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DMS

Saturdays in Books

Reviews of speculative fiction, YA, middle grade, and graphic novels, along with stray thoughts, links, and pictures.

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The SFWA European Hall of Fame: Sixteen Contemporary Masterpieces of Science Fiction from the Continent
Kathryn Morrow, James K. Morrow

Review: Unstoppable Octobia May

Unstoppable Octobia May - Sharon Flake

Girl detective attempts to prove one of her aunt's tenants is a vampire. Cute story with unreliable narrator, right?

 

Only this charming tale is overlaid on 1950's black America. Octobia is considered by all the adults around her to have an over active imagination. And by some of them to also not know her place. 

 

Obviously, this is an adventure tale of her proving them all wrong.

 

I liked this quite a bit. She talks to ghost girls in a graveyard and wears pants, how could I possibly not like this.

 

Parts are a bit hard to follow, but perhaps I've had too easy a time with mysteries from police procedurals and my long honed with Encyclopedia Brown skills are rusty. Whatever. I hope there is a sequel one day.