Vetplantfeetjies deur Fiona Moodie, Antjie Krog en Ingrid de Kok

Vir die wat vir my goed ken, sal julle weet ek is kompleet betjoinks oor vetplante. Ek versamel hulle al vir jare – aalwyne, kaktuse, euphorbias – allerande soorte. Toe ek sien dat die boekie Vetplantfeetjies uitgeryk is, moes ek toe 'n kopie kry. Dis nou rerig 'n oulike boekie díe, deur Fiona Moodie geillustreer en met die teks deur Antjie Krog en Ingrid de Kok. Wat meer kan 'n mens vra vir van so 'n samewerking?

Kyk, die ding met Afrikaanse gedigte is dat die woordespel net te pragtig is. Dit klink soms ook better as die Engelse vertalings – en die rympies in hierdie boek moet hardop gelees word vir hoe die woorde oor mekaar kabbel. En die konsep is wonderlik. Toe ek klein was, was ek dol oor die Flower Fairy boeke van Cicely Mary Barker, en Vetplant Feetjies is 'n eg Suid-Afrikaanse weergawe hiervan. Ek dink ook aan die DJ Opperman digte bundel waaruit my ma vir my voorgelees het – die rympies in Vetplant Feetjies het dieselfde gevoel.

Elke paar bladsye is toegewy aan 'n plant – meestal inheems, soos Euphorbia, Boophone disticha, Lithops, Crassula, en Kalanchoe, maar ook Echeveria. Die feetjies is so skattig, en die illustrasies onthul meer detail elke keer as ek hulle bestudeer. Dis 'n boekie wat ek in my permanente versameling gaan hou – vir inspirasie en net omdat dit so flippen mooi is. As jy kleingoed het of sommer net van mooi gedigte hou, en jy is lief vir vetplante, is dit nou 'n boek om in die hande te kry.

The Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia A McKillip

Part of what I love about trawling my local secondhand bookstore, which reminds me rather a lot of the store that we see in the opening of The Neverending Story film that traumatised me as a child, is that I'll often find books there that won't stray to my local Wordsworth. The Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia A McKillip is one such, and I really wish I'd read her writing sooner.

McKillip sadly passed away in 2022, and I feel that she's one of the voices in fantasy fiction who is chronically underrated in the genre, and one I'll happily hold up next to the likes of Ursula K Le Guin and Tanith Lee. 

The Book of Atrix Wolfe is a lush, nuanced tale, and the real treat is really the way that she crafts her story – the poetry in each paragraph, the images, sights, and sounds that beg you to keep this book on your shelf to reread at a future date. The story itself is deceptively simple, involving a wizard who, in his hubris, wreaks great destruction that unleashes a darker magic, and a faerie queen who loses her husband and daughter, and how a young wizard must work to right an ancient wrong.

And it's McKillip's magic in describing the environment, food, and the smaller details of the lives of the folks in the kitchen of a great castle that shines for me. So much exquisite detail. This book is very much a primer for fantasy authors who wish to craft beautiful prose. Or for readers who wish to immerse in a slowly unfolding fairytale filled with awe and wonder to be savoured.

Sins of the Past by JD Franx

So, JD Franx is one of my recent discoveries off Audible, and while JRR Tolkien they are not, there's something to be said for their pacing and ability to hold an action-packed tale that is engaging, and that makes you care about the characters. Sins of the Past is a prologue for their The Darkness Within saga, and gives you the backstory and setup for Yrlissa Blackmist. She's an elven assassin and she's gone deep undercover. The only problem is, she's fallen in love, settled down, and started a family – while on the job.

This obviously presents a problem for not only those who deployed her, but also means that her family is now vulnerable to forces beyond their ken.

One of the bones that I do pick with fantasy is that often we don't see enough emotional conflict for characters who're constantly on the go with their adventures vs. their personal lives – so this is the kind of high stakes vs. personal stakes story that really introduced some great conflict. This being a prologue, it's more a teaser, really, and gives you a little background for a character without dumping reams of exposition on you. I'm most certainly invested in Franx's writing, and if you're looking for an accessible fantasy series, this is is one of them. Their writing is easy on the eye and ear (depending on whether you're going for the Audible editions), and while not overly complicated at least has sufficient depth to the setting and characters' motivations to keep things engaging.

Of course I must add that I initially picked up this title because I'm a HUUUUGE fan of narrator Simon Vance, who could read me a telephone directory and my ears would be happy.