Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences.
Today we are featuring TRAIL OF LIGHTNING by Rebecca Roanhorse.
After Big Water (a climate apocalypse), Dinétah—the homeland of the Navajo (Diné)—is one of the few remaining areas where people can live. Many of the Diné have experienced an activation of their clan powers, like Maggie of the Living Arrow clan. She’s a Dinétah monster hunter, a gifted killer who has been trained by none other than Naayéé’ Neizghání, the legendary immortal monsterslayer. At the height of her learning, Neizghání abandoned her, leaving Maggie confused and lovesick.
When golem-like monsters begin terrorizing families throughout Dinétah, grim and lonely Maggie goes on the hunt for the witch responsible for creating them. She reluctantly partners with Kai, a Big Medicine man, but only because his skills complement hers and she has no idea what she’s up against. They work together to unravel clues from ancient legends, battle bad guys, trade favors with trickster Coyote, and battle dark powers. Not only must Maggie muster the preternatural forces with in her to challenge the witch, but she must learn to regulate the killer that lives in her too and confront her own personal trauma to survive.
I hungrily read TRAIL OF LIGHTNING. There isn’t enough #ownvoices American Indian mythological fantasy in the world, especially books with a Mad Max vibe and a deeply flawed kickass heroine. Maggie is brilliant, strong, and relentless, but out of touch with her feelings due to violent trauma and psychological manipulation at the hands of someone she thought she could trust. The mythology is what really stands out in TRAIL OF LIGHTNING. It’s deeply imbedded in the plot, the setting, and the culture and made me want to research the Navajo origins of Neizghání and Coyote, two intense and magnificently drawn characters in the story. There’s also a smoldering romance, which plays into the plot and keeps things interesting.
Due to graphic violence and sexual innuendo, this book is appropriate for upper YA and adult readers.
TRAIL OF LIGHTING is the first book of a planned trilogy, and I’m (*somewhat) happy to report that book #2 in The Sixth World series, STORM OF LOCUSTS , releases April 23, 2019. (*At least I don’t have to wait a whole year!) Rebecca also has a middle grade novel with shapeshifting monsters coming in the Fall 2019 from Rick Riordan Presents, titled RACE TO THE SUN, and in 2020, an Anasazi-inspired epic fantasy BETWEEN EARTH AND SKY.
Rebecca Roanhorse is a Nebula Award-winning speculative fiction writer as well as a Hugo/Sturgeon/Locus Award Finalist for her short fiction, WELCOME TO YOUR AUTHENTIC INDIAN EXPERIENCE(TM). She lives in Northern New Mexico with her husband, daughter, and pug. To connect with Rebecca, check out her website or follow her on Twitter.
Posted by Michelle Leonard.
