On Monday I finished Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. I spent about a week reading it but, if I had my way (and no deadlines for grad school) I would have finished it in a day, maybe two. It was just delightful.
The book has been called “genre bending,” “fantasy/sci-fi,” “sci-fi,” “space opera,” “hope punk,” and probably other’s I’ve missed (the Nerdette podcast book club chats about this on their October 26 episode). The book itself mainly follows three queer women of color: Shizuka Satomi, a violin teacher who made a deal with the devil to deliver seven souls in exchange for her music; Katrina Nguyen, a trans runaway and violin protégée; and Lan Tran, an interstellar refugee and starship captain. The story is realistic, the readers learn about the abuses both physical and mental that are often hurled at members of the LGBTQIA+ community but the story doesn’t dwell on them and shows that queer individuals are so much more than they’re trauma and queer identity. As a non-binary and queer human who can sometimes pass for either gender, I didn’t think being represented in fiction would be all that crucial because I often find myself relating to a variety of characters. However, the range of experiences and characters Aoki writes about made me and my experiences feel validated and it was absolutely wonderful! Also, SPOILER ALERT, the books ends on a hopeful note, something that was wonderful but also incredibly uncommon for a cast of queer characters. This books was a page turner and a wonder for the senses, I was seeing the colors and smelling the food described and I just want to give this book a hug. I should note: the storytelling frequently changes perspective, not just between the main characters but also with some side characters as well. [Via Good Reads] I have heard some readers found this challenging to follow but I felt that it kept the pace moving along. The Nerdette podcast reviewers also discussed how this might relate to the LGBTQIA experience where you have to navigate multiple worlds simultaneously and I personally agree. However, this is just two opinions and should not be used to turn anyone away from reading the book.
Light from Uncommon Stars read-alikes:
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (also recommended by Nerdette podcast)
For dark yet similar hopeful vibes: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
For out there space adventures and leading queer characters: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsin Muir
A photo of three books (with their spines facing the camera): Gideon the Ninth, A Darker Shade of Magic, Light from Uncommon Stars; on a sunlight bookshelf with the fore edges of other books showing in the background.
Some history about publishing and TOR…
On October 19 I joined an author talk with Ryka Aoki and Charlie Jane Anders hosted by the Booksmith. During the talk Aoki commented on how wonderful her publisher Tor was in supporting her and her story that challenged not only genres but also the stereotypical protagonist. That got me to thinking…some of the best books I’ve read in the last year were also published by Tor: Gideon the Ninth (of the Locked Tomb series), The Shades of Magic trilogy, and Light from Uncommon Stars. Let’s look into what got TOR to where they are today.
Way back in the day, before the printing press revolutionized Europe and books were all written by hand (manuscripts), there weren’t really publishers. A lot of scribes worked in monasteries and sometimes convents, or they posted ads consisting of their calligraphic talents in windows or the books themselves and were thus hired by a nobleman rich enough to afford paying someone to copy a book (Kwakkel, 2014). Things ran similarly outside Europe in the Ottoman Empire all the way until the 20th century (Erünsal, 2015). But then, around 1450, Gutenberg made some changes to an Asian invention and the printing press as we know it today took the Western world by storm. WHAM! BANG! Suddenly there were a lot more books being produced but who was in charge of all this production? Publishers? Nope, not yet. First, it was the printer themselves (Lamb, 2021) then, in the 17th century, booksellers began coordinating with authors and printers to stock their own shelves (Shaylor, 1912). In the 18th century steam presses (think: faster printing) came along and booksellers and publishers became separate jobs/roles (Feather, 2002) and finally, in the 19th century, publishers become more like what we know them to be today: places that source talent (authors and book designers), edit creations (books), arrange for printing, promote books, and get them onto bookshelves in stories, libraries, and homes (Lamb, 2021).
As I mentioned, Tor is a known publisher of science fiction and fantasy but were they always so willing to break the mould? There’s a crazy tale on their website stating that the company celebrated its 110th birthday this past April and was founded by two Swiss immigrant brothers who were selling cider in New York City until H.G. Wells told one of them they should also publish books. It continues with the invention of the paperback stemming from cocaine laced cider and switching to fantasy fiction during the Cold War (Henninger, 2011). It’s an enjoyable alternate reality. Clearly the publishing company has a love of fantastical and unusual tales.
Wikipedia provides some more accurate details: the company was started by Tom Doherty and eventually became a part of MacMillan. The publishing house within a publishing house has its own imprints such as Forge, Starscape, Tor Teens, and tor.com (an online magazine). In the author chat testimony from Aoki, Tor is willing to go that extra unusual mile with their creators. More details about Tor’s authors and genres can be found at Tom Doherty Associates.
Citations not linked above:
Erünsal, I. E. (2015). A brief survey of the book trade in the Ottoman Empire. Libri, 65(3), 217-235.
Feather, J. (2002). A history of British publishing (2nd edition). Routledge.
Kwakkel, E. (2014, December 6). Medieval spam: The oldest advertisements for books. Medievalbooks. https://medievalbooks.nl/2014/12/05/medieval-spam-the-oldest-advertisements-for-books/
Lamb, A. (2021). The book as commodity. Course reader for S681: The Book - 1450+ at IUPUI.
Shaylor, J. (1912). The fascination of books. Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent.