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"Jala's Mask," by Mike and Rachel Grinti, is available now from Pyr.

When the king of the Five-and-One islands comes to Bardo looking for a queen, he's doing so out of obligation, with no expectation for anything special to occur. But that's what he gets with Jala, a woman with the insight and vibrancy to speak to Azi the person instead of just Azi the king. That dynamic of surprising depth is not entirely unlike stepping into the world of "Jala's Mask," by authors Rachel and Mike Grinti.

What starts off feeling a bit like an animated Disney film quickly develops a much broader canvas. Jala has spent most of her life wanting to be queen, without ever thinking much about the role beyond idealized notions. But little about it is the stuff of her dreams, and even the part that is, her requited love for Azi, feels distant when they actually are married. Their worlds, separately and the one they share together, are complex.



The Five islands are each home to a particular tribe, with the "One," in Five-and-One, being a place of outcasts labeled as sorcerers. Together the tribes make up a kingdom whose riches come from sailing across the vast ocean and raiding the mainland. They're able to do this using grayships: boats that are sort of alive and, when on the water, drawn back to the reeds from which their grown/constructed. Without these boats traveling the ocean would be all but impossible; and such could also be done through the hazardous use of magic. As Jala and Azi try to navigate the political divides and allegiances of their respective tribes, all of the Five-and-One islands are threatened by a force from over the sea.

"Jala's Mask" has unique fantasy elements that don't override a story of engaging protagonists trying not just to save their world, but perhaps help make a better one. The grayships are an interesting construct, though they could have perhaps used a bit more fleshing out. The interplay between characters and the action occasionally evoke Brian Jacques. Political machinations are another one of the novel's strengths.



"Jala's Mask" is also notable for the way that it mixes traditional ingredients of bygone-era fantasy, like idolized royalty, superstitions and the callous and cruel aspects of warring conflict, with a modern sense of inclusion. (Mild Spoiler) One of Jala's most important friendships is with a woman who happens to be a lesbian, and it's not remotely a cause of division.



The Grintis have crafted an engrossing read, with plenty of twists and turns that propel the reader toward a satisfying conclusion -- one which sets up another possible spin in a well-realized world easy to get lost in.

Sci-fi and fantasy have long been devoid of people of color in roles equitable to protagonists in the most capitally-heralded material. The back cover of "Jala's Mask" features a quote from authors Clay and Susan Griffith about the particular newness of its African and Polynesian influences for them. That may be a somewhat typical vantage point, but beyond it, in the seventies Charles Saunders crafted a sword and sorcery fantasy world brimming with African influences in his "Imaro" stories. Since then, a number of writers, like Valjeanne Jeffers, Milton Davis and those in the anthologies he's published, among many, many others, have also been offering their own unique and entertaining entries in the fantasy and sci-fi genres with black influences. "Jala's Mask" has this in common with them.