One of the things I love about fantasy/sci-fi as genres is how they can be used to speculate on real world issues through presenting them in fantastical ways. For kids and adults both, fighting dragons, slaying monsters, and adventuring through strange and complex environments can be a medium through which we can better understand our own trauma and, if we're lucky, triumph over it just like our heroes do in books.
On that note, my shoutout for this week is 'Creature of Creation' by Mandie Dufour aka The Queen of Gremlins (love this title). This speculative fiction story tells the tale of two angel-like humans, Anpiel and Clay, who are the subjects of intense and degrading experiments by an organisation of scientists hell bent on unlocking their powers. The pair make a daring escape and are taken in by three humans – paranormal investigators Zach, Sam, and Gabriel. Together, they seek to expose the laboratory through writing an article that will reveal its secrets to the world...if the angels' captors don't get to them first.
This story is an emotionally charged and surprisingly grounded piece – many of its chapters focus on the angels struggle to adapt to living and trusting humans after the horrors they have experienced. Their pain feels real, and the relationship between the characters helps us empathise with them almost immediately. We have Clay, the strong, older sibling figure, always resilient and strong. And yet, there is the potential for destruction that she knows is locked within her. On the other hand there's Anpiel, the meeker of the two, but the one who delights in nothing more than being able to spread her wings and fly, even as she sometimes admits that she might have been better off if she was never born with them.
We follow their struggle as they slowly come to trust and even love those humans who have taken them in. The core of the story is in this emotional connection between characters which is often tested (does Zach really care about the angels or are they simply a good story that will get his name out there?) but ultimately the reader is left with a beautiful vision of what simple compassion and care can do to help people who have never had it.
On the other side of things, the writer uses varied shifts in perspective to show us the minds of the head scientists, Smith, Marvin, and James, who desperately want to recover their 'experiments'. These are guys you're gonna love to hate, and their dehumanisation and disregard for their angel targets is chillingly and unflinchingly portrayed through each one of their scenes. Alex Smith wants nothing more than his 'project' to succeed, and will stop at nothing to accomplish his goals. All the while, James wants the angels back too, but advancing the cause of science isn't exactly what he has on his mind.
The dynamic between all these characters is realistically and convincingly portrayed, and if you enjoy character focussed drama that isn't afraid to deal with heavy themes in a mature way, you'll love this book. Don't just take my word for it though – this book won first place in 'The Count Awards' sci-fi category, and it currently stands at #1 in the 'cryptozoology' tag.* I have no doubt these accolades are only the first of many. This author deserves more love. Who's love? Yours! Go forth and join two free 'angels' now. And follow the writer herself TheQueenofGremlins
*Footnote – I had to look this up, and it turns out that this is genuinely a scientific field dedicated to the search for and study of legendary/mythological creatures. I am now as excited as a kid amped up on too much candy to know that this exists.
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Milestones and Visions
Non-FictionA breakdown of both milestone celebrations on Wattpad and a place to see concept artwork and images that inspire me (and might even prove helpful in your own writing!) I also will be sharing some writing activities I've found useful, so check these...
