In honor of our triumphant (ha!) return, we’re giving you a two for one deal with our new review structure, the Weasel Wordsmith Recommends list, aka Read This Shit.
Yeah… we’re still working on the title. In the meantime, the first two entries are books that are connected, only in that their titles mention similar colors.
Dangerous Jade
By Malcom “foozzzball” Cross
Published by FurPlanet
It’s rare to have both a straight romance, and a non-scifi heavy mixed-species story in the fandom, but Cross provides both in his tale of mistaken identity, betrayal, and margaritas. Dangerous Jade, while set in a future of genetically engineered animal people, feels like a very contemporary romance. The tale of Jade and Carl shifts tones repeatedly, at times playing out like a comedic farce, and others a melodramatic look into the inherent dishonesty of relationships. It’s a character piece more than a plot driven story (and one that wraps up a little too neatly for my taste), but Cross uses it to showcase his skill at getting inside the head of his protagonist. A short read at about 75 pages, Dangerous Jade is an excellent amuse-bouche to a meatier piece of work we will likely see soon from Cross.
Green Fairy
By Kyell Gold
Published by Sofawolf Press
Green Fairy should be a welcome addition to the collection for Gold fans, especially those that favor Waterways over Out of Position. And it’s worth mentioning that Green Fairy is Gold’s first all-ages novel. It’s a tale of high school wolf Sol struggling with family, friends, and coming out. Not new ground by any means, but Green Fairy breathes life into the story with a side tale of the Moulin Rogue and French aristocracy. Gold expertly captures the feeling of high school and the pitfalls that come with it. Small town teen angst, combined with well meaning but strict parents, and “evil” jocks are staples of the genre, but are used effectively without becoming stereotypes. He manages to convey coming of age so well that his characters are sometimes frustratingly, believably juvenile. The twist, while intentionally obvious, propels the story into a new area for Gold and his Forrester universe. The other half of the story accents the teen drama with some harsh doses of historical reality, but they serve well to compliment and drive Sol’s transformation.
