I’ve been distracted by a lot lately: Holidays. Work. More work. A lot more work. Ramping up the release of my next two books (Casual is out next month!!!). Writing the next thing. Etc. And in all of that, Read the World has taken a seat on the back burner.
But, I’m ready to start investing more time in the project, because I think it’s important to discover the place of the things we’re reading. I have installed a few new plugins that update the look/feel of the map and the related books/stories/poems, and I think it’s working a lot better now. However, there are definitely a few bugs. Unfortunately, as it’s just me working on this project, they will be ironed out in time. Always feel free to write to me if you have a technical problem or if there is an issue with an entry. Suggestions are also welcome.
A bit of cool news: Read the World has 35 entries ranging from the United States to South Africa to Singapore. I was thrilled that people showed interest in the project and sent in their links. It also cool to see that there were people from all over the world, inspired by many different places. The place with the most entries is currently the United Kingdom with, I believe, 9 entries at the moment.
With all of the interest, it’s only fair that I help showcase some of the entries. So I thought I’d take you on a tour of the current pins on the Read the World Map.
First stop: Finland.
Finland currently has three pins by two different authors. Two of the pins represent books, and one is a short story. I’ll start with the short story, as it’s available free online.
Birding With My Human by Sylvia Heike
This is a sweet flash story available on Cast of Wonders. In it a human brings a robot to a bird watching tower she used to frequent with her grandfather. The piece explores the differences between a machine and human watching the birds and uses the differences to comment on how different types of awareness lead to different types of enjoyment. As I said, it’s very sweet.
On Read the World, Sylvia noted that the story is, “Inspired and set in this location (in the future), a bird watching tower by a lake with a view towards the real Gull Island.”
I’ve never been to Finland, but I did look up a bit about their birding culture, and apparently it’s quite the place to go if you want to see a variety of unique birds.
Silver Helix by Xan van Rooyen
Next, we have another book by Xan van Rooyen, Silver Helix, published with Android Press in 2023. (Side note, Android Press seems pretty cool, with an emphasis on -punk genres and cli fi.)
The Read the World note reads: “This adult aetherpunk novel is set in a futuristic version of Helsinki that blends Finnish mythology with dystopia.”
Okay, wtf is aetherpunk besides a fun word to say? I looked it up and it is apparently a blend of magic and sci fi (or magic that creates/powers technology). And the -punk, similar to solar punk, looks at creating utopias, usually through the lens of fixing dystopias. Or at least that’s what I understand. I’ll be honest, all of the -punk genres fascinate me.
Storyline: We’ve got a post-war Helsinki where magic mutates human DNA, giving them magical abilities. But the government forces people with traces of the mutation to undergo gene therapy to reverse the process. The main character, Omyn, is caught stealing nanites and joins the resistance to escape. She gets involved with bringing back the dying magic and discovers a conspiracy that could shake the city.
Readers mention its a fast-paced novel with complicated characters and an immersive world. People particularly seemed to like the world-building.
My Name Is Magic by Xan van Rooyen
Finally, we have a YA fantasy book published in 2022 with Tiny Ghost Press. My Name Is Magic is about Taika, who has no magic but is forced to attend an elite magic school because their mom is the principal. Students go missing and begin showing up as spirits, and Taika finds themselves fighting to save magic and their friends.
From the reviews, it seems like a fun read that gives a good introduction to Finnish mythology. People especially liked the characters, the magic system, and the queer representation. Some readers have noted it may be a good match for lower YA or upper MG readers.
I know nothing or Finnish mythology, and I think this will be an interesting way to see some of the concepts in action. I’ll be checking it out and seeing if it will will be a good read for my son, who’s very into magic and mythology at the moment.
And that’s a wrap for my first dip into the map. Not a bad catch, if I do say so myself.
Read the World is a community mapping project that ties place to writing. You can see the current map here. Readers or writers can submit a pin for inclusion in the project using this form.
