I am always on the lookout for upcoming independent authors. This is mainly because I am one of those people who constantly complains about the trash that’s available on mainstream media. To my way of thinking, there are too few media conglomerates and they seem to conspire to promote a pretty narrow minded narrative that’s mainly about inciting conflict…but that’s a whole different issue.
I came across the work of Jean Lee on the recommendation of one of the authors who contributed to ‘Lovers in Hell.’ Jean is published with Aionios Books, and, at this writing, the publisher offers for free 6 short stories from Jean Lee set in the same world as her novel. I read ‘The Stray’ and I found it compelling enough to pick up the novel.
Lee writes in a kind of unconventional style that makes frequent use of the present tense. I’ve seen Janet Morris sprinkle the present tense in her work, and it has the effect of making a scene much more immediate. Lee uses this technique much more often and I found it a little jarring at first, but I also saw the appeal. The present tense takes a bit of getting used to, but once you get in sync with the writing, you don’t even notice it. For a comparison, I remember the fist time I saw ‘Avatar’ I kept wondering, “Is this animated? Is this enhanced? What am I looking at?” but then after about three minutes those questions go away.
I also enjoyed Lee’s use of dialogue in ‘The Stray.’ It’s very colloquial and this work is served by reading it out loud. Again, the effect can be jarring at the start, but once you get in sync it works well. Lee’s novel is ‘Fallen Princeborn: Stolen.’ There is currently a gold and a platinum edition available. I purchased the green edition because the kindle version was available for only 99 cents. I’m not sure what the difference is between editions, and it seems like an overly complicated way for the publisher to present a book. The current situation is that it’s possible to get a lot of Lee’s writing for free, and there’s also the option of paying quite a bit for the same stuff. I suppose if you’re a patron of the arts, you’d elect to pay, but for a starting author, the publicity is just as important.
‘Fallen Princeborn: Stolen’ fits into the category of classics like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ or ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ where a strong female lead must do battle with mysterious forces in a fantastical realm. Lee’s book is a bit darker than the typical fantasy fare, and I’d put it in the category of Young Adult (although it should be mentioned that my perspective always puts the emphasis on ‘Adult’ rather than ‘Young’). As I was reading Lee’s book, I found myself thinking, “What is it that this book reminds me of?”
I think it’s a testament to the book that I had a nagging sensation of familiarity, and it took me a long time to pin it down. The uncertain familiarity meant that Lee had captured the essence of a certain well-known, high quality writer, but had replicated it with enough originality to create something new. I was about a quarter of the way in when I finally figured out that the storytelling reminded me of ‘American Gods,’ and after that there was a section that reminded me specifically of ‘Coraline.’ I think fans of Neil Gaiman will see his influence on Lee, and be appreciative.
Lee isn’t quite the polished storyteller that Gaiman is, but she is certainly an author to follow. I’m kind of torn about the present tense style. On the one hand, I think it’s effective, even liberating to read. But on the other hand I know the literary world is very much a creature of habit, and they often snarl with contempt at present tense and slam the cover no matter how effectively it’s used. I like that the publisher took the time to get the book a Kirkus review, but these days Kirkus doesn’t wield nearly as much clout as it used to. I wish, instead of the Kirkus review, the publisher had invested in a more dynamic cover. Still, it’s a positive review, and you can read it in full here.
Jean Lee is an interesting new voice, and I think ‘Fallen Princeborn: Stolen’ will be a delight to a certain category of genre readers. The writing style is dynamic and interesting, but, unfortunately, that’s the type of thing that will make it less palatable to a wider audience. Lee creates an eerie, magical ambiance, and her characters are interesting and well-developed. A small press book, ‘Fallen Princeborn: Stolen’ represents the kind of fascinating divergence from the standard media conglomerate entertainment that so many people claim they’re looking for, but so few actually endeavor to seek out. Give it a try, and leave a response, I’m curious to hear what other’s think of this book. Check out the excerpt below:
