Siren Queen

Siren Queen

 Siren Queen by Nghi Vo (2022) 288 pages

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Natalie Naudus. This fits the speculative fiction genre, in that it is not quite science fiction and not quite fantasy. It asks "What If?" What if an alternative version of the Golden Age of Hollywood had some fairy tale elements. There are some magical transformations and anthropomorphic animal-like characters. A Chinese American actress like Anna May Wong achieves stardom despite the racist limitations of the film industry. Luli Wei would rather play a monster than a maid without sacrificing too much of her life or blood. The story features queer love in a setting where real life stars and crew had to remain in the closet. There are some steamy scenes. The title Siren Queen also refers to the final film of an adventure trilogy in which Luli Wei stars as a sea creature hunted by a Captain Nemo-like character. I loved the painterly way the author describes the film industry and the artists trying to achieve stardom and recognition. Portraying the danger and triumph of the Hollywood dream factory in this way was so fascinating.