Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: False Hearts
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.lauralam.co.uk/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: Scotland
NATIONALITY: British
American & British *
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2014003004
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2014003004
HEADING: Lam, Laura, 1988-
000 00929cz a2200253n 450
001 9446202
005 20161025075238.0
008 140109n| azannaabn |n aaa c
010 __ |a no2014003004
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca09652712
040 __ |a ICrlF |b eng |e rda |c ICrlF |d ICrlF |d UPB
046 __ |f 1988-08-04 |2 edtf
053 _0 |a PS3612.A543285
100 1_ |a Lam, Laura, |d 1988-
370 __ |e San Francisco (Calif.) |e Scotland |2 naf
372 __ |a Writing |2 lcsh
374 __ |a Author |2 lcsh
375 __ |a female
377 __ |a eng
378 __ |q Laura Rose
670 __ |a Lam, Laura. Shadowplay, 2014 : |b t.p. (Laura Lam)
670 __ |a Amazon, Jan. 9, 2014 |b (Laura Lam was raised near San Francisco, California. She relocated to Scotland to be with her husband.)
670 __ |a Author’s website, Jan 8, 2014 |b (Laura Lam, fantasy author)
670 __ |a Email from author, Jan. 9, 2014 |b (my next book is Sci Fi ; birthdate is August 4, 1988 ; Laura Rose Lam)
PERSONAL
Born August 4, 1988; married.
EDUCATION:Attended college.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and fantasy novelist. Worked various jobs, including secretary at a law firm, a library assistant, and a corporate librarian.
WRITINGS
Contributor to anthologies, including Solaris Rising 3, edited by Ian Whates, 2014; and Cranky Ladies of History, edited by Tehani Wessely and Tansy Rayner Roberts, 2015.
SIDELIGHTS
On her personal Web site, Laura Lam notes that she was raised near San Francisco, California, by parents who were former Haight-Ashbury hippies. Her parents encouraged her artistic side and urged her to consider the library a second home. Lam relocated from the United States to Scotland, the home of her husband, whom she met online when they were both teenagers. Lam is the author of fantasy fiction, including the “Micah Grey” series of novels. The first book in the series, Pantomime, won the Bisexual Book Award for Speculative Fiction in 2014 at an event organised by the Bi Writers Association.
Pantomime
Pantomime introduces readers to Micah Grey, formerly known as Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, who was born a hermaphrodite. Gene comes from a noble family but is more of a tomboy who likes to climb trees as opposed to wearing fancy dresses and attending debutante balls. Eventually, Gene is presented with an ultimatum by her parents to decide whether or not she wants to live life as a girl or a boy. Gene ends up running away and living on the streets as Micah Grey. Micah eventually joins the R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic and becomes the circus’s rising star with his work on the high wire. The story is told via alternating looks at Gene’s and Micah’s lives. The story is set in the magical world of Ellada, where the people come from magical ancestors, including demigods called Kedi, who are both male and female.
“Pantomime is a remarkable debut novel, one of the best debut novels I have read,” wrote Fantasy Book Review Web site contributor Ryan Lawler. Robert James, writing for the Bookbag Web site, noted Lam’s “stunning world-building” and the “fabulous society of circus misfits who are reliant on each other to earn a living but have their own intrigues, quarrels and love affairs.” Other books in the series include Shadowplay and Masquerade.
False Hearts
In her novel titled False Hearts, the first book in a proposed new series, Lam presents a crime thriller set in the near future. The story revolves around conjoined twins Taema and Tila. The twins grow up within the Manas Hearth cult, which avoids the use of modern technology. Eventually, due to heart problems, Tamea and Tila leave the cult to get treatment in San Francisco, California, where they are surgically separated. Ten years pass, and the reader learns that Tamea and Tila have gone on to lead very different lives. While Taema is a scientist, Tila works as a nightclub hostess. When Tila is arrested for murder, Taema is convinced she is innocent even though authorities think Tila is part of a criminal organization that sells an illegal drug. The drug allows people who have received special training to hack into a person’s mind. To clear her sister, Taema assumes Tila’s identity.
“Taema and Tila are fascinating and flawed, and their relationship is the story’s emotional center,” wrote Krista Hutley for Booklist. A Publishers Weekly contributor remarked: “Lam expertly explores themes of identity, totalitarian governments, cults, mind control, and familial love.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, June 1, 2016, Krista Hutley, review of False Hearts, p. 64.
Publishers Weekly, April 25, 2016, review of False Hearts, p. 73.
ONLINE
Bookbag, http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/ (March 17, 2017), Robert James, review of Pantomime.
Book Smugglers, http://thebooksmugglers.com/ (February 15, 2013), review of Pantomime.
Fantasy Book Review, http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/ (March 17, 2017), Ryan Lawler, review of Pantomime.
Laura Lam Home Page, http://www.lauralam.co.uk (March 17, 2017).
Malinda Lo–Author, http://www.malindalo.com/ (October 22, 2013), Malinda Lo, “Interview with Laura Lam.”
ABOUT
Photo credit: Elizabeth May
Photo credit: Elizabeth May
Laura Lam was born in the late eighties and raised near San Francisco, California, by two former Haight-Ashbury hippies. Both of them encouraged her to finger-paint to her heart’s desire, colour outside the lines, and consider the library a second home. This led to an overabundance of daydreams.
After studying literature and creative writing at university, she relocated to Scotland to be with her husband, a boy she met online when they were teenagers and he insulted her taste in books and she insulted his right back. She almost blocked him but is glad she didn’t. She is now a dual citizen, but at times she misses the sunshine.
While working a variety of jobs from filing and photocopying endlessly at a law firm to library assistant to corporate librarian, she began writing in earnest. Her first book, Pantomime, the first book in the Micah Grey series, was released in 2013, which was a Scottish Book Trust Teen Book of the Month, won the Bisexual Book Award, was listed a Top Ten Title for the American Library Association List, and was nominated for several other awards. Robin Hobb says “Pantomime by Laura Lam took me into a detailed and exotic world, peopled by characters that I’d love to be friends with . . . and some I’d never want to cross paths with.” The sequel, Shadowplay, followed in 2014, as well as several the Vestigial Tales, self-published short stories and novellas set in the same world. The third book in the series, Masquerade, will follow in 2017.
Her newest book is False Hearts, a near-future thriller released in June 2016 by Tor/Macmillan and in three other languages. Peter F. Hamilton calls False Hearts “a strong debut from someone who’s clearly got what it takes.” Another thriller, Shattered Minds, will be released in 2017.
She is still hiding from sunshine in Scotland and writing more stories.
Laura Lam is represented by Juliet Mushens of United Talent Agency.
Laura Lam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Laura Lam is a British (expatriate American) speculative fiction author, who lives in Scotland.[1][2]
Contents [hide]
1 Micah Grey series
2 False Hearts series
3 Bibliography
3.1 Micah Grey
3.2 Vestigial Tales
3.3 False Hearts
3.4 Short stories
4 Awards and nominations
5 References
6 External links
Micah Grey series[edit]
Lam's debut novel, Pantomime, published in 2013. It is a young adult novel telling the story of an intersex character, Micah Grey, who has run away from home to join the circus.
Pantomime, along with its sequel, Shadowplay, were published by Strange Chemistry. In 2014, Strange Chemistry folded.[3] In May 2015, it was announced that Tor UK had bought the rights to Pantomime, Shadowplay, and the third book in the series, Masquerade.[4]
Pantomime won the Bisexual Book Award for Speculative Fiction in 2014 at an event organised by the Bi Writers Association to increase awareness of bisexual books.[5] It appeared on reading lists promoted by the American Library Association on their 2014 Rainbow List,[6] the 2014 Popular Paperbacks List in the GLBTQ category,[7] and on the Scottish Book Trust as their "Teens Book of the Month" in May 2014.[8] In 2014 it was also nominated for the British Fantasy Society book awards.[9]
Shadowplay, the second in the Micah Grey series, continues the story of Micah Grey and Drystan the White Clown, on the run and seeking help from a magician and was ranked 17 in Fantasy Faction's Best Fantasy Books of 2014.[10] Masquerade, the final volume of the trilogy, will appear in 2017.
False Hearts series[edit]
In July 2014 Lam signed a six-figure two book deal with Tor Books, for the full world English language rights to False Hearts and an untitled novel.[11] Subsequently the Italian, German, and French rights were taken up, by Fanucci Editore, Heyne Verlag and Bragelonne respectively.
Bibliography[edit]
Micah Grey[edit]
Pantomime (February 2013) Strange Chemistry.[12][13][14] Re-released in e-book through Tor UK in December 2015 and in paperback in 2016[15]
Shadowplay (January 2014) Strange Chemistry.[16] Re-released in e-book through Tor UK in December 2015 and in paperback in 2016[15]
Masquerade (forthcoming, January 2017)[15]
Vestigial Tales[edit]
The Snake Charm (June 2014) Penglass Publishing
The Fisherman's Net (July 2014) Penglass Publishing
The Tarot Reader (August 2014) Penglass Publishing
The Card Sharp (September 2014) Penglass Publishing
False Hearts[edit]
False Hearts (forthcoming, June 2016) Tor/Macmillan
Short stories[edit]
"They Swim Through Sunset Seas" (2014) Solaris Rising 3, edited by Ian Whates
"The Lioness" (March, 2015) Cranky Ladies of History anthology, edited by Tehani Wessely and Tansy Rayner Roberts
Laura Lam was raised near San Francisco, California, by two former Haight-Ashbury hippies. Both of them encouraged her to finger-paint to her heart's desire, colour outside of the lines, and consider the library a second home. This led to an overabundance of daydreams. She relocated to Scotland to be with her husband, whom she met on the internet when he insulted her taste in books. She almost blocked him but is glad she didn't. At times she misses the sunshine.
OCT 22, 2013
Interview with Laura Lam
Logo for YA Pride 2013Laura Lam’s debut novel, Pantomime (published by Strange Chemistry), is a beautifully written fantasy set in a world of circuses and lost civilizations, starring a young character named Micah Grey who is both a trapeze artist and one of very few intersex1 characters ever seen in a young adult novel.2 I loved this book for its intricately imagined world and for Micah, who is relatable and complex, and I can’t wait to read more of Micah’s story in the sequel, Shadowplay, which is coming soon. I asked Laura to tell us a bit about the book and about writing an intersex character.
yap-author-lam
Laura Lam
Malinda Lo: What drew you to write about an intersex character?
Laura Lam: A variety of factors. I’ve always been interested in characters who change their gender presentation in fiction—growing up I loved reading about girls who dressed up as boys to show they could do whatever boys could do. I suppose I wanted to write about a girl who dresses as a boy, but that it’s not necessarily a disguise, either. I hadn’t read many books about people who straddled the gender divide, and so decided to add one more.
ML: One of the things I really loved about Pantomime was Micah’s world. Did you have any real-world inspirations for the places and cultures you describe in Pantomime?
LL: I had a lot of fun creating the world of Ellada and the Archipelago. It’s based on Victorian culture, and women wear corsets and men cravats, and social standing and class is very important to them. I live in Aberdeen, Scotland, which has a lot of Victorian architecture in granite, so I imagined Imachara as a huge, massive, sprawling metropolis with some of the same dark, imposing granite.
However, I made my Victoriana age a little different in that they had remnants of technology or magic from a vanished, advanced civilization called the Alder. I like the quote by Arthur C. Clarke that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, so I played with that. So this Victorian-ish society has laser beams and advanced weapons, but once that breaks, they have no idea how to fix it. This means that though Ellada had once been a great Empire with the most Alder Vestige weapons and had the other islands as colonies, now the weapons are breaking down and the colonies have seceded. Ellada is now a decaying empire that must adapt or die.
ML: The jacket copy for Pantomime implies that there are two main characters in the novel, when in fact there is only one. I admit when I first read the copy, I didn’t quite recognize the book.
110112pantomimeR.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass – remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone – are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide.
Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star. But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.
I understand that jacket copy is meant to sell a book to the widest potential audience — the jacket copy for my own Ash in the U.K. omits the gay stuff completely. And, of course, Pantomime isn’t an “issue” book. It would be misleading for cover copy to imply that Pantomime was only about the issues of being intersex; it’s about much more than that. How do you feel about the Pantomime cover copy?
LL: Tricky! I will say that I wrote Pantomime without anticipating Micah’s intersex nature being kept under wraps. In the first draft it was revealed in the 2nd chapter, but now it’s in the 7th. In the end, the idea to have it be a surprise was the publisher’s precisely because it’s not an issue book—it’s a fantasy that happens to have an intersex protagonist. A lot of people really enjoyed being surprised and having their expectations twisted. Some people thought Gene and Micah would be a couple—but surprise! They’re the same person.
However, the cover copy has caught some flak for being misleading. There’s no way to know how the book would have been received had the cover copy been different. So I’m fence-sitting. I don’t dislike the cover copy, but I can see why people have been upset by it. At the end of the day, I’d like as many people to step into Micah’s shoes as possible.
ML: You’ve done a lot of blog Q&As about Pantomime, and you’ve written a lot about the research you did on intersex people. Is there anything you haven’t been asked but have been dying to talk about?
LL: Good question! A lot of people don’t seem to realize how prevalent it is to still operate on intersex infants and young children to “normalize” their sex. It happens all the time. A lot of the time they choose to make a maybe with ambiguous genitalia female, because it’s easier to cut/shave down a clitoris. But what a lot of people don’t realize is that can basically castrate the baby. So not only is there a high chance that medical professionals can choose to give the child a sex that doesn’t match the gender she/he will grow up to identify with, but they might not be able to have sexual pleasure. Also, a lot of the time there can be complications to the initial surgery, so the child will grow up having to have many more surgeries, and usually that’s shrouded in secrecy and shame, which I think is awful.
I’d love it if they stopped performing non-essential surgeries on infants with ambiguous genitalia and let them decide for themselves when they are older. If you’d like to learn more I recommend the book Intersex by Catherine Harper or the BBC documentary Me, My Sex, and I.
lam-shadowplayML: I understand there’s a sequel to Pantomime. When does that come out, and can you tell us anything about it?
LL: Yes, there is! The sequel is called Shadowplay and will be released January 2014—not long now! It’s set on the magic stage instead of a circus ring, with Micah learning grand stage illusion and sleight of hand. It has a duel, magic, Chimaera ghosts, a clockwork hand, mystery, and the delicate unfurling of new love. I’m really pleased with how the book turned out, and I hope that those who enjoyed Pantomime will enjoy Micah’s continued journey.
False Hearts
Krista Hutley
Booklist.
112.19-20 (June 1, 2016): p64.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* False Hearts. By Laura Lam. June 2016. 272p. Macmillan, $24.99 (9780765382054).
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Lam's riveting near-future crime thriller contains an impressive array of concepts: lucid dreaming, bio-hacking, organized crime, religious cults,
drug trafficking, and identity swapping. Conjoined twins Taema and Tila grew up in Manas Hearth, a cult that eschews modern technology. When
their shared heart fails, they escape to San Francisco for medical treatment and are surgically separated. Ten years later, the twins lead
dramatically different lives--Tila is a nightclub hostess; Taema is a scientist--but they are still symbiotic. Or so Taema thinks, until her twin is
arrested for murder. Taema believes Tila is innocent, but the police claim Tila is involved with the Ratel, a criminal organization peddling a drug
that allows specially trained dreamers to hack a person's mind. To clear her sister's name, Taema must assume Tila's identity and gather intel on
the Ratel, aided by another undercover operative. Lam's futuristic city, in which people learn by brain-loading, enjoy virtual-reality fantasies, and
achieve physical perfection via implants, isn't all that different from most near-future sf, but it is vivid and bursting with small, clever details.
Taema and Tila are fascinating and flawed, and their relationship is the story's emotional center. Lam's adult genre-blending debut is suspenseful,
thought-provoking, and refreshingly diverse.--Krista Hutley
2/6/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1486400790314 2/3
YA/M: Older teens will be intrigued by the sisters' relationship as well as the tech-heavy future. KH.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Hutley, Krista. "False Hearts." Booklist, 1 June 2016, p. 64. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA456094211&it=r&asid=c2d3223671f5b19bc321116b24058f29. Accessed 6 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A456094211
---
2/6/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1486400790314 3/3
False Hearts
Publishers Weekly.
263.17 (Apr. 25, 2016): p73.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
False Hearts
Laura Lam.Tor, $24.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-7653-8205-4
Lam (the Micah Grey series) sets this encompassing, fast-paced murder mystery in a cyberpunk, late 21st-century San Francisco. Conjoined twins
Taema and Tila Collins live in the Mana Hearth's cult in Muir Woods. Under the ruthless thumb of Mana-ma, no technology is allowed and
members are subjected to mind-altering Meditation. When the twins' shared heart fails, they escape to the city for separation and artificial hearts.
Ten years later, Tila is charged with murdering Vuk, a gangster with the elusive Ratel crime syndicate. Taema goes undercover as Tila and
discovers the underground drug Verve, which sucks users into a virtual reality nightmare of violence. Alternating first-person perspectives from
each twin, Lam expertly explores themes of identity, totalitarian governments, cults, mind control, and familial love. However, readers who
appreciate the accurate portrayal of San Francisco's diverse populace--including the twins, who are Samoan and black--will be dismayed that the
cover obscures the protagonists' faces. Agent: Juliet Mushens, Agency Group. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"False Hearts." Publishers Weekly, 25 Apr. 2016, p. 73+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA450904564&it=r&asid=1e1b3e6814a1eef45bde44758dad727d. Accessed 6 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A450904564
Pantomime by Laura Lam
Pantomime by Laura Lam
Category: Teens
Rating: 5/5
Reviewer: Robert James
Reviewed by Robert James
Summary: Nearly as impossible to review as it is to put down, this enthralling fantasy is a stunning debut. Huge recommendation. Laura Lam popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us.
Buy? Yes Borrow? Yes
Pages: 320 Date: February 2013
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-1908844361
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Pantomime is almost certainly the best fantasy of the year. That's virtually all I can say about it without getting deep into spoiler territory, which as regular readers will know, I hate. (Oh, actually, I can probably just about tell you that there's a circus in there as well without completely ruining it for you.) I'm not sure whether to praise LR Lam for writing such a phenomenal book or curse her for writing one that's almost completely unreviewable. There's such a big twist early on (which, admittedly, I guessed), that I can't even really say much about the start.
I'll try and say what I loved about it without actually referring to the twists and turns of the plot. Firstly, there's stunning world-building. Lam has created a world in which magic used to exist but seems to have disappeared, leaving only remnants such as the mysterious substance Penglass. Inside this big world, she's also created a fabulous society of circus misfits who are reliant on each other to earn a living but have their own intrigues, quarrels and love affairs. She's populated it with brilliant characters, capable of love, heroism, and cruelty. It's a book which looks at bullying, romance, family, and perhaps most impressively, issues about sexuality that are normally found only in a handful of contemporary books. All of these things have been woven perfectly into the rich tapestry of Lam's fantasy world, and feel every bit as natural to the world and as important, as the fantasy trappings like the Penglass and the Vestige.
This is one for open-minded readers, but it should be one for absolutely every open-minded reader. (It should also come with a box of tissues - while I cry my eyes out fairly regularly at many contemporary novels, I'm fairly sure that this is either the first or second fantasy ever to have that effect on me.) As if to prove there is no end to her talent, Lam actually manages to give us a cliffhanger ending which I thought worked really well. (She tidies up enough of the storyline to give us a proper conclusion, but it still had me desperately wanting the sequel right this minute!)
If it's not clear enough, absolutely massive recommendation as one of the very, very best of the 200 plus novels I've read this year, and I'm sure this will be a huge success.
For more beguiling fantasy, Laini Taylor's trilogy, starting with Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is excellent!
Home > Reviews
Pantomime by Laura Lam
Pantomime book cover
Rating
9.0/10
Pantomime is a remarkable debut novel, one of the best debut novels I have read.
R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass – remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone – are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide.
Pantomime is the debut novel from Laura Lam and I will say up front that this is a special book, one that I would encourage people of all ages to read. My review is going to contain a slight spoiler, but the element of the story that I will be spoiling is something that is revealed quite early on, and I think it is necessary for me to spoil it to describe why this is such a special book (there are plenty of other reviews out there that don't spoil this big twist, but these reviews tend to focus how the reviewer really wants to tell you the twist but they just can't).
Pantomime tells the story of Micah Grey, a young boy who runs away from home and joins the circus. It is a rough initiation for him, the other performers don't much like him, and the especially don't like how his mere presence is cutting in to their wages. But Micah has a talent for dangerous tricks at remarkable heights that the circus just cannot refuse. On the alternating chapter, Pantomime tells the story of Iphigenia Laurus, the tom-boy daughter of a noble family who is known to her friends as Gene and who is being forced by her parents to become someone that she clearly isn't. And now for the ***SPOILER*** - Iphigenia Laurus and Micah Grey are the same person, with Gene having been born a hermaphrodite. Yep, that's some pretty deep stuff for a YA book to deal with, but Pantomime deals with it perfectly to create something that is important, poignant, and relevant.
The story here is slow and deliberate, one that explores many of the issues faced by teenagers and young adults today. At times it can be too slow and there isn't a great deal of action, but that didn't bother me too much. Pantomime is, at its core, a story about identity and acceptance, and from there it explores some more complex themes. Gene, who looks like a girl and has been raised as a girl doesn't feel anything like a girl, and doesn't have any of the impulses or tendencies that she is told a girl is supposed to have. Her first romantic encounter with a handsy boy sees her secret discovered for the first time outside of her family, and the open revulsion that boy displays hits right to the core, making her question just what sort of monster she could possibly be, and who could ever fall in love with a monster like her. As Micah in the circus, she becomes intensely attracted to one of the female performers and is then forced to confront the issue of her sexuality. Oh, and while this is all happening, she is going through a very complex puberty where she has to deal with the worst parts of puberty from both sexes. It is a very confusing time for her, she is being forced to deal with it alone, and I cant help but wonder just how many other teenagers and young adults are being forced to confront similar complex issues with a similar level of support.
Outside of the exploration of theme, Pantomime is set in a wonderfully vivid secondary world that seems to have a subtle steampunk influence, and that has a latent magic which crops up every now and then throughout the story. Lam has obviously gone to a lot of effort in constructing this world, and I hope she decides to explore it a bit more outside of the Micah Grey series because I think it's an awesome world that needs further exploration.
Pantomime is a remarkable debut novel, one of the best debut novels I have read, and one that I hope leaves its mark on the fantasy genre as a whole. Lam has taken a bit of a risk by dealing with themes that make people uncomfortable, but by doing this I think she shows that fantasy is still one of the best genres for providing social commentary on the world we live in. This is an easy recommendation from me - Pantomime is a book you really should read.
This Pantomime book review was written by Ryan Lawler
JOINT REVIEW: PANTOMIME BY LAURA LAM
PantomimeTitle: Pantomime
Author: Laura Lam
Genre: Fantasy, LGBT, Young Adult
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Publication date: February 2012
Hardcover: 392 pages
R. H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass—remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone—are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide.
Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star.
But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.
Stand alone or series: First in a series
How did we get this book: Review copy from the publisher via Netgalley
Format (e- or p-): eARC
REVIEW
Ana’s Take:
I will start by simply saying: Pantomime’s cover copy is supremely misleading. One would think that this is a run-of-the-mill PNR YA featuring two protagonists that seem to be about to fall in love with each other whilst a secre–zzzz, BORING. I would never had picked up this book based on this blurb had I not known from the get go what it is really about.
Allow me to rephrase the blurb slightly:
R. H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass—remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone—are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide.
An intersex teen1, Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, raised as the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Gene’s parents wish to force a decision on which gender Gene will spend the rest of Gene’s life as, so Gene runs away from home, assumes the identity of Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star.
But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.
Now, doesn’t that sound infinitely better? You’re welcome. There is a discussion to be had about whether my reworded summary is spoilery or not but since we don’t really think this impacts on the reading of the book AT ALL, we moved this discussion to the Additional Thoughts below.
So, Pantomime. It’s mostly a very familiar coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of a Fantastical world that hints to long-forgotten magic and knowledge and whose “different” protagonist joins the circus.
Of course, what makes it really distinct is the fact that the protagonist is intersex with very particular struggles that sets Micah/Gene apart. I absolutely loved Micah/Gene as a character but more than that I absolutely loved and appreciated the care given to Micah/Gene’s story-arc. The story alternates between past and present and presents Gene/Micah’s history as a mix of shame and acceptance (specially the brother Cyril), the terrible ordeals with doctors and potential suitors, the need to keep secrets. Most of all it portrays sensitively Micah/Gene’s attempts to understand, define and accept not only hir own body but hir own identity. How does hir body impact on hir gender identity? Is Micah/Gene, a boy, a girl, both, or neither?
Further, I loved how the story makes it very clear that there is an intricate but separate relationship between not only body and gender identity but also between the latter and the roles traditionally attributed to different genders. So for example: if Micah/Gene feels she is a girl but doesn’t like “girly” things like sewing and dancing does that make any her less of a girl? Can he identify as a boy if he likes dresses? What if Micah/Gene feels like hir is both? Gender identity is also different from sexual identity and thankfully this is also treated separately here and it seems that Micah might actually be bi, feeling attracted to both male and female. And that attraction shows up in the narrative in a very cool, uncomplicated way so for example when sexually aroused Micah/Gene mentions both penile and nipple erections.
For me, Micah/Gene’s arc and portrayal is the novel’s main point and its claim to success.
That said, I am not so sure about the rest of the novel and the way that Micah/Gene’s personal narrative intersects with that of the Circus as well as with the overall Fantastical background. For most of the book, as much as I appreciated Micah/Gene’s arc, I felt that the book was going nowhere. There is a world building that seemed interesting – with the long-forgotten magic and different mythologies – but barely touched upon to the point where it makes Pantomime read like a prequel, and this feeling becomes stronger upon the novel’s cliff-hanger ending. There is a question of pacing as well, very slow chapters leading to a monumentally hectic ending.
Finally, in spite of the care given to Micah/Gene’s portrayal I am unsure about the “magical” nature that intersex characters might have in the context of the novel’s world-building. It is hinted that intersex beings have existed in the past and where considered the epitome of the “complete” human and where worshipped as Gods. This is in a way extremely empowering. BUT doesn’t underlining differences reinforce otherness? I am curious and intrigued to see how the story proceeds and how the treatment of this mythology is examined in the sequel.
As an aside: Pantomime also made me think of Circuses books in general and how interesting it is to see that most books about circuses show them as a haven, a safe place for outsiders and “freaks” when real-life circus – specially the “Freak Shows” – were anything but. Coincidentally, just yesterday there was an article online about a woman’s seemingly terrible, harrowing existence as the “ugliest woman on Earth”, whose mummified body was just recently allowed a final resting place.
Overall, in spite of any misgivings, I truly enjoyed Pantomime and especially the protagonist’s incredible journey.
Thea’s Take:
I have to fully, completely, 100% agree with Ana’s assessment. The marketing copy for this book frankly bothers me. Deeply. The copy does sound like this is a story about two struggling runaways that either a) Fall in Love and find each other thanks to a Magical Circus (yes, because all circuses are romantic and magical); or b) Discover they are long lost Magical Siblings, who will together unlock the secret magic of the past. We will discuss this at length below, but it bears mentioning again:
This is not even remotely what Pantomime is about.
So. Onto the rest: Pantomime features an intersex protagonist and details Gene/Micah’s arc as both a young noblewoman debutante, and an aspiring trapeze acrobat (aerialist) at Bal’s traveling circus. Gene is raised as a girl, put into dresses and ribbons, taught to dance and play music and embroider, while zir mother drags her to physician after physician looking for a “cure.”2 As Micah, Gene reinvents zirself as a boy and makes a daring leap to join the circus as an apprentice Aerialist. Here, Micah is hazed as a newcomer and hides zir past – but it is here that Micah feels happier and more complete than ze ever has before. Where Pantomime excels is in Gene/Micah’s character – like Ana says, Laura Lam does a fantastic job of creating a nuanced, relatable character who is struggling with enormous issues of identity and finding zir place in the world, and accepting zirself. I love that Gene/Micah is an intersex character that is both male and female, that does not want a sacrifice or a “cure.” And, as Ana mentions, Gene/Micah is attracted to both men and women, loves dancing and music just as much as ze loves climbing trees and racing through the woods. The questions of self-perception, self-acceptance, and self-worth are all examined in-depth with Pantomime, and I loved ever step of Gene/Micah’s heartbreaking, wonderful arc as a character. The other characters are pretty great too – my favorites being Gene’s brother Cyril and the clown Drystan (ok, aerialist Aenea, too).
On the plotting side, however, things start to get a little more muddled. The book alternates between Gene (past) and Micah’s (present) storylines – we see Gene as ze struggles with zir societal debut as a marriageable young woman, and we see Micah as ze fights to earn zir place in the Circus. I like the alternating style of the book and the way the novel builds to join the two storylines, as we finally learn why Gene runs away from home and becomes Micah. It is a horrific, heartbreaking reveal and I think done very well. That said…the two storylines drag out a little bit too long (Gene’s in particular), and there is some clunkiness when it comes to the integration of the two, especially where the fantasy elements are concerned. Similarly, the frenetic ending of the book after such a long slow overlapping series of alternating chapters feels…abrupt. Similarly, the setting of the circus is really well done, but it’s kind of tired – a magical circus, capturing the wonder of all who enter has been done, and done, and done.