Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 4/23/1973
WEBSITE: https://naomikritzer.com/
CITY: St. Paul
STATE: MN
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born April 23, 1973, in NC; married; children: two daughters.
EDUCATION:College graduate.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author, blogger, technical writer.
AWARDS:Locus Award and Hugo Award for Best Short Story, 2016, both for “Cat Pictures Please.”
WRITINGS
Her short stories have also appeared in Asimov’s, Analog, Clarkesworld, Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Lightspeed, and Apex, as well as various anthologies.
SIDELIGHTS
Naomi Kritzer is a science fiction and fantasy writer who makes her home in St. Paul, Minnesota. She first submitted a story to an editor, as she notes on her Website, when she was fifteen. Kritzer aimed high for this first submission, sending it to Marion Zimmer Bradley for inclusion in an anthology. In the event, this first attempt was rejected, but fourteen years later Kritzer did break into print with her well-received debut novel, Fires of the Faithful. She followed that initial volume up with the fantasy novel Turning the Storm, as well as the fantasy series, the “Dead Rivers Trilogy,” which was completed in 2006.
Kritzer continued to write short stories and also to blog about Minneapolis elections, but had no book publications for more than a decade. “I’ve been disconcerted a few times recently to be recognized not for my SF/F writing but for my political blogging,” Kritzer noted on her author Website. Then came a 2016 Hugo Award for her short story, “Cat Pictures Please,” which posits an AI internet that tries to keep people peaceful and loving by posting cat pictures. This led to the subsequent publication of her collected science fiction and fantasy tales in Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories, a “flawless collection taps deep wells of emotion and wonder,” according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer who added: “This splendid treat is not to be missed.”
Fires of the Faithful
Kritzer’s first novel, Fires of the Faithful, is a fantasy work featuring teenage Eliana, a violin prodigy training at the court conservatory in a fantasy land reminiscent of medieval Italy. As such, she is protected from the misery outside the conservatory walls, where wars, famines, and religious persecution by the Fedeli are the order of the day. Eliana keeps her focus on music until her best friend is kidnapped and another student is publicly executed by the Fedeli for following the Old Way–a competing religion. Now Eliana can no longer turn a blind eye to the outside world and returns to her village, only to discover that her family have been murdered by imperial soldiers. She becomes involved in the Old Way, intent on spreading its message but is captured and put in a prison camp where she ultimately becomes a leader to the other inmates.
Reviewing Fires of the Faithful in Booklist, Paula Luedtke had a varied assessment, noting that Eliana’s “evolution from schoolgirl to general in a few weeks is a bit of a stretch, but it is also entertaining.” Others had a higher assessment. A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted that this “fantasy from first-time author Kritzer is like chocolate cake: instant addiction.” Lambda Book Report contributor Lawrence Schimel felt the novel “inverts history to create a world where Christianity has been supplanted by a new religion in which magic is a real and everyday occurrence.” Schimel further commented: “Fires is an intriguing meditation on religious difference and reconciliation, seen through the eyes of sixteen-year-old violin student Eliana. … Kritzer writes with assurance, and I look forward to her further excursions into this, or other, worlds.” Similarly, online SF Site contributor Victoria Strauss observed that this is a “promising debut from a fresh new voice in fantasy, and I look forward to Kritzer’s future work.” RT Book Reviews website writer Kelly Rae Cooper added further praise, noting that the “narrative is powerful and moving.”
Turning the Storm
Kritzer’s second novel, Turning the Storm, is a sequel that follows the adventures of Eliana as she continues to lead the armies of those who believe in the Old Way, who battle on, empowered by their faith. But when faith is not enough to stop the powerful magical fires from turning her soldiers to ash, Eliana turns to music, disguising herself as a boy to take a position in the imperial ensemble and spy on the court from within.
“With panache and dexterity, Ms. Kritzer weaves complex plot threads and feisty characters into a tight story of political and social intrigue,” noted online RT Book Reviews contributor Cooper of Turning the Storm. In a similar vein, an Illustrated Page Website reviewer commented: “The plot and characters are enjoyable, and while I might wish for a greater explanation of some elements, Naomi Kritzer does manage to get you thinking.”
Freedom's Gate
Kritzer launched her “Dead Rivers Trilogy” with the 2004 novel, Freedom’s Gate, which is set in an alternate version of antiquity with the Greek Empire rising again to a cruel and heartless power driven by the Sisterhood of Weavers, a witch-like group. The sisterhood is then threatened by the Alashi, and young Lauria, a lieutenant in the Greek army, is commissioned to infiltrate these rebels. Once part of the Alashi, she discovers that she feels more allegiance to them than to her former comrades.
A Publishers Weekly reviewer offered a varied assessment of this series launch, noting: “Although this is a competent fantasy yarn, it may fall short of some readers’ expectations, particularly fans of Kritzer’s earlier, more inventive works.” On the other hand, RT Book Reviews Website contributor Jen Talley Exum had high praise, noting: “A must for alternate history and historical fantasy fans, this novel will leave readers anxious for the next installment of Lauria’s adventures.”
Freedom's Apprentice and Freedom's Sisters
Lauria continues her adventures in Freedom’s Apprentice, now trying to make amends for her former position as chief slave-catcher to Greek commander Kyros. Cast out by the Alashi who have discovered her true identity, Lauria attempts–with the help of her blood-sister Tamar–to free the slaves she earlier returned to captivity. “Blades swing and arrows fly in the action-packed second installment,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer who went on to comment that “this story [has] considerably more depth, complexity and suspense than most sword-and-sorcery plots.” RT Book Reviews Website writer Natalie A. Luhrs similarly called this a “compelling page turner that doesn’t read like a middle volume.” Luhrs added, “Kritzer is an accomplished wordsmith, and this series should be required reading for fans of historical fantasy.”
The series concludes with Freedom’s Sisters, in which Lauria has now been discovered by the Sisterhood of Weavers and is imprisoned. Meanwhile Tamar has returned to the Alashi and pleads with them to help free Lauria, even as Lauria manages herself to escape captivity and learns to trust the magic inside of her to help create freedom for all. Of this concluding volume, Luhrs noted in RT Book Reviews Website that “Lauria and Tamar remain compelling protagonists, even though they spend much of the book apart.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 1, 2002, Paula Luedtke, review of Fires of the Faithful, p. 71.
Lambda Book Report, January, 2003, Lawrence Schimel, review of Fires of the Faithful, p. 27.
Publishers Weekly, September 2, 2002, review of Fires of the Faithful, p. 60; June 28, 2004, review of Freedom’s Gate, p. 37; April 18, 2005, review of Freedom’s Apprentice, p. 49; May 29, 2017, review of Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories, p. 50.
ONLINE
Illustrated Page, https://theillustratedpage.wordpress.com/ (December 10, 2014), review of Turning the Storm.
Naomi Kritzer Website, https://naomikritzer.com (March 24, 2018).
RT Book Reviews, https://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (March 25, 2018), Kelly Rae Cooper, review of Fires of the Faithful and Turning the Storm; Natalie A. Luhrs, review of Freedom’s Sisters, and Freedom’s Apprentice; Jen Talley Exum, review of Freedom’s Gate.
SF Site, https://www.sfsite.com/ (March 24, 2018), Victoria Strauss, review of Fires of the Faithful.
QUOTE:
I’ve been disconcerted a few times recently to be recognized not for my SF/F writing but for my political blogging
About
I am a science fiction and fantasy writer living in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ten random facts about me:
1. At various points during my life I have played the piano, the guitar, and the violin, although I will not claim to have ever played any of them well.
2. I’ve been online since approximately the stone age; I dialed up to post on local BBS’s in 1990, when I was in high school, and I used a dial-up chat line called the Beeline.
3. I first submitted a story to an editor when I was 15. It was a fantasy story, I submitted it to Marion Zimmer Bradley for one of the Sword and Sorceress anthologies, and she rejected it.
4. I read copious quantities of non-fiction. One of my favorite sorts of book is what I call the “occupational memoir,” where someone with an unusual or interesting job tells me all about what it’s like to work as a tax auditor / emergency room nurse / Hollywood chicken wrangler / whatever.
5. I’ve lived abroad twice. When I was 13, my family spent a year living in London, and I attended school there. (My parents are academics, and my father was on a research sabbatical.) When I was a junior in college, I spent a semester in a study-abroad program in Nepal. I highly recommend spending a semester (or more) abroad; it’s incredibly educational.
6. I have never dieted.
7. I blog about Minneapolis elections, particularly down-ticket races that you probably didn’t know were going to be on the ballot until you walked in to vote, like Soil & Water Commissioner. I’ve been disconcerted a few times recently to be recognized not for my SF/F writing but for my political blogging.
8. Then again, I was a huge fan of political columns from a young age. We got the Chicago Tribune when I was a kid (growing up in Madison) and I obsessively read Mike Royko, Bob Greene, and Anna Quindlen. It’s probably just as well I didn’t go into journalism, though, considering what happened to the papers.
9. I still get a daily paper. (The Star Tribune.) I am not sure I know anyone else my age who does, but I like reading it while I eat breakfast, and so do my daughters.
10. I make my own pie crust, and excellent pie.
I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, though I was born in North Carolina, lived in Indiana and Houston, Texas before I turned five, and spent a year living in London when I was 13. I moved to Minnesota to attend college, and haven't left. My husband and I have two daughters and three cats. I post regularly about the daughters and occasionally about writing on my blog at http://www.livejournal.com/users/naomikritzer/.
QUOTE:
flawless collection taps deep wells of emotion and wonder.
This splendid treat is not to be missed.
Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories
Publishers Weekly.
264.22 (May 29, 2017): p50.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories
Naomi Kritzer. Fairwood, $17.99 trade paper (324p) ISBN 978-1-933846-67-5
Kritzer's flawless collection taps deep wells of emotion and wonder. In the Hugo-winning title story, the
internet becomes intelligent and decides that it will try to keep people from harming themselves--if they
feed it pictures of cats. In "The Golem," a Czech golem once again tries to save the Jews of Prague, this
time from the Holocaust. In "What Happened at Blessing Creek," a white girl with second sight is faced
with a horrible choice when her parents decide to settle on Osage land in a dragon-filled Old West. In "The
Good Son," one of the Irish fair folk gets far more than he expected after following a mortal woman to
Minneapolis. In "So Much Cooking," a doughty food blogger cheerfully narrates cooking her way through a
pandemic as her house fills up with stray children and the backyard rabbits start to look awfully tasty.
Kritzer always focuses on ordinary people, whether they're dipping one toe into weird waters or jumping in.
Her work is indisputably speculative, but it's a perfect entry point to the genre for readers who prefer
fantastical and futuristic elements to stay more in the background, with human (and robotic) feelings always
at the fore. This splendid treat is not to be missed. Agent: Martha Millard, Sterling Lord Literistic. (July)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories." Publishers Weekly, 29 May 2017, p. 50. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A494500726/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=f6d76ad7.
Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A494500726
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QUOTE:
Blades swing and arrows fly in the action-packed second installment
this story considerably more
depth, complexity and suspense than most sword-and-sorcery plots.
Freedom's Apprentice
Publishers Weekly.
252.16 (Apr. 18, 2005): p49.
COPYRIGHT 2005 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
FREEDOM'S APPRENTICE NAOMI KRITZER. Bantam Spectra, $6.99 (384p) ISBN 0-553-58674-2
Blades swing and arrows fly in the action-packed second installment in Kritzer's Dead Rivers trilogy (after
Freedom's Gate), set in an exotic ancient world that resembles Alexander the Great's Persian empire, except
for its genies, flying chariots, "spell stone" necklaces and other magical accoutrements. In the previous
book, young military aide Lauria, who tracked escaped slaves and spied for Kyros (a commander of the
conquering alliance of Greek military forces and sorceresses), secretly switched her allegiance to the feared
Alashi rebels, but was cast out by the steppe tribes when her previous loyalties were revealed. Now she and
her formerly enslaved blood-sister, Tamar, seek to free the slaves Lauria once returned to captivity and,
hopefully, regain the Mashis' trust. The tale's special strength lies in its psychological twists; the stealth
missions require the heroines to free captives' minds from enslavement before even attempting physical
rescues, and the resulting uncertain fine lines between friend and foe give this story considerably more
depth, complexity and suspense than most sword-and-sorcery plots. (May)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Freedom's Apprentice." Publishers Weekly, 18 Apr. 2005, p. 49. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A131901982/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=32cc6ff7.
Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.
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QUOTE:
Although this is a competent fantasy
yarn, it may fall short of some readers' expectations, particularly fans of Kritzer's earlier, more inventive
works
Freedom's Gate
Publishers Weekly.
251.26 (June 28, 2004): p37.
COPYRIGHT 2004 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
FREEDOM'S GATE NAOMI KRITZER. Bantam, $6.99 (368p) ISBN 0-553-58673-4
The first book in Kritzer's new Dead Rivers trilogy is set in a fantasy version of ancient Earth, where the
vanquished Greek Empire has risen again to ruthless power with the aid of the witch-like Sisterhood of
Weavers and their captive djinni. When the mysterious and possibly murderous Alashi threaten the
Sisterhood, 20-year-old Lauria, chief slave-catcher to Greek commander Kyros, is sent to infiltrate the
nomadic rebels by posing as a slave escaped from another commander's harem. Though the subservient role
chaffs the proud young lieutenant, Lauria gradually finds herself questioning not her enemies, but her
alleged allies and her own false freedom. Sword and sorcery enthusiasts will find plenty of physical and
magical action here. Unfortunately, the plot is conventional, and Kritzer fails to provide a convincing
connection between her ancient faux Earth and the present-day world. Although this is a competent fantasy
yarn, it may fall short of some readers' expectations, particularly fans of Kritzer's earlier, more inventive
works (Fires of the Faithful, etc.). Agent, Jack Byrne. (July)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Freedom's Gate." Publishers Weekly, 28 June 2004, p. 37. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A118892460/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=54120a1c.
Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.
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QUOTE:
volution from schoolgirl to general in
a few weeks is a bit of a stretch, but it is also entertaining.
Kritzer, Naomi. Fires of the Faithful
Paula Luedtke
Booklist.
99.1 (Sept. 1, 2002): p71.
COPYRIGHT 2002 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Oct. 2002. 400p. Bantam, paper, $6.99 (0-553-58517-7).
In the world of her first novel, a Catholic-like religion called the Old Way is persecuted by organized
goddess worship enforced by a formidable religious order, the Fedeli. Taking no prisoners, the Fedeli put
the fear of the goddess into people by cold-bloodedly slaughtering "offenders" for the good, of course, of
their immortal souls. Young Eliana is devoted to the craft of music. She and some classmates enjoy playing
Old Way compositions in secret, and Eliana soon realizes she is drawn to the old beliefs. Then she discovers
that the body of ruling mages--the Circle--is responsible for the war and famine her people suffer. Outraged,
she flees the conservatory after the Fedeli murder her closest friend, an Old Way follower. Arriving in her
home village, she finds it destroyed by soldiers and her family murdered. Devastated, Eliana lands in a
prison camp, whose inmates crave a leader, which she becomes. Her evolution from schoolgirl to general in
a few weeks is a bit of a stretch, but it is also entertaining.
YA: Good fantasy with angst and a strong main character that YAs can relate to. TC.
Luedtke, Paula
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Luedtke, Paula. "Kritzer, Naomi. Fires of the Faithful." Booklist, 1 Sept. 2002, p. 71. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A92084405/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=59b47dc9.
Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.
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QUOTE:
fantasy from first-time author Kritzer is like chocolate cake: instant addiction.
Fires of the Faithful. (Mass Market)
Publishers Weekly.
249.35 (Sept. 2, 2002): p60+.
COPYRIGHT 2002 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
NAOMI KRITZER, Bantam, $6.99 (400p)
ISBN 0-553-58517-7
Typical fantasy books require some getting used to before one is firmly hooked, but this far-from-typical
fantasy from first-time author Kritzer is like chocolate cake: instant addiction. Kritzer's clever use of
familiar-feeling things--people and place names that sound Italian, though they are not, and a castles-andkings
setting that similarly evokes old-world Europe in the era of murderous Borgias and witch-hunting
Savonarolas--enables readers to effortlessly fall into the medieval Italianate world of teenage violinist
Eliana. Cloistered in a monastery-like music conservatory, the prodigy is protected from an outside world
torn by wars, famine, religious fanaticism and the deadly misuse of magic. Then an outwardly small event,
the introduction of a new song that's not what it seems, catalyzes the kidnapping of her new roommate/best
friend (who also may not be what she seems) and the brutal public killing of another schoolmate by "good
guys" (who definitely aren't), forcing Eliana's fast flight and equally rapid transformation from sheltered
court-musician-in-training into, quite possibly, the rebel savior of her doomed world. To the reader's delight,
unresolved plot lines hint that sequels are planned; with habit-forming books like this, you can't read just
one. (Oct. 8)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Fires of the Faithful. (Mass Market)." Publishers Weekly, 2 Sept. 2002, p. 60+. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A91474580/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=47442699.
Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.
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QUOTE:
inverts history to create a world where Christianity has
been supplanted by a new religion m which magic is a real and everyday occurrence
Fires is an intriguing meditation on religious
difference and reconciliation, seen through the eyes of sixteen-year-old violin student Eliana.
Kritzer writes with assurance, and I look forward to her further
excursions into this, or other, worlds.
Where magic is real. (Reviews: Fantasy)
Lawrence Schimel
Lambda Book Report.
11.6 (Jan. 2003): p27.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Lambda Literary Foundation
http://www.lambdaliterary.org/lambda_book_report/lbr_back_issues.html
Full Text:
Fires of the Faithful
by Naomi Kritzer
Bantam Books
ISBN: 0-553-58517-7
PB, $6.99, 373 pp.
Naomi Kritzer's first novel, Fires of the Faithful, inverts history to create a world where Christianity has
been supplanted by a new religion m which magic is a real and everyday occurrence -- everyone can make a
small witch light, for instance, and those with more power are trained by the powerful and mysterious magi
who form the Circle and protect the country from invasion. Fires is an intriguing meditation on religious
difference and reconciliation, seen through the eyes of sixteen-year-old violin student Eliana.
But the magic remains half-hidden, almost tangential to the life and concerns of the characters, and thus it is
a subtle flavoring that whets the reader's appetite and leaves us wanting more. More present is the passion
for music that Eliana and her fellow students at the conservatory share, and the power that music has--over
individuals and even, as the story unfolds, over the fate of the land itself.
While the Old Ways of the Christianity-inspired religion have been outlawed, almost all students of music
learn at some point a few songs or melodies, from a historical or technical perspective if nothing else. But
when Eliana's new roommate Mira begins teaching a handful of the students the music of the Old Ways,
even the conservatory's microcosm can't keep outside forces at bay: A student is killed by the Fedeli,
religious zealots who try to stamp out any taint of the old beliefs, and then Mira is kidnapped by the Circle.
And Eliana and her friends learn a dangerous secret that proves that what they'd previously been taught
about both religion and magic is false, causing them to leave the conservatory funded by what they now
know are hypocritical organizations.
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Fires of the Faithful straddles that fine line between epic fantasy (where the fate of the world--or at least
nations--is at stake) and a more personal narrative, following how the events of the world impact on one
person's life. Eliana follows a traditional hero(ine)'s path: From humble begins, she is thrust into a position
of leadership through her quick wit, and her compassion. Using the techniques of conducting an orchestra
as her guiding principle for organizing an army, she spearheads a rebellion in a concentration camp she
voluntarily goes to while looking for her family.
The main character's discovery and acceptance of her lesbianism, despite the fact that neither religion
makes homosexuals very welcome, is like the use of magic: not a major focus of the book but subtly present
throughout--a fine but delicate flavoring.
While the book is not obviously set up for a sequel, and does come to a resolution, there is plenty of
background material to be followed up on, both on a personal level (Eliana's love life) and the fate of the
rebellion, once it has been set in motion. Kritzer writes with assurance, and I look forward to her further
excursions into this, or other, worlds.
LAWRENCE SCHIMEL IS THE AUTHOR OF THE STORY COLLECTIONS THE DRAG QUEEN OF
ELFLAND (CIRCLET PRESS) AND HIS TONGUE (FROG LTD./NORTH ATLANTIC).
Schimel, Lawrence
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Schimel, Lawrence. "Where magic is real. (Reviews: Fantasy)." Lambda Book Report, Jan. 2003, p. 27.
General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A100755165/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=47b255d3. Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A100755165
QUOTE:
narrative is powerful and moving.
FIRES OF THE FAITHFUL
Author(s): Naomi Kritzer
FIRES OF THE FAITHFUL is the beginning story of a young woman's journey to lead her people out of oppression by fresh voice Naoimi Kritzer.
Eliana has only a short time remaining before she graduates from the Conservatory of Music and hopefully becomes an Imperial musician. When her new roommate teaches her songs played in the old way, where the music becomes the worship of the old gods, it makes Eliana wonder which is better. After she finds out that the Circle's magelight is lighting the earth, and they know and don't care, she leaves the Conservatory to warn her family. She sees the ineffectual Emperor and his Circle of Mages and Fedeli religious warriors systematically burning out worship of the old ways in favor of the Lady, and vows to fight for freedom of choice.
When the 16-year-old protagonist becomes a conduit for revolution, the narrative is powerful and moving. Ms. Kritzer sculpts her opposing religions along pagan and Christian influences, with music as a refreshing embellishment! (Oct., 400 pp., $6.99)
Reviewed by:
Kelly Rae Cooper
QUOTE:
Lauria and Tamar remain compelling protagonists, even though they spend much of the book apart.
FREEDOM'S SISTERS
Author(s): Naomi Kritzer
In the final book of Kritzer's Dead Rivers trilogy, Lauria finds herself held captive by the Sisterhood of the Weavers in the city of Penelopeia, while Tamar is on the steppes with the Alashi. Accepted back into the Alashi, Tamar pleads Lauria's case and, with Janiya and Alibek, sets out to find Lauria while sowing discord among the Sisterhood.
Lauria eventually escapes from Penelopeia with the help of one of her guards, Xanthe, and the rogue sorceress Zivar. She had been indirectly sent to help by Tamar, who is still trying to infiltrate the Younger Sisters, a group of Weavers unhappy with the Sisterhood.
Lauria and Tamar remain compelling protagonists, even though they spend much of the book apart. Lauria learns that the djinni have their own reasons for wanting her to free the rivers, and their reasons will have a direct bearing on her continued existence. The story feels rushed at the end, with events piling on top of each other, and the resolution of the relationship arcs is vaguely unsatisfying. (Aug., 416 pp., $6.99)
Reviewed by:
Natalie A. Luhrs
QUOTE:
compelling page turner that doesn't read like a middle volume. Kritzer is an accomplished wordsmith, and this series should be required reading for fans of historical fantasy.
FREEDOM'S APPRENTICE
Author(s): Naomi Kritzer
2005 – Fantasy Novel nominee
Lauria used to be a trusted servant of the military commander Kyros, returning escaped slaves to his household—until she infiltrated the Alashi and learned their ways. Cast out from the Alashi in order to make amends and soothe her troubled conscience, Lauria sets out to liberate those she returned to slavery.
To do so, she apprentices herself to the Sisterhood of Weavers to obtain a spell-chain and the control of a djinni. The spell-chains used to capture the djinni are as beautiful as they are cruel, as are the sorceresses who wield them. Lauria is a fascinating heroine, and her evolution from a woman who only wants to free those she directly affected to one who seeks to free all those who are enslaved, human and spirit alike, is powerful.
Set in an alternate world with roots in the ancient Greek and Persian cultures, this is the second book in Kritzer's Dead Rivers trilogy. But it's a compelling page turner that doesn't read like a middle volume. Kritzer is an accomplished wordsmith, and this series should be required reading for fans of historical fantasy. (May, 356 pp., $6.99)
Reviewed by:
Natalie A. Luhrs
QUOTE:
A must for alternate history and historical fantasy fans, this novel will leave readers anxious for the next installment of Lauria's adventures.
FREEDOM'S GATE
Author(s): Naomi Kritzer
Lauria is a freeborn woman in a world of slavery and treachery, an alternate Greek empire strengthened by the magic of the djinni. Daughter of a harem girl, Lauria rose to become a favored aide to her mother's former master, military commander Kyros, and she gives him her absolute allegiance. She spies for him and excels at tracking and capturing runaways.
When word comes that the rebel Alashi tribe, made up of freeborns and runaway slaves, plans an attack, Lauria is chosen to infiltrate their ranks. To do so, she must pose as a slave in a wealthy household. But when her few days of slavery end in betrayal, Lauria finds herself questioning her beliefs and past actions. Accepted into the Alashi tribe, training as a warrior, she begins to see the corruption and cruelty at the foundations of her society and is faced with a brutal decision.
In this first book of a new trilogy rooted in ancient Greek culture, Kritzer paints a harsh picture of a civilization of masters and slaves, both magical and human, and the eternal quest for freedom. Lauria is a powerful figure at the center of a journey of self-discovery, moving from unquestioning loyalty to independent thinking. A must for alternate history and historical fantasy fans, this novel will leave readers anxious for the next installment of Lauria's adventures. (Jul., 384 pp., $6.99)
Reviewed by:
Jen Talley Exum
QUOTE:
With panache and dexterity, Ms. Kritzer weaves complex plot threads and feisty characters into a tight story of political and social intrigue.
TURNING THE STORM
Author(s): Naomi Kritzer
In an alternate world reminiscent of medieval Italy, the Circle Mages have created a wasteland by their profligate use of magic. In TURNING THE STORM, the people are rebelling against further misuse and fighting for religious freedom.
The mesmerizing sequel to new writer Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful features Eliana, the teenaged violinist turned rebel general, leading her army to destroy slave camps and taking the battle to the Fedeli religious warrior and the Emperor's Circle Mages. Her fight seems hopelessuntil runaway mage Mira starts giving Eliana advice.
With panache and dexterity, Ms. Kritzer weaves complex plot threads and feisty characters into a tight story of political and social intrigue. Nebulous loyalties create fluid allegiances that contribute to the Machiavellian quality of the story. (Jan., 384 pp., $6.99)
Reviewed by:
Kelly Rae Cooper
QUOTE:
The plot and characters are enjoyable, and while I might wish for a greater explanation of some elements, Naomi Kritzer does manage to get you thinking.
Review of Turning the Storm by Naomi Kritzer
Posted by COOLCURRYBOOKS onDECEMBER 10, 2014
642072
I don’t like this cover. The lighting is off – look at the harsh white light on her head while everything else is tinted red.
Turning the Storm by Naomi Kritzer. ★★★1/2
This is the second book in Eliana’s Song, which is really more like a single book divided into two than a series. The first book is Fires of the Faithful. Having said that, this review will contain spoilers for Fires of the Faithful, so beware.
When the last book left off, Eliana had led a rebellion of prisoners at a forced labor camp, and her new army was working to overthrow the tyrannical government and the magician’s Circle, which had blighted the land. The majority of the rebels were believers of the Old Way, an outlawed religion.
In Turning the Storm, Eliana goes undercover as a spy in the capital city, which may not make complete since but isn’t surprising. The missing love interest, Mira, was dragged off to capital, and the two had to reunite at some point.
However, Mira is just not a very interesting character. Maybe I’m forgetting what she was like in the first book, but in Turning the Storm, she has almost no page time. She’s not developed. How am I supposed to care about the love interest when she’s hardly even in the book?
Turning the Storm also suffered from some dragging sections, mainly the “Eliana as a spy” episode and the last hundred pages or so. The main plot finishes sooner than I expected, but I can understand why Naomi Kritzer chose to do this. While it may have felt draggy, it did allow her to explore and lead to a conclusion some of the themes she’s been working with, most notably religion. I found the direction that took very interesting, but I won’t give anything away.
One of the best things about the Eliana books has been the treatment of the revolution. Too often, fantasy and science-fiction books tend to paint rebellions in black and white, whereas Turning the Storm did a good job of showing the complexity of the situation.
The solution to some plot problems at the end felt rather forced and bit too convenient, and that led to some of my dissatisfaction with the ending. Don’t get me wrong – it wasn’t a terrible ending or anything, I just was frustrated with some aspects of it, although there were other aspects I really appreciated.
I think the major risk that this two book series runs is covering too many topics in too little page space. While I never found it overwhelming, I think some of these ideas could have been explored more if the books or series were longer. Mira certainly needed more page time, the music magic could have used some more as well, and it would have been nice for some of the ideas about religion to get a bit deeper exploration.
However, on the whole, this is still a series worth reading. The plot and characters are enjoyable, and while I might wish for a greater explanation of some elements, Naomi Kritzer does manage to get you thinking.
QUOTE:
promising debut from a fresh new voice in fantasy, and I look forward to Kritzer's future work.
Fires of the Faithful / Turning the Storm
Naomi Kritzer
Bantam Spectra, 373 pages and 369 pages
Fires of the Faithful
Turning the Storm
Naomi Kritzer
Naomi Kritzer grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, a small lunar colony populated mostly by Ph.D.s. She moved to Minnesota to attend collect; after graduating with a BA in religion, she became a technical writer. She now lives in Minneapolis with her family. Fires of the Faithful and Turning the Storm are her first novels.
Naomi Kritzer's Website ISFDB Bibliography
Past Feature Reviews
A review by Victoria Strauss
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This duology by new author Naomi Kritzer began life as a single book, and was split in two and expanded at the behest of the publisher. It seems appropriate, therefore, to review it as a single work.
Sixteen-year-old Eliana is a violin student at an isolated rural conservatory. Times are hard -- a recent war has laid waste to large parts of the Mestierese Empire, and there's famine in the south. But life at the conservatory is reasonably secure, and Eliana has hope, once her training is complete, that she'll land a prestigious appointment to one of the ensembles at the Imperial Court.
Then a new roommate, Mira, arrives, and Eliana's life is changed forever. Mira is strangely secretive about her background; even stranger, she can't make the witchlight that nearly everyone can summon, even if they're not trained mages of the Circle. Mira also has unusual knowledge. Every musician knows a few of the Old Way songs -- survivals of the heretical monotheistic Redentore religion, which has been supplanted by the Lady-centered Fedele faith -- but Mira knows a lot of them, and she offers to teach Eliana and Eliana's friends how to play them. There's a power to the forbidden Old Way music, and the more Eliana and her friends learn the more they're drawn to it, gathering and practicing in secret. But their experimentation goes too far. One of Eliana's friends becomes a Redentore apostate, and is discovered and punished when the Fedele inquisition pays an unexpected visit. Soon after, Mira's secret past catches up to her, and she's forcibly removed from the conservatory. Before she goes, she reveals to Eliana the terrible secret the Circle has been hiding since the war's end: it wasn't the retreating army of the Vesuviano Empire, sowing the fields with salt, that caused the withering of the land -- it was the magefires the Circle summoned to defeat them.
Shattered by this discovery and by the loss of Mira, confused as to her allegiances (Eliana has never been a particularly devout Lady-worshipper, and while the Redentore faith -- or more precisely, the ancient power of its music -- appeals to her, she's not yet ready to convert), Eliana decides to return home. But further horrors await her there, and she winds up eventually at one of the huge refugee camps the Mestierese Empire has established in the wastelands that lie along the Vesuviano border. Here, amid the seething discontent of people forced from their land by famine -- some of whom are members of a reform movement that already knows the truth about magefire, and many of whom are secret Redentori -- Eliana finds herself thrust unexpectedly into a leadership role. From this beginning springs a campaign to spread the truth about magefire, to overthrow the Circle, and to break the grip of the repressive Fedeli on the faith of the people.
The above is certainly the stuff of epic fantasy. But Kritzer dispenses with the heroic trappings in favor of a more realistic approach. Eliana isn't your typical epic protagonist, swept headlong toward a glorious destiny by forces beyond her control, but a practical girl with a wry sense of humor who stumbles and makes mistakes and frequently wonders what on earth she's doing (and sometimes, stubbornly, chooses not to go along). The peasant army she assembles isn't ultimately transformed by the nobility of its purpose into a legendary fighting force; it remains a ragtag bunch that, while reasonably inspired by the cause it follows, is just as concerned with petty personal squabbles and pointless rivalry between its various units. The reform movement, run by students and scholars, is self-absorbed and inefficient in a way that anyone who has ever joined a leftist student organization will recognize. This is fantasy with the warts left on -- a refreshing change from more usual fare.
Unusual also is Kritzer's portrayal of the rival religions. Standing new age dualities on their heads, she posits a Goddess-centered religion as the repressor, and an analogue of Christianity as the repressed (though she dodges the patriarchy issue by making the Redentore God female). The Fedeli are as obsessed with orthodoxy as any group of medieval inquisitors, and as brutal in their enforcement of it. Goddess-centered religions are usually associated with fertility and the renewal of the earth, but the magefire that was the Lady's gift actually damages the earth, drawing out its life-force. By contrast, the Redentori are intimately connected to the earth through their rituals and their music, and ultimately discover that in the practice of faith they too can summon up a kind of magic, one that gives life back rather than draining it. This is no mere good religion/bad religion dichotomy, however; Kritzer takes pains to show that her Fedeli aren't hypocrites but true believers, and to portray the problems that arise when faith begins to transform itself into institutionalized religion. The new Redentore church clearly has the potential to become as intolerant as the Fedeli.
Kritzer's engaging tale, with its down-to-earth approach and interesting themes, is somewhat hampered by flaws in execution. Her choice of an Italianate Renaissance setting makes for a pleasing alternative to the more standard medievalism, but while some locations (the conservatory and the first refugee camp) are well-drawn, others (Cuore, the Imperial Court) have a generic feel, and the broader cultural background and history are barely sketched in. The religions too are explained less fully than one might wish, especially the process by which the Fedeli supplanted the Redentori. Character motivation isn't always as well-grounded as it might be -- Eliana's transition from school girl to general, for instance, strains credibility both in its swiftness and in her lack of reflection on the change. And the latter half of the second book, in which momentous events pile up in overly quick succession, would have profited from being expanded by an additional 50 or 60 pages.
I suspect these problems may reflect the artificial process of taking a single book and breaking it in two as much they do a new novelist still finding her feet. Overall, it's a promising debut from a fresh new voice in fantasy, and I look forward to Kritzer's future work.
Copyright © 2003 Victoria Strauss
Victoria Strauss is a novelist, and a lifelong reader of fantasy and science fiction. Her most recent fantasy novel The Garden of the Stone is currently available from HarperCollins EOS. For details, visit her website.
“Cat Pictures Please,” a work of science fiction by Naomi Kritzer
*NAOMI KRITZER WENT way out of her way to name-check my earlier AI cat story from 1998 in her new, Hugo-Award-winning AI cat story of 2015.
*That’s flattering, and a kindly collegial gesture on her part. It rather breaks the literary fourth-wall, though. It’s not like I invented cats or artificial intelligence. The science fiction genre has long rejoiced in its happy ability to blithely rip-off other people’s extrapolations. That’s a form of “permissionless innovation,” so, if you’re somehow struck by the need to write about a Japanese gift-sharing network whose graphic front end is a magic cat, don’t feel any obligation to cite me.
*”Cat Pictures Please” is a pretty good story, and it’s pleasant to see a Hugo Award going to Minneapolis/SaintPaul, a region whose creative scenes show a lot of staying-power.
Congratulations to Naomi K.