Great Leaders in Speculative Fiction #3 -- Pyanfar Chanur & "The Pride of Chanur"

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Roll up, roll up, 'tis time for Instalment #3 in the great leaders of Fantasy and Science Fiction series.

If I'm being true to the theme, it's very very difficult indeed to go past Pyanfar Chanur, from CJ Cherryh's now-classic Chanur series.

The opening standalone is The Pride of Chanur, on which today's post is chiefly based, but I believe my comments apply equally to the subsequent trilogy: Chanur's Venture, The Kif Strike Back, and Chanur's Homecoming. The fifth novel, Chanur's Legacy, is a spinoff that follows another member of the spacefaring Chanur clan. 

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As you've probably gathered from the covers, Pyanfar Chanur is not human. She's a Hani, from a lion-like race where (in pride fashion) only females go into space, to trade and deal with a range of other species, some oxygen, and others methane breathers. Collectively, they call their space system Compact space. 

The Pride story starts when Pyanfar's ship (the titular Pride of Chanur) is docked at Meetpoint station, where an unknown creature is loose on the docks. Hani and spacer practice is to mind one's own business and leave well alone, but Pyanfar and her crew's luck is out, because the stray makes a determined incursion into their loading bay, then the ship itself.

The stray turns out to be a human being, a species previously unknown in Compact space. Tully was a crew member on an exploration vessel that was pirated by another species called the Kif, who are inclined to raiding, kidnap, and torture. Tully is the final survivor and has managed to escape, but the Kif want him back and are prepared to go to any lengths to get him. 

Dockside skirmishes, interstellar pursuits, and space battles ensue, because this is space opera at its finest, and Pyanfar and her five Hani spacers are a riproaring, swashbuckling crew. In the midst of the furor, Pyanfar definitely leads from the front. But what begins her transformation into a great leader, rather than a courageous fighter alone, is when her moral line of sand becomes a line of blood, spilled on the Pride's deck. One that she's not willing to cross -- or to back away from.

When Tully seeks refuge on the Pride, he speaks no Compact language and is completely different to any species Pyanfar has previously encountered. She also knows that taking something the Kif want will bring down a world of trouble, not only on the Pride, but other Hani ships. The easiest course would be to hand Tully over and forget all about him.

The reason Pyanfar won't do that is because she realizes that Tully is a sentient being and should be accorded full Compact's rights in that respect. Her leadership shines in not only about holding to that point herself, but convincing others, both Hani and other species, to do the same -- despite a general reluctance to cross the piratical Kif. Her journey also involves a shift in  perspective, from seeing the Compact and its species from a purely Hani point-of-view, to comprehending a much bigger picture -- one that encompasses dealings with new species like humans, as well as the existing Compact members.

Pyanfar's ability to see that picture not only enables her to discern that change is needed, both in the Compact and within Hani society, but to be the change that will bring it about. Ultimately, this leads her to become (by the end of the trilogy) the equivalent of a president of Compact space, whose work has become wrangling the differences between its species, in order to preserve the cooperation that Tully's arrival threatened.  

Not by handing him over to the Kif, turning her back, and walking away, though. And the fact that Pyanfar Chanur can always be relied upon to kick-arse and take names, just makes her journey from spacer captain to galactic leader all the more enjoyable for readers. 

~*~

About Helen Lowe

Helen Lowe is an award-winning novelist, poet, and lover of story. With four books published to date, she is currently completing the final instalment in The Wall Of Night series.
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Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we.

......................................~*~

Previous "Great Leaders in Speculative Fiction" Posts:

February: Mara of the Acoma in the Empire series by Raymond E Feist & Janny Wurts

March: Kaladin and Dalinar in The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

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From the Back-List: Confused about Genre?

 

Reading and Writing Different Types of Books

 

Today we share a back-list post from March 2013 from our very own Merrie Destefano, award-winning artist and author of multiple, intriguing genres.

Read the entire post Confused About What Genre You are Writing? and let us know what you think of these many subcategories of Speculative Fiction.

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“What genre is this book?” 

 

This is a question that authors ask themselves frequently while writing. Agents ask it when considering representation. Editors ask it when acquiring. Marketing departments ask it while trying to promote the book. Bookstore staff members ask it when trying to categorize the book and when speaking to customers. Readers ask it before buying the book and when telling their friends about the book.

Phew.

The problem is, when you’re writing speculative fiction, all the boundaries seem to blur until you feel like you’re cross-eyed. To give you a brief example, when I wrote my first novel, Afterlife, I saw it as science fiction. When my editor acquired it, however, she asked for a few changes -- not many -- and the book was then marketed as an urban fantasy. To me, that book will always be sci-fi. But to many readers, it’s urban fantasy.

My current novel, Fathom, probably falls into the category of paranormal romance. But to me, it’s fantasy. I never saw the paranormal romance elements when I was writing the book. They’re probably there, but to me it was like a math equation:

Overarching coming of age theme + legendary creatures + mythological elements = FANTASY.

But then, I’m just the writer. Writers don’t usually get to decide what category their novels fall into. They just write the best book they can and try not to worry about things like markets or categories or the dreaded Latest Hot Topic.

So, just for fun, I put together a little Cheat Sheet for helping to define what category the book you’re currently reading might fall into. Now, these are just suggestions, not hard, fast rules. Here goes...

CATEGORIES OVERVIEW:

FANTASY: May take place in another world and often contains magic or supernatural elements. Does not contain scientific themes (otherwise, it would be science fiction.) Usually has a battle of good versus evil. May or may not have romance.
Books: The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones.

HORROR: Can contains supernatural themes; meant to scare, startle or terrify. Sometimes rooted in folklore. May have vampires, werewolves, etc. Also may have a gothic tone. Sometimes written very beautifully, despite horrific subject matter.
Books: The Shining, Dracula, The Haunting.

PARANORMAL ROMANCE: May blend elements of science fiction, fantasy and horror. Takes place in our world, but often has otherworldly creatures, like vampires, ghosts, shape shifters, etc. A sub-category of fantasy and/or a sub-category of romance that contains experiences outside the normal or supernatural aspects.
Books: Highlander, Twilight, The Vampire Diaries. Read More...

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We would love to hear about your favorite genres. Meet us in the comments!

 
 

The Art of Adaptation - The Healing Magic of KDramas

 

Nine-Tailed Fox from Pinterest

Welcome to the Supernatural Underground! Today we are looking at another form of adaptation as seen through the magical world of KDramas.

Why Korean Drama?

What is so spectacular about KDramas that makes them popular? 

First, the obvious. 

South Korea is financing their Art, film and music industry, and what a difference that support can make We are seeing more and more polished, well-written, directed and acted shows produced for a rapidly growing audience.

These shows present a window into another culture that broadens our international perspective. They bring the heights of emotion to the surface, exploring tropes of love, family, romance, fantasy, mythology, contemporary goals and timeless longings.

Gong Woo and Kim Go-eun in
Guardian - the Lonely and Great God

When well done, and many are very well done, they richly entertain while sparking creativity, cultural empathy and compassion.

KDrama as International Films*

KDramas, once categorized as foreign films but now referred to as 'international', have a magical appeal, tempting viewers with new settings, customs, styles and ideologies while staying firmly rooted in familiar feelings, narratives and archetypes. Think of them as the epitome of immersion into another culture, the next best thing to being there. 

The Brain Delights

As with all international media, we must adapt in multiple ways to experience these films to the highest degree.

From the original post, Kdramas not only adapt one medium to another - book or screenplay to film, they translate it for another culture. For this to work, the 'other culture' must find the truth of the story through sound, sight and the interpretation of the written word, ie subtitles. 

Not how the brain watches films.

We might think of this as multiple tributaries flowing into the same reservoir of cognition, but that isn't the case with the human brain. Not even close.

Each interpretation of sight, sound and language is processed differently and in different parts of the brain. 

How the Brain Views Multiple Media

For example, sound begins as an air wave, entering the ear where it turns into an electrical signal and travels through the thalamus to the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe for 'translation'.

Sight, on the other hand, is light that journeys through the eyes, into the optic nerve where it turns into different electrical signals and is carried to the visual cortex in the occipital lobe for interpretation.

Reading the written word, however, is fairly new to human experience, at least in evolutionary terms.

Because of the infancy of the process, there is no specific part of the brain responsible for written language translation. 

Instead, we must rely on our memory of the sounds heard while linking them to the sounds we 'see' in the written letters or glyphs. This process is known as phonological recoding, describing how our brains understand writing.

Via these multi-layers of stimulation, the brain learns to make sense of films with subtitles to our great benefit.

Watching Kdramas is Good for You

A major benefit of watching KDramas is the activation of multiple areas of the brain. Think of it as enhancing comprehension, memory, recall and attention to detail. It's stimulating and entertaining all in one.

With soap-like plotlines that aren't afraid to tackle everything from grief to joy, agony to ecstasy, watching KDramas can help us reconnect with our own emotions and process past trauma.

The idea that Kdrama binging can help with mental health may seem a stretch, but it aligns with psychological research. These models show how viewing creates a safe space for individuals to explore their experiences and by doing so they may regain a sense of control, restoring well-being. Healing through the art of storytelling

Expert Im Su-geun underscores, "Watching Korean dramas can be beneficial for anxiety and depression from the viewpoint of art therapy." KDrama for mental health

Subtitle Caveat

Kim Jung Nan plays Talupio
in Tale of the Nine-Tailed

Although subtitlers do an amazing job of staying true to the translation, they sometimes fall short. 

Take an instance in Tale of the Nine Tailed, for example. Here our hero is a Gumiho, a nine-tailed fox, who has a grandmotherly relationship with Talupio, the beautiful, ancient woman in charge of afterlife immigration and protector of the Samdo River. (Think River Styx)

Our fox calls her halmeoni, or Halmeonim, a form of supreme respect given to a venerated ancestor goddess. And rightly so.

But what words does the translation team choose for this exalted women?

Old Hag.

In the subtitles, he calls her Old Hag repeatedly!

If I hadn't been watching the film with someone familiar with the Korean language, I would have been very confused. Certainly, the actor never treated her like a hag, old or otherwise. 

The Bottom Line

Kdramas, with their high production values, strong acting and gorgeous stars have propelled South Korean TV shows to the top of global charts, but there are even deeper reasons to get hooked. 

With soap-like plotlines tackling everything from earth-shattering grief to the joy of new love, watching KDramas can help people reconnect with their own emotions. - Bing watching KDrama

"We all have family pressures and expectations, conflict, trauma, hope, and watching heavy topics being successfully managed on screen can change people's ability to navigate real-world challenges.

Besides, they are so wonderfully done and addictive!

***

Are you keen to let yourself adapt to a new experience? Try stories that make the heart beat faster, through KDrama!

xo Kim

*International films were referred to in the past as 'foreign films' which in contemporary settings is seen as exclusive and outdated.

***`

About Kim Falconer 

Kim Falconer, also writing as AK Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series. Currently, she is ready with the third book, out in 2025. TBA

Kim can be found on AKWilder.com, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and KimFalconer.com. 

Throw the bones on the AKWilder.com site See you there!

From The Backlist: "The Writer's Paradox" by Tera Lynn Childs

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We're all writers and readers here, so a writer's paradox holds perennial appeal. Here's the great Tera Lynn Childs' take on the theme -- enjoy!

The Writer's Paradox

by Tera Lynn Childs

Writers are crazy. There's no getting around the fact that (at times) we're completely neurotic, insecure, and borderline bat$#!%; crazy. I used to think that writing attracted unstable personalities, but now I'm pretty sure the Writer's Paradox is to blame.

You have to think you suck, otherwise you will.

When I started writing I thought I was a fairly sane person. I thought I was in control of my own emotions, at least as much as anyone is, and there was no way I would be as crazy as those writers on TV and in movies. Guess what? I was wrong.

This is what happens when you search for crazy on Flickr.

Over the course of writing and publishing a book, I go through stages of elation where I think, Woohoo, this is going to be the best book ever! (Note: This stage usually occurs before a single word has been written.) I go through meh stages where I think, The book is pretty crappy but I can fix it in revisions. (This is the most common stage.)

And finally I go through stages where I think, I'm a fraud who can't write, I'll never get this book under control, I'll never write anything as good as [fill in name of amazingly talented bestselling author here] and I'll never get another contract again!

This sounds crazy, right? ... The sad thing is--and as writers we kind of just have to accept this as fact--we need that fear ... "

To find out why Tera Lynn reckons writers need that fear, click here.

To learn more about Tera Lynn herself, and the all-important writing, follow this link.

Great Leaders in Speculative Fiction #2 -- Kaladin, Dalinar, & "The Stormlight Archive"

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Yep, it's March, with hints of spring for some and harbingers of autumn for those in southern hemisphere climes -- but here on Supernatural Underground it's time for Instalment #2 of great leaders in Fantasy and Science Fiction!

Stormlight #1

The series I'm focusing on today (which currently comprises five books) is the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson -- although I'm chiefly talking about Book One, The Way of Kings. I also had an impossible task deciding whether the featured leader should be Kaladin Stormblessed or Dalinar Kholin. In the end, I decided there was nothing for it but to discuss both, so here goes!

Kaladin and Dalinar of "The Stormlight Archive" Fame

The Stormlight Archive is an epic fantasy, set in the world of Roshar. As the story unfolds, we learn that Roshar has endured many cycles of cataclysmic war, but has currently experienced over a millenium of peace. It's still a world where warfare, inequalities, and injustice, are rife, however, and from the story's outset, both Kaladin and Dalinar are enmeshed in its strife. 

Stormlight #2

Dalinar is the brother of the recently assassinated king of Alethkar. Historically, he was also his brother's principal general in successive wars of conquest, with a violent and bloody past. Well suited, in other words, to lead Alethkar's armies in a war of vengeance against the enemies (Parshmen) who engineered his brother's murder.

Kaladin

Again at the story's outset, Kaladin is a young commoner with a soldiering background, who has been enslaved and serves as a "bridgeman" for the Alethkar armies. The terrain where they are fighting is distinguished by deep (and monster infested) chasms, and the bridgemen's part is to carry the wooden bridges that enable the soldiers to cross the chasms and close with the enemy. Needless to say, being slaves, they are unarmed but must go ahead of the main force, so casualties are high and morale correspondingly low.

Stormlight #3

Kaladin's morale is also at very low ebb (unsurprisingly!) when he is forced into the bridge carriers. Yet he is also a natural leader, with a gift for motivating others, chiefly through leading by example. He is also poured from the mold that I term "his brother's keeper", in that he both feels and takes responsibility for the wellbeing of those about him -- in this case, his fellow bridge slaves. Although as the backstory unfolds, the reader discovers that it's a considerable part of why he is enslaved.

What makes Kaladin a great leader, is that he not only feels responsibility but acts upon it. He is also physically courageous and tactically adept, as well as having a charisma that inclines other to follow him.  It's not just charisma, though -- Kaladin also has a gift for inspiring others to be and do better, irrespective of circumstances. Together, these qualities enable him to instill the discipline and train the bridge carriers in tactics that greatly improve their effectiveness and survival rates. 

During the course of The Way of Kings, Kaladin's circumstances change for the better. In large part because of his leadership qualities and because he has an ethical compass that endures despite slavery, injustice, and brutalization.  

These qualities continue to define Kaladan's path through the Stormlight Archive -- but as to how and why his personal fortunes change, that's in large part because both path and fate cross that of Dalinar Kholin. 

Stormlight #4

Dalinar

Dalinar, as mentioned, has a chequered past. Correction, a very chequered past, and his path requires significant personal change, from brawler, drunkard, and war leader, to statesman. In this he is guided by chaotic visions and a book titled the Way of Kings, both of which set him on a path at odds with received wisdom and the traditional behaviors of Alethkar nobility. 

Dalinar's outstanding personal quality is his willingness to remake himself. Like Kaladin, he has personal courage in spades. Unlike Kaladin, the ethical compass must be learned. Yet Dalinar persists, despite considerable private and public cost, because he perceives the new path, and the attendant changes required of him, as necessary -- not just for the survival of Alethkar and its peoples, but also Roshar.

In other words, Dalinar is a big picture thinker. Convincing others, however, firstly to believe him capable of change, then to follow his path at all, requires more and harder work. Chiefly of persuasion, cooperation, and demonstrating respect, rather than war and destruction (his previous m.o.) Dalinar's willingness to put in that work (again, like Kaladin, leading by example) is part of what makes him an effective leader. Picking and promoting subordinates on proven merit is another -- which leads us back to Kaladin.

Stormlight #5

When their paths cross, Dalinar not only perceives Kaladin's courage and outstanding leadership qualities. He also believes that he owes Kaladin a profound debt of honor. Convenience might dictate overlooking the debt owed to a slave, but having adopted the Way of Kings, Dalinar is not prepared to renege on its tenets. He pays a kingly price to uphold his honor, one that most of Alethkar's nobility would never contemplate -- because he not only sees a larger picture, but understands that it must apply equally to individual dealings as well as affairs of state. 

Dalinar is a head of state and leader of armies, and throughout the Stormlight Archive he holds his followers to a high standard. But he holds himself to it first, which is the core of his personal integrity and leadership style, and why others, however reluctantly in some cases, are prepared to follow him.

Even, as it turns out, to contesting the ending of the world and surviving the death of their god. 

~*~

About Helen Lowe

Helen Lowe is an award-winning novelist, poet, and lover of story. With four books published to date, she is currently completing the final instalment in The Wall Of Night series.
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Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we.

From the Back List - Why Weird Is the New Normal

 

Image from How to Write Slipstream Fiction - The Write Life

Welcome fans of the Sup back list.

Today we are sharing a post by Terri Garey, Supernatural Underground author who writes award-winning and critically-acclaimed urban fantasy. Here are her thoughts from February 2015 on the weird and wonderful genre of Slipstream Fiction.

Read on to discover what makes this form of writing tick!

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Slipstream Goes Mainstream, or Why Weird Is the New Normal

by Terri Garey

 

I read an article* in the Wall Street Journal the other day about "Slipstream Fiction". It was a term I'd never heard before, which surprised me, but what surprised me even more is that I've been writing slipstream fiction for years, and didn't even know it!

Wikipedia defines the Slipstream genre as: "fantastic or non-realistic fiction that crosses conventional genre boundaries between science fiction, fantasy and mainstream literary fiction". Um, hello... we authors here in the Supernatural Underground write about ghosts and shapeshifters and time travel and shadowy creatures from other worlds. We weave tales of mystery and magic, blending fantasy with science fiction, modernity with the medieval, and while the settings and characters may differ, the focus remains on the universal aspects of the human condition: the quest for self, the need for love and acceptance, the choices we make on the moral issues between right and wrong, good and evil.

Slipstream fiction is being referred to as "the New Weird", and I, for one, am very glad to hear it.  I've never wanted to be a carbon copy of everyone else - I have my quirks (I adore Halloween, avoid red meat, and talk to my orchids while tending them). According to the WSJ article*, I'm not alone, as Slipstream Fiction is a fast-growing genre, indicating that readers seem to embrace the blending of the mundane with the bizarre.... continue reading here.

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We would love to hear about your favorite examples of Slipstream in the comments.

 

The Art of Adaptation - Authors' Response to External Pressures

Crazy Chaos by Yaoyao Ma Van As

Welcome, my readerly and writerly friends! Let's talk about another form of adaptation, the adjustments authors make when turning their manuscripts into books. 

It falls under the category of 'revision' and, there are multiple reasons to do it.

Adapting for Marketability

This form of adaptation falls squarely under Category #3 listed in the original post - a response to external pressures. "It snowed so she put on her coat." 

Image from The Left Hand of Darkness

Here the snow is pressure to change some part of the submitted story. Putting on the coat is the willingness to make those changes.

Where does the 'snow' come from?

It might be the author's agent, suggesting changes that will make the work easier to sell. It might be the editorial department asking for a change that puts the work more in line with the imprint. Perhaps it is a more specific issue such as sensitivity readers catching where the book succumbs to stereotyping, racial profiling, cultural appropriation or biases (unless such writing is part of the character or story). 

Whatever the pressure, if it is meaningful to the book's publication and success, writers usually will adapt.

I mean, we want our stories to reach the readership in the best possible form.

Publishers are Gatekeepers

Remember, publishers are the gateway to the readers, even though their focus is on the business side of the equation.

The Gunslinger

NOTE: It's not irregular for a publisher to suggest changes to a work. Quite the opposite! It's expected. The editors are there to hone the story, find holes in the plot, suggest different structuring, snappier dialogue, more multifaceted characters etc. 

Most writers, famous or unknown, need this kind of support to do their best work. 

Hopefully, the suggested though often optional changes don't go too far, tipping over to censorship or removing the author's voice or style. 

Still, as said, even well-known authors will adapt. As an example, J K Rowling was asked to revise the HP series for greater suspense, repetition removal and the addition of details about certain characters. -From the Writer's Desk

It's known that Stephen King was asked to tone down the horror in some of his stories. Yikes!

Ursula K Le Guin was rejected outright for one of her most recognized works based on ... well, just about everything. The rejecting editor said:

" ... the book is so endlessly complicated by details of reference and information, the interim legends become so much of a nuisance despite their relevance, that the very action of the story seems to be to become hopelessly bogged down and the book, eventually, unreadable. The whole is so dry and airless, so lacking in pace, that whatever drama and excitement the novel might have had is entirely dissipated by what does seem, a great deal of the time, to be extraneous material. My thanks nonetheless for having thought of us. The manuscript of The Left Hand of Darkness is returned herewith."

Read the Process Online

To normalize this process a little more, Brandon Sanderson takes us step by step through his revision journey, a rare treat and up on his website for all to view. 

But sometimes it is too late for the author to adapt to changing society,  language, meaning and new publishing norms. 

When it is Too Late to Adapt

One example is the broadcaster Greg James who was criticised over a promotional video for the Roald Dahl novel, The Twits. Here it was suggested giving one of the principal characters a glass eye would make her disgusting - Rawlinson and Creamer

And, in February 2023, controversy followed a report that publishers at Penguin Random House were rereleasing books by Roald Dahl after sensitivity reader input. The changes included removing every instance of the words fat and ugly. So Augustus Gloop becomes “enormous,” and Mrs. Twit is “beastly” not “ugly and beastly.”  Some text was also added to The Witches: A passage about how witches are bald under their wigs now ends with, “There are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.”  

Mrs. Twit et al

Do you think these are positive changes for young readers or a muffling of Dahl's edge?

Sensitivity Readers - Support or Censorship?

The same type of arguments were raised recently when Kathryn Stockett’s The Help was published in 2009. The book attracted huge commercial success but was also criticised. The key issue was that Stockett, a white middle-class American, wrote about African American maids working in white households in Mississippi in the 1960s. The book was accused by the African American community of being a "shallow portrayal of black people’s experiences in that setting and era."

And then, the 2019 novel American Dirt attracted harsh publicity for similar reasons. A story of a Mexican mother and her child's journey to the border after their family's murder, the book has been accused of clichéd writing, and tagged “opportunistic, selfish, and parasitic” while appropriating the stories of Mexican immigrants to America. 

But is Cummmins a middle-class white woman or a person of mixed race? Until the book’s release, she had identified as white but revealed in the lead-up to publication, and during the negative scrutiny, that she has a Puerto Rican grandmother. The timing may not have been perfect.

For or against, it didn't help mitigate the outcry. Cummins’ book tour was cancelled over concerns for her safety. Though, you can see on Goodreads that in spite of all, American Dirt has sold 2+ million copies.

Summary 

Ultimately, authors need to be flexible and at least consider suggestions made by their trusted proofers, editors and sensitivity readers. Better to have a chance to adapt to wider views of a rapidly changing market before the work goes to print than to try to edit editions years down the track. 

Have any of you, as readers and/or writers, seen cases where adapting to such pressures went too far? Not far enough?  

We'd love to hear about it in the comments.

xxKim

***

About Kim Falconer 

Kim Falconer, also writing as AK Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series. Currently, she is ready with the third book, out in 2025. TBA

Kim can be found on AKWilder.com, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and KimFalconer.com. 

Throw the bones on the AKWilder.com site See you there!