up in a small village surrounded by anger and suspicion.

Of course Nemsa is not to blame. How could she be, having only one eye and one good leg? Still, the weight of blame from the villagers is crushing, so she goes on a quest restore the winds once she comes of age. While wandering from her village, Nemsa meets Xenthia–a Sky Whisperer–who may be able to help her restore the wind. Their target – the old, vengeful Sun Whispered. Along the way Nemsa discovers her Chosen One heritage, enjoys some celestial sex, and interacts with a fairly generic fantasy world.

The cover of this book was gorgeous, which gave me higher expectations than I think I should have had going in. And I’m not sure if the writing is a problem because of translation issues or just authorial skill. Regardless, SKYWHISPERERS  reads more like a belabored fantasy coffeeshop AU than a book, with extended emotions that rehash scenes from multiple character POVs, dialogue that doesn’t advance the plot, and a plot that only occasionally shows it head. The book is much more romance than fantasy, more of a romance set in a fantasy setting where the plot is occasionally brought around to remind the reader there is a purpose other than having sex with a Sky Whisperer. There’s an engaging story buried within, which could have been told in half the number of pages, and without the tortured ableism.

Nemsa is introduced to the reader as having a bad leg that causes a limp, and only one functional eye. This is yet another avenue of scorn from the villagers, and early on in the book we see a lot of the expected bemoaning around these disabilities.

But, even with her true heritage revealed, how can crippled and one-eyed Nemsa’s destiny be linked with that of the much older, immortal Sky Whisperer she grows fonder of by the day?

 

I’d hoped Nemsa might come to acceptance or find creative workarounds, or found she had great power in some other aspect of herself. Alas, she is slowly healed throughout the book (healing sex! take a drink!), and by the end she is ‘whole’ (she was never not whole to begin with).

Then, I experienced the most enlightened moment I had ever felt in my life. Suddenly, I could see with both eyes it seemed.

 

The cloud grew in size almost straight away and became yellow and red for a moment. I experienced a bright jolt of pain in my bad leg. But then, as I looked down on my left leg, which had always been crooked with the knee slightly swollen, I immediately noticed the difference. It looked the same as my other leg now and…as straight.

 

I swallowed hard at her sudden poetic outburst. ‘Yet, I haven’t lost hope and I know you haven’t. So, we are going to save the world, together,’ she looked away at my abandoned stick, then at my leg and nodded.

‘At least you can walk properly now and I don’t have to carry you.’

 

I walked away, glad to finally be able to properly without seeming feeble.

 

I felt whole.

 

There’s some really pretty (if not sometimes confusing) imagery in this book

All of my life, there had been no wind until she came. I had known only stale and fetid air–the dust only moved by the shuffling of my feet–so that when it started to swirl, I grew frightened.

 

That’s when I see her. She comes down the path towards me; the stark blue of her robe standing out among the red rocks like a picture I had once seen. My mother called it a forget-me-not.

Which is unfortunately paired with the very problematic food-based racial descriptors and various ‘exotic beauty’ references:

Still, to me, she appeared very much like a frightened, fragile bird. A bird with her wings clipped even. How could this girl possess any powers? Pretty though, mind you, in an innocent and sweet way, even if she had no idea how attractive she actually was. Or could become with her skin like dark honey, her almond-shaped tawny eye, and the strange hairstyle of the village people; giving her a certain appeal.

And then to top it all off, there’s some problematic consent issues:

I tried to stop her several times, but she thought it was for her sake. That too. Of course. How could I let her do this after all? She would die before her time. Suffer, catch the Sickness like so many others…How could I be so selfish? But I wasn’t. Xenthia ensured me that I wasn’t. She did this to save Lorian.

I started to cry, but she kissed my eyes. She felt my guilt, my inner torment.

‘It’s the only way, Nemsa, and you know it. We need you. I need you. I want to help and gladly. Please, open yourself up to me and let me love you,’ Xenthia said, her voice husky with desire.

With the right editing, this book has a lot of potential. Unfortunately there are too many problematic elements and tropes to make it an engaging read, even if you are into coffeeshop AUs.

Seek your destiny with the wind by buying the book here.

Review: Heathen, vol 2, by Natasha Alterici and Rachel Deering

This review is for the second volume in a comic series. To read the review for volume 1, click here. To read the review for volume three, click here.

Genre: fantasy – alternate history

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian, cis bisexual, cis pansexual, gender fluid

Warnings: none

Review

Aydis is back! Having freed Brynhild and spent some time in Freyja’s love nest, she now searches for Heimdall, the entrance to the land of the gods, in an effort to end Brynhild’s curse (and take out Odin if the opportunity permits). Adventures abound, including a brush with killer mermaids and a ship full of buxom lady pirates.

Now separated from Aydis, Brynhild and Freyja get their own adventures, too, with Freyja falling from Odin’s grace for aiding Brynhild and Aydis. There’s a great scene where Freyja, trying to re-entice Odin, turns into a male version of herself which was perfectly drawn and very Loki-esque.

Although this volume doesn’t push the story particularly far, the art remains enchanting and the promise of an eventual Aydis/Brynhild arc continues to tease. Like the previous volume there are plenty of bikini-tops, cleavage shots (hell, Freyja doesn’t even wear a top), and women who just don’t give a fuck. Odin is still a jerk, but he’s down an eye so hey! Things are looking up!

Volume 2 is on Amazon, and should be there for a while, though I know there is still a rights issue going on.

Review: Heathen, Vol 1, by Natasha Alterici and Rachel Deering

This review is for the first volume in a comic series. To read the review for volume 2, click here. To read the review for volume three, click here.

Genre: fantasy – alternate history

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian, cis bisexual, cis pansexual

Warnings: none

Review

Viking woman Aydis lives at a critical moment in history, where the old gods are falling away and new gods creeping in. Her people attempt to hold strong to the old ways, and are not forgiving when Aydis is caught kissing her childhood best friend. Her father is given the choice – force his daughter to marry a man, or kill her.

Aydis has no desire to marry a man. Her father takes her into the woods with her trusty (tiny) horse Saga, and exiles her instead.

Alone for the first time, Aydis sets out on a hero’s journey to prove her bravery by freeing Brynhild, former leader of the Valkyries. It is said that Brynhild can only be rescued from her ring of magic fire by someone ‘worthy’.

Aydis sees no reason why that can’t be her.

These comics came out ages ago in digital, and I backed the kickstarter also ages ago to get the rest of the volumes and the print versions. Volumes one and two just shipped a few weeks ago, and it was a delight to get to hold the artwork in my hands and take my time reading through Aydis’ adventures.

I do not generally read comics, so something has to be just right for me to buy them, especially if I intend on keeping them. Aydis is the kind of heroine I love–bumbling, willful, and sure of herself despite what society thinks. Her (eventual) affair with Brynhild is VERY slow burn, so don’t expect any action in volume one (or two, for that matter). Instead, savor the imagery and worldbuilding as Alterici and Deering take you on a savory walk through Norse mythology. There are adventures along the way, talking horses (+10), warring gods, scantily clad women in snowy landscapes (+20) and some full page illustrations that tear at your heart.

The story does not entirely focus on Aydis, and Brynhild gets a fair bit of action and agency, as does the current leader of the Valkyries, Freyja (who is very into teh sexy time). Together, the three of them eventually task themselves with ending Odin’s reign…and maybe finding love along the way. Regardless, there is eyeball squishing and giant orgies and battling the patriarchy in tiny little bras. Something for everyone!

Heathen appears to be available on Comixology right now, though I know there are some rights issues going on so I am not sure how long it will be up there.

Review: Escape to Pirate Island by Niamh Murphy

Genre: fantasy – pirates, lesbian on boats

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian, cis bisexual

Warnings: forced removal of a woman’s clothing which exposes her gender

Review

Catherine ‘Cat’ Meadows, born a landed lady, is also a smuggler on the high seas. After her husband’s death (along with a few others) Cat becomes wanted for murder and must take passage on a ship as a cabin boy (concealing her gender…I’m fairly certain you know where my review is going from here).

Lily Exquemelin is the daughter of a landed man and a whore, and has recently been orphaned. Her father of course has left Many Debts, and Lily must clear them or end up in debtors prison. She has an old treasure map and key left from her father’s privateering days. Desperation sends her to seek out a ship she can hire with very little money, for a crew that will sail without knowing where they are going.

Only scoundrels would take such a journey, of course, just as only scoundrels would take on a cabin boy with no experience and no references. Catherine and Lily end up on the same ship, where everyone has a secret and everyone is also hunting for Mr. Exquemelin’s lost treasure. There are fifteen thousand mutinies (an estimation), character motivations switch at the drop of a hat, a kissing scene that quickly leads to some lackluster deserted island sex, and a reasonably happy ending.

This is a very hard book to review. On the one hand, LESBIAN PIRATES. Sign me up. It has all the tropes I love–the bastard heiress, the brusque pirate with a heart of gold, a little bit of cross dressing, swashbuckling, and boats. The writing is solid in terms of syntax and grammar, and I never felt beaten to death with adjectives or endless redundancy. Structurally the story was fine, with a five part act and a wide crew within a decently depicted universe.

Unfortunately, the writing felt like the author was trying to subvert tropes, but didn’t understand enough about the tropes to subvert them. Other times it felt like they wanted to lean into the tropes but not enough groundwork was put down first. Cat is our ‘top’, but alternates between rough and tumble and being a giant pushover who can’t seem to drive the plot. She spends most of the book as a plot spectator, being pushed and pulled wherever the narrative needs her to go. Lily is the femme, sometimes a Power Femme, sometimes a High Femme, dependent upon plot needs and whether Cat is topping or not.

There was little voice distinction between the two leads, and it often felt like their personalities intertwined…as if they were one character continuously split in whatever direction the author needed. It was impossible to gain a foothold into the world, and Cat’s inability to push the plot lead me to skimming most of her sections. Normally hers would be the character I would be most engaged with, but there was just so much failure. And not failure in the world, so much as just failure to act.

The book also contained the trope I hate most in the world, the exposure of a character’s gender (/birth sex) by forced removal of clothing. It wasn’t as gratuitous as in some other books since Cat IS a woman, just masquerading by choice, but Cat is still forced to be naked from the waist down right before she is whipped with a cat-o-nine-tails. Hard pass. Especially with the jeering and leering that comes along with it from the pirate crew.

(trigger warning – the excerpt is below wherein Cat’s gender is forcibly revealed)

“Remove the boy’s shirt,” he ordered them.

The men stepped forward and, to Strong’s horror, they ripped off the shirt.

They laughed and stepped back to reveal what appeared to be a boy in a girdle. 

“What’s this?” Kingsley spat, infuriated. “Armour is it? Did you hope to spare yourself the pain? One hundred lashes!” He pulled a knife from his belt and tossed it to one of the guardsmen. “Cut it off.”

Strong looked round for Fletcher. ‘Where’s the man gone?’ he thought. He couldn’t understand why he wasn’t next to hm, ready to partake in whatever action they could. 

‘Few men can survive a hundred lashes,’ he was panicking, ‘few men.’

Then suddenly there she was.

No longer ‘Jack.’ By a long way, she was no longer Jack; her hair was loose in the breeze, her eyes defiant, and her chest bare. There was no shame about her manner. She stood like a Queen of the Amazons held captive by savages.

And yes, I do appreciate that Cat owns it there at the end, but the act itself, and the threat of doing more, is just so overdone for me. Props, however, go to the author for including the first ever discussion of menstural product needs on a pirate ship that I have ever seen.

There’s so much potential in this book, and yet it really fell flat for me. I felt no chemistry between the two leads, found the writing wandered where it needed to be snappy, and was too snappy where it needed to breathe. It’s not a bad read, it’s just a boring one. An additional round of edits to trim here and expand there could have really brought this out to SHELL GAME level of awesome. Still, if you’re into lesbian pirate adventures it is worth checking out. Boring lesbian pirates are better than no lesbian pirates, always.

Grab a confusing cowboy hat (see front cover) and join your own lesbian pirate gang here.

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