Jackie's Spotlight On Debut Fiction, Part 2

A brilliant literary debut, inspired by a true story: the final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829.

In northern Iceland, 1829, Agnes Magnúsdóttir is condemned to death for her part in the brutal murder of two men. Agnes is sent to wait out the time leading to her execution on the farm of District Officer Jón Jónsson, his wife and their two daughters. Horrified to have a convicted murderess in their midst, the family avoids speaking with Agnes.
Only Tóti, the young assistant reverend appointed as Agnes’s spiritual guardian, is compelled to try to understand her, as he attempts to salvage her soul.

As the summer months fall away to winter and the hardships of rural life force the household to work side by side, Agnes’s ill-fated tale of longing and betrayal begins to emerge. And as the days to her execution draw closer, the question burns: did she or didn’t she?

Based on a true story, Burial Rites is a deeply moving novel about personal freedom: who we are seen to be versus who we believe ourselves to be, and the ways in which we will risk everything for love.

In beautiful, cut-glass prose, Hannah Kent portrays Iceland’s formidable landscape, where every day is a battle for survival, and asks, how can one woman hope to endure when her life depends upon the stories told by others?

Jackie says:
"I do love debut authors--it's fun to be among the first to find a truly wonderful writer.  I had my doubts about this book--a woman waiting on execution in 1828 Iceland really didn't seem like my cup of tea.  However, the book had already started generating some buzz, so I gave it a go...and had a terrible time putting it down.  This is a very atmospheric and dark book, with guilt, innocence, class and women's issues as well as draconian punishment/"justice".  I felt the cold of the land and the people, with every page turned.  This is based on a true story, and the historical facts have been very carefully curated to move the story along.    This is an impressive debut of a marvelous storyteller and an author to keep your eye out for in the future."

"The story unfolds with a surprise around every corner, and I truly couldn't put it down." ~Heather

It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.
Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine—a young woman learning to harness her powers in a world where everything has been taken from her. It also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.
 
Learn more about this debut author HERE.

Heather says:

"In preparation for an author dinner at a recent booksellers conference, Bloomsbury publishing sent me the first two chapters of The Bone Season, as well as samples of four other new books. I enjoyed all of the samples, but particularly loved the taste of The Bone Season and couldn't wait to get my hands on the entire book. At the dinner, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Samantha Shannon. As it happened, she'd been in a minor car accident that morning with her publicist, and had a bit of whip-lash. She immediately apologized to the bookseller on her left for the fact that she couldn't turn her head in that direction. Then she turned and talked to me for the rest of the evening! I have met many a first-time author in my days as a bookseller, but few as interesting and enjoyable as Samantha. She grew up in West London, studies English Literature at Oxford, and is fascinated by Americans. The Bone Season is (amazingly) her first book – the first in a series of seven books. It has been sold in eighteen countries and the film rights have been picked up by Andy Serkis's (the actor who plays Golum) film company!

The story of The Bone Season is set in alternative history London in the year 2059. London, as well as other major cities of the world, is controlled by Scion, a security force in place to keep the “normal” citizens safe from clairvoyants – soothsayers, mediums, augurs, furies, and others. Paige Mahoney is a unique “voyant,” and when she runs into trouble with Scion, she discovers there is much more to her world than she ever imagined. The world-building in this book is astonishing, the characters genuine, the action breathless. The story unfolds with a surprise around every corner, and I truly couldn't put it down."