The Dreamblood Series (a duology, both books of which were published within 6 weeks of each other this summer) takes place in an Egyptian styled society. To her, fiction is not just a story, it is an opportunity to address social issues and discern the motivations and foibles that move us and make us human. As a reader of her blog, I was heartened and impressed by the work she did at building a world and system of 'magic', as well as the time, care, and seriousness with which she viewed her work. Motivation and personality played huge parts in those stories. She had an expansive and creative back story not just for each character, but for the creation of the universe and the worlds and creatures within it.

The fact that the book jumped forward hundreds of years between installments was unique, as was the way the gods themselves both depended on and interacted with humans. Jemisin's Inheritance Trilogy was a fresh take on the 'gods are warring and humans get caught up in it' story. Jemisin is a speculative fiction (read: fantasy) writer who uses non-traditional (read: non-feudal European societies) as the settings for her books. Rick Riordan, he of Percy Jackson fame, created a similar series (recently completed) based on Egyptian gods. It continued in Lost, which added many, many tenants and figures from Egyptian mythology. It started stylistically with Indiana Jones (while never set in Egypt, Raiders owes much of its back-story and mythos to it) and later was picked up by Stargate and all of its television incarnations. There is a small movement afoot recently to bring Egyptian mythology and settings into the mainstream. Ehiru must now protect the woman he was sent to kill - or watch the city be devoured by war and forbidden magic.

Someone, or something, is stalking its prey both in Gujaareh’s alleys and the realm of dreams. But when a conspiracy blooms within Gujaareh’s great temple, Ehiru - the most famous of the city’s Gatherers - must question everything he knows. Priests of the dream-goddess, their duty is to harvest the magic of the sleeping mind and use it to heal, soothe… and kill those judged corrupt. Upon its rooftops and amongst the shadows of its cobbled streets wait the Gatherers - the keepers of this peace. In the ancient city-state of Gujaareh, peace is the only law.

The killing moon jemisin