Wearing the Lion

Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell, 384 pages

Regan did an excellent job of summing up this Heracles retelling in her post, so I won't rehash it here. I will say that I loved the way this turned what's typically a violent Greek myth into something full of heart and the sort of found family that everyone deserves. I particularly loved the way that Wiswell redefines masculinity through Heracles' empathy and soft belly (Have you seen strongmen? They're not built like superheroes!), and reimagines Hera as a complex woman instead of just a jealous wife. An excellent sophomore effort from Wiswell that has guaranteed that I'll read more in the future.

Lost Ark Dreaming

Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa, 178 pages

As the rising ocean temperature caused the Atlantic to swallow up more and more coastline in Lagos, thousands of Nigerians moved into The Fingers, five skyscrapers poking up out of the ocean itself. A few hundred years later, and the tallest, Pinnacle, is the only one left, and its residents are strictly separated by the Uppers, the Midders, and the Lowers, the latter of whom live on the levels that are literally underwater. When a Lower level experiences a wall breach, two Midders are sent down to investigate and make sure that nothing (either water or dangerous sea creatures) come through. However, they soon find themselves making decisions and learning things they never would have thought possible.

This is Okungbowa's first dive into science fiction, and oh, it's so good. His story is sculpted in equal parts by Nigerian politics, climate change, and creation mythology, which combine to make a short but thought-provoking tale reminiscent of Rivers Solomon's The Deep and An Unkindness of Ghosts (which are very very different, but somehow both apply here). It's well worth a read.