Reading slump? Try these 3 novellas
Let’s be real, this year has been a rough one for reading slumps. It seems everywhere I turn there’s another bookish creator or reader friend who has been struggling to pick up a book lately. Whether it’s stressful life events or the never-ending bad news cycle, it seems like books have taken a back seat lately in a time where escapism is needed more than ever just to take mini breaks from the harsh reality we live in. How can you be refreshed to tackle new social and political issues in your community if you’re burnt out? If you’re a reader, being able to make time to read to have some joy in your off time and refresh a little is crucial so if the dense 500 page fantasy novel isn’t cutting it for you, try getting into some short stories, poetry, essays, blog posts, anything that can be bite sized so as not to overwhelm. I thankfully found three fantastic stories to pull me out of a slump this holiday season that are all under 200 pages.
The Black God’s Drums // P.Djèlí Clark
112 Pages - Ebook
Takes place in an alternate New Orleans during the American Civil War, when a wall-scaling thief named Creeper yearns to escape the streets for the air, by earning a spot on an airship. Creeper earns the captains trust by trading information about a Haitian scientist that has been captured for a mysterious secret weapon called The Black God’s Drums. A weapon that could devastate New Orleans and cause the confederates to win the war. They can’t let that happen, so goes the mission to save New Orleans and her people from a terrible fate with the help of the gods that have been brought over from Africa along with the millions that were captured and sold.
If you’re looking for an action-packed story that borders on the dystopian in a world that would have been ours in different circumstances, this is the one for you. I was very impressed with the intricate plot that was able to be delved into so deeply in so few pages. The dialogue also impressed me immensely with its geographical and historical accuracy, I’d love to know the linguistics research that went into this novella.
The Lover // Silvia Moreo-Garcia
43 pages - Ebook (only available on Amazon reading devices)
During a brutally cold winter, Judith, a young woman looking for love, wishes for romance. And her wish seems to come true as a handsome huntsman shows up in town, but he instead marries her sister, the fairer of the two sisters. Judith’s heart is broken but she can’t deny there is something there… until another stranger comes out of the woods, offering Judith something she doesn’t know that she wanted. A story based on forbidden love and the dangers of winter.
I couldn’t put this one down and read it in less than half an hour. Very much based in winter folklore roots and focusing on the dangers of the dark forest and the curse of coveting. It’s definitely a story I’d love to see make its way into Moreno-Garcia’s longer works of fiction because I couldn’t get enough.
When Among Crows // Veronica Roth
166 pages - Hardcover book
DON’T READ THE SYNOPSIS ON GOODREADS, IT HAS SPOILERS
Set in an alternate Chicago where all of the daemons and myths of eastern European folklore roam freely. Where “holy” knights split their souls to make weapons and witches always take more than they give. It starts with a determined young man, set on retrieving the fern flower, that has immense magical properties. Eventually he teams up with Ala, a fear-eating zmora afflicted with a curse of insanity that grows ever stronger. He asks for her help in finding Baba Jaga in exchange for the flower, with his reasonings behind this request unknown. Ala agrees, but they only have one day and thousands of obstacles in their way before they can meet their goal and the fern flower loses its power.
If you love slavic folklore, you’ll love this book no question. It delves into so many slavic folklore myths and creatures and does the impossible, allows you to care deeply for characters after only knowing them for a short 150 pages. Ala, Dymitr, and Niko were fascinating multi-faceted characters with intriguing dynamics and even with as little time I spent with each, I loved them all and was extremely invested in their well-being throughout the story.