The Diabolic by S. J. Kincaid

Don’t you love the cover of the new science fiction novel, The Diabolic by S. J. Kincaid? It is beautiful and actually a fairly accurate reflection of the young adult novel where the main characters transform in the midst of assassinations, impersonation, intrigue, and … romance.

S. J. Kincaid (author of the Insignia series) has crafted a futuristic story in which Diabolics are essentially genetically engineered superhuman killing machines. At a young age, they are forced to learn to fight and kill and are then emotionally bonded to a single human that each will protect with his/her life. Such was the case for Nemesis and Sidonia, daughter of Senator Impyrean. The Senator is a foe of the Emperor and his daughter is summoned to the intergalactic court – essentially to become a hostage.  In order to protect her, Nemesis is disguised and goes instead.  That’s when the back-stabbing and dangers really begin.  A potential revolt occurs and several other surprising twists make The Diabolic a quick, addictive read with plot elements of science vs. religion, biotechnology ethics, and corrupt leadership exploiting class distinctions. Think of The Hunger Games meets The Selection and you will have a sense of this story which occurs deep in space.

University Press and professional reading ….

I recently evaluated two new titles from Yale University Press and can see applications for both at school. First was Haunted by Leo Braudy which, per its subtitle, deals with “Ghosts, Witches, Vampires, Zombies, and Other Monsters of the Natural and Supernatural Worlds.” Braudy, a Professor at the University of Southern California, is already recognized for his work on war, masculinity, and the nature of fame. In his new book, Braudy discusses monsters from nature, man-made, created monsters, the monster from within, and monsters from the past. Haunted is a perfect fit for the Monster Symposium we hold each year wherein our students explore the monster as “other,” as “evil,” and so forth.  Class discussions of texts like Shelley’s Frankenstein or Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray will also be enriched with Braudy’s insights. Recently reviewed in The Wall Street Journal (“The Monsters that Torment Us”), Haunted provides an enlightening read ("Fear is the pervasive topic of our times") in this Halloween (and election!) season.

The second title was The Battle for Syria by Christopher Phillips. This, too, is an excellent piece of scholarship and could be referenced by our Geography and Social Studies classes. A potential concern is the timeliness of this text given the constantly shifting news from the Middle East and Syria in particular. Phillips, however, provides a unique perspective and cogent analysis of underlying involvement of international forces:  US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Iran. The goals, subsequent actions and outcomes fro each are described. We will likely pair The Battle for Syria with Richard Engel’s And Then All Hell Broke Loose.  

Wonder Women by Sam Maggs

Wonder Women by Sam Maggs is yet another collection of brief biographical sketches of women who deserve to be recognized. Complete with attractive line art drawings by Sophia Foster-Dimino, twenty-five women are each profiled in three to five pages. Some are relatively well-known (e.g., Ada Lovelace, Bessie Coleman), but most will be new to readers and many, like chemist Alice Ball, appear to have been almost purposefully forgotten by experts in their fields. At the end of the book's five main sections (science, medicine, espionage, innovation, and adventure), Maggs includes a paragraph for each of another half dozen women in that area. And an unusual, but welcome, feature is the Q & A that follows with a computer scientist, a cancer researcher, a journalist, engineer, or geophysicist, all women currently practicing in their fields.  That contemporary advice will reinforce interest by girls and illustrate the range of experiences open to them today, not just pioneering accomplishments from history.

Wonder Women will be popular with students; it is informative and easy to browse by skipping from one profile to another. The informal descriptions and appendix (subtitled “How to become a Woman of Wonder”) should spark further interest and lead to more investigation of the listed websites and other sources. Look for Wonder Women and titles like Swaby’s Headstrong, Jahren’s Lab Girl, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s My Own Words, and many more on display at the library!