Siren Queen

Last updated

Siren Queen
Siren Queen Nghi Vo book cover.png
AuthorNghi Vo
Publisher Tordotcom
Publication date
2022

Siren Queen (2022) is a historical fantasy novel by Nghi Vo set in a magical 1930s Los Angeles. The story follows an aspiring actor known as Luli Wei, who hopes to achieve immortality through stardom. Hollywood provides obstacles in the form of racism, sexism, queerphobia, and dark magic. Luli rejects stereotypical roles on-screen and off, instead embracing the power of playing movie monsters. The book was Vo's first novel to be written, but the second to be published, preceded by The Chosen and the Beautiful (2021) in a similar magical universe. It received positive reviews in speculative fiction venues, and was a 2023 finalist for the World Fantasy Award, the Locus Award, and the Ignyte Award.

Contents

Plot

A young Chinese-American girl, whose parents run a laundry in a magical Los Angeles, resolves to become a movie star. Achieving stardom, in this Hollywood, involves a literal apotheosis that grants immortality. After a series of bit parts for the director Jacko Dewalt, she blackmails him to meet the studio executive Oberlin Wolfe. To avoid revealing her real name (and thus making herself magically vulnerable), she takes her sister's name, Luli.

Luli joins Wolfe's studio system, on the condition that her roles will include "no maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers." These conditions limit her career. She befriends her roommate in the studio dorms, a kidnapped Skogsrå named Greta. She also begins a romance with the more-established actress Emmaline Sauvignon. Greta falls in love with Wolfe's protégé Brandt Hiller, whom Wolfe intends to sacrifice in that year's ritualistic Wild Hunt, through which Wolfe feeds a dangerous ancient power. Eventually, Luli lands a major role as a siren. She befriends her famous co-star Harry Long, who reveals to her his secret relationship with a man. Luli's siren movie is a hit, as is its sequel. Greta (now pregnant) and Luli rescue Brandt during the Wild Hunt, and he and Greta escape to Sweden. Emmaline rejects Luli, angry that she drew Wolfe's negative attention.

Two years later, Luli's initial contract with Wolfe is nearly over. While filming the third siren movie, the set catches fire and Harry disappears; he is declared dead. Luli connects with the butch Tara Lubowski at a lesbian bar. Jacko is brought on to direct a hasty re-envisioning of the siren film without Harry in the lead. As Jacko's revenge on Luli for her long-ago blackmail, the film now ends with the siren begging pathetically for her life. Luli is initially angry that Tara (under a male pseudonym) has written this degrading ending, but after she and Tara get to know each other better, they begin a romance. Filming the climactic death scene of her siren, Luli achieves magical stardom. She re-signs with Wolfe from a position of power.

The epilogue is narrated from Luli's perspective as a celestial star in the present day, reflecting on the legacy of her long career and her romantic relationships.

Development and inspiration

Vo initially wrote a draft of Siren Queen for a contest run by Angry Robot, which sought novels from writers who didn't yet have agents. [1] It was the first novel she wrote, although her second novel The Chosen and the Beautiful (2021) would be published before it. [2] Despite losing the contest, Vo began sending the draft to agents, and eventually gained representation from Diana Fox. [3] At the time, it was her longest piece of writing. [1] Vo described the length as a challenging departure from her early career in short stories, stating, “I work best with boundaries. I love speculative fiction as the genre without limits, but that can be deeply paralyzing sometimes.” [1]

The movies starring Luli's siren are loosely inspired by 1930s horror films and the later Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). [2] Other influential movies include Morocco (1930), Shanghai Express (1932), Queen Christina (1933), [2] and Design for Living (1933). [4] The characters of Greta and Harry Long are inspired by Greta Garbo and Ramon Novarro. [3] The Chinese-American star Anna May Wong is mostly reflected in a minor character in the novel, Su Tong Lin, though Wong shares some details of her background with the novel's protagonist Luli. [2] Another minor character, Louisa Davis, echoes Hattie McDaniel. [5] In general, these inspirations are loose, with no real films or specific biographical events being dramatized in the novel. [5] [6]

Style

The novel is framed like a memoir, narrated by a future Luli who consciously navigates the differences between truth and memory. [7] One effect of a retrospective first-person narration, according to Vo, is that it gives readers an implicit assurance that the protagonist will survive the dark events of the novel. [4] Scenes from movies are also described like Luli's memories, weaving them in to the narrative. [8] The fantasy elements are introduced without explanation, only gradually building into a distinctive world. [6] [9] A key narrative effect is a feeling of unreality, [8] or the sense that metaphors are actually real. [10] These ambiguities contribute to an overall environment of suspense, since the reader is never quite provided enough information to fully understand the dark magic that Luli navigates. [5] The environment of uncertain, lurking danger has been compared stylistically to the horror writing of Shirley Jackson (1916–1965). [5]

Major themes

Hollywood's Fairyland rules

Vo's first ideas for the novel began with seeing similarities between the 1930s Hollywood studio system and folklore depictions of Fairyland. [2] Specifically, she describes Hollywood as mirroring Fairyland through "its promises of immortality and beauty, its penchant for stealing names and faces, the prevalence of bets you can’t win unless you can and some really, really dark underpinnings." [2] In Siren Queen, this connection is expressed through the fantasy worldbuilding of the setting, which has some elements of allegory. [5] Vo's setting builds on the literary convention of depicting Hollywood as "a kind of hallucinogenic inferno of ambition, lust, corruption, and betrayal." [6] A central theme of the novel is that exploitative systems allow for few good choices, and even successful agreements can be akin to "monkey's-paw pacts" when negotiating with dangerous powers. [5]

Outsider status and monstrosity

Luli navigates Hollywood as "a multiple outsider in a rigged system" according to Gary K. Wolfe, [6] facing racism (especially Chinese exclusionism), sexism, and queerphobia. [7] [8] Others often perceive her as inherently monstrous or not-fully-human due to her marginalized identity. [5] Commenting on Luli's main character traits, Vo has said that "like a lot of mean people out there, she is afraid all the time." [4] Her pursuit of stardom is, in part, an attempt to avoid the limited social roles available to her in her ordinary life -- even though success in Hollywood requires navigating the equally limited fictional roles offered by those with the most power. [5] A central question of the book is whether Luli desires stardom so much that she will sacrifice her authenticity by accepting racial stereotypes in her roles and keeping her queer relationships secret. [8] [9] Her embrace of her monstrous siren character accompanies an embrace of a non-assimilationist strategy: she claims power by setting her own terms and forcing others to accede to them, sometimes ruthlessly. [7] [9]

Publication and reception

Siren Queen was published by Tordotcom in 2022, with hardcover and ebook editions. [11] [12] An audiobook narrated by Natalie Naudus was published by Macmillan Audio in June. [13] A paperback edition was released in 2023. [14]

The novel was reviewed positively by the speculative fiction magazines Locus, [6] Strange Horizons , [5] Reactor , [7] and Lightspeed . [8] It received a starred review in Publishers Weekly. [10] The review aggregator Book Marks recorded seven "rave" reviews and one "positive" review, for an overall "rave" rating. [15] Reviews praised the distinctive and memorable setting, characters, and prose style. [5] [6] [10] Several reviewers commented that the novel continued the success of her earlier works, solidifying Vo's reputation as a speculative fiction writer. [5] [7] [10] In 2023, Siren Queen was a finalist for the World Fantasy Award, [16] the Locus Award, [17] and the Ignyte Award. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Strahan</span> Northern Irish-born Australian editor and publisher

Jonathan Strahan is an editor and publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. His family moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1968, and he graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Arts in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tananarive Due</span> American author and educator (born 1966)

Tananarive Priscilla Due is an American author and educator. Due won the American Book Award for her novel The Living Blood (2001), and the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel, the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel, and the World Fantasy Award for her novel The Reformatory (2023). She is also known as a film historian with expertise in Black horror. Due teaches a course at UCLA called "The Sunken Place: Racism, Survival and the Black Horror Aesthetic", which focuses on the Jordan Peele film Get Out.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martha Wells</span> American speculative fiction writer (born 1964)

Martha Wells is an American writer of speculative fiction. She has published a number of science fiction and fantasy (SF/F) novels, young adult novels, media tie-ins, short stories, and nonfiction essays on SF/F subjects; her novels have been translated into twelve languages. Wells is praised for the complex, realistically detailed societies she creates; this is often credited to her academic background in anthropology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silvia Moreno-Garcia</span> Mexican Canadian writer

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a Mexican and Canadian novelist, short story writer, editor, and publisher.

<i>All the Birds in the Sky</i> 2016 novel by Charlie Jane Anders

All the Birds in the Sky is a 2016 science fantasy novel by American writer and editor Charlie Jane Anders. It is her debut speculative fiction novel and was first published in January 2016 in the United States by Tor Books. The book is about a witch and a techno-geek, their troubled relationship, and their attempts to save the world from disaster. The publisher described the work as "blending literary fantasy and science fiction".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fonda Lee</span> Canadian-American author of speculative fiction

Fonda Lee is a Canadian-American author of speculative fiction. She is best known for writing The Green Bone Saga, the first of which, Jade City, won the 2018 World Fantasy Award and was named one of the 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time by Time magazine. The Green Bone Saga was also included on NPR's list, "50 Favorite Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of the Past Decade".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. B. Lemberg</span> Ukrainian-American speculative fiction author (born 1976)

R. B. Lemberg is a queer, bigender, and autistic author, poet, and editor of speculative fiction. Their work has been distributed in publications such as Lightspeed, Strange Horizons, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Uncanny Magazine, and stories have been featured in anthologies such as Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology and Transcendent 3: The Year's Best Transgender Speculative Fiction 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Roanhorse</span> American speculative fiction author

Rebecca Roanhorse is an American science fiction and fantasy writer from New Mexico. She has written short stories and science fiction novels featuring Navajo characters. Her work has received Hugo and Nebula awards, among others.

Alix E. Harrow is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. Her short fiction work "A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies" has been nominated for the Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, and Locus Award, and in 2019 won a Hugo Award. Her debut novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January (2019), was widely acclaimed by mainstream critics, lauded by general audiences during voting at Goodreads Choice Awards and Locus Awards, and nominated for multiple first novel literary awards and speculative fiction awards. She has also published under the name Alix Heintzman.

Dexter Gabriel, better known by his pen name Phenderson Djèlí Clark, is an American speculative fiction writer and historian, who is an assistant professor in the department of history at the University of Connecticut. He uses a pen name to differentiate his literary work from his academic work, and has also published under the name A. Phenderson Clark. This pen name, "Djèlí", makes reference to the griots – traditional Western African storytellers, historians and poets.

Bethany C. Morrow is an American author. She writes speculative fiction for adult and young adult audiences and is the author of Mem (2018), A Song Below Water (2020), So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix (2021), and the editor of YA anthology Take the Mic (2019).

<i>The Four Profound Weaves</i> 2020 fantasy novella by R. B. Lemberg

The Four Profound Weaves is an acclaimed 2020 LGBT+ fantasy novella by R. B. Lemberg. In 2021, it has been nominated in the best novella category for the Ignyte, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Locus awards.

<i>Between Earth and Sky</i> Series of fantasy novels by Rebecca Roanhorse

Between Earth and Sky is a fantasy novel series by American writer Rebecca Roanhorse. It currently comprises three novels: Black Sun (2020), Fevered Star (2022), and Mirrored Heavens (2024). It is an epic fantasy series inspired by various pre-Columbian American cultures. Black Sun won the 2021 Alex Award and the 2021 Ignyte Award for Best Adult Novel; it was additionally nominated for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, Nebula Award for Best Novel, and Hugo Award for Best Novel.

<i>The Empress of Salt and Fortune</i> 2020 fantasy novella by Nghi Vo

The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a 2020 fantasy novella by American writer Nghi Vo. It is the first book of the Singing Hills Cycle and was followed by a sequel, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, later that same year. The plot focuses on a cleric who listens to stories about the recently deceased empress. It won the 2021 Hugo Award for Best Novella and was nominated for the 2021 Locus Award for Best Novella.

<i>Jade War</i> 2019 fantasy novel by Fonda Lee

Jade War is a 2019 fantasy novel by Fonda Lee published by Orbit and is the sequel to Jade City. It follows the island of Kekon as the jade-controlling clans are embroiled in an international war where jade is the centerpiece. The story takes place over several years. It is the second book in the Green Bone saga, followed by 2021's Jade Legacy, the final novel in the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nghi Vo</span> American author

Nghi Vo is an American author of short stories, novellas, and novels. Vo's fantasy novella The Empress of Salt and Fortune has received acclaim and won the Hugo Award for Best Novella and the IAFA Crawford Award.

<i>Noor</i> (novel) 2021 novel by Nnedi Okorafor

Noor is a 2021 Africanfuturist science fiction novel by Nigerian American author Nnedi Okorafor. The novel was published on November 9, 2021, by DAW Books and is the fourth adult novel written by Okorafor. It is a finalist for the Locus Award for best science fiction novel.

Cherae Clark, also known under the pen name C. L. Clark, is an American author and editor of speculative fiction, a personal trainer, and an English teacher. She graduated from Indiana University's creative writing MFA and was a 2012 Lambda Literary Fellow. Their debut novel, The Unbroken, first book of the Magic of the Lost trilogy, was published by Orbit Books in 2021 and received critical acclaim, including starred reviews at Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. The Unbroken was a Finalist for the 2021 Nebula Award for Best Novel, the 2022 Robert Holdstock Award for Best Fantasy Novel from the British Fantasy Awards, the 2022 Ignyte Award for Best Novel - Adult, and the 2022 Locus Award for Best First Novel. Her work has appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies,FIYAH Literary Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, Glitter + Ashes: Queer Tales of a World That Wouldn't Die, PodCastle, Tor.com, Uncanny, and The Year's Best African Speculative Fiction (2021). Clark edited, with series editor Charles Payseur, We're Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction of 2020, which won the 2022 Ignyte Award for Best Anthology/Collected Work and the 2022 Locus Award for Best Anthology.

<i>Into the Riverlands</i> 2022 fantasy novella by Nghi Vo

Into the Riverlands is a 2022 fantasy novella by Nghi Vo. It is the third published entry in the Singing Hills Cycle. Each novella can serve as an entry point to the series or as a standalone tale.

<i>The Chosen and the Beautiful</i> 2021 novel by Nghi Vo

The Chosen and the Beautiful is Nghi Vo's debut novel, published in 2021. The story is a fantasy retelling of the classic American novel The Great Gatsby (1925). It is narrated by Jordan Baker, a minor character in the original novel, re-imagined as a Vietnamese immigrant with suppressed magical powers. It was nominated for the Locus Award for Best First Novel.

References

  1. 1 2 3 locusmag (2021-05-17). "Nghi Vo: Stories About Stories". Locus Online. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Semel, Paul (2022-05-26). "Exclusive Interview: "Siren Queen" Author Nghi Vo ... ". paulsemel.com. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  3. 1 2 "Interview With an Author: Nghi Vo". www.lapl.org. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  4. 1 2 3 "Nghi Vo Adds a Touch of Fantasy to Hollywood's Magic". Audible Blog. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Hamilton, Jenny (2022-07-04). "Siren Queen by Nghi Vo". Strange Horizons. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Gary K. Wolfe Reviews Siren Queen by Nghi Vo". Locus Online. 2022-06-19. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Brown, Alex (2022-05-10). "Shocking, Intimate Fantasy: Siren Queen by Nghi Vo". Reactor. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Wagner, Wendy (2022-04-14). "Book Review: Siren Queen, by Nghi Vo". Lightspeed Magazine. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  9. 1 2 3 Orozco-Sahi, Nadia (2022-05-09). "Book Review: Siren Queen by Nghi Vo". Rainbow Round Table Book and Media Reviews. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror Book Review: Siren Queen by Nghi Vo". Publishers Weekly. 2022-05-16. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  11. ↑ Vo, Nghi (2022). Siren Queen (First ed.). Tordotcom. ISBN   9781250788832. OCLC   1291346087.
  12. ↑ Vo, Nghi (2022). Siren Queen (First ebook ed.). Tordotcom. ISBN   9781250788856. OCLC   1292531460.
  13. ↑ "SIREN QUEEN by Nghi Vo Read by Natalie Naudus | Audiobook Review". AudioFile Magazine. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  14. ↑ Vo, Nghi (2023). Siren Queen (First paperback ed.). Tordotcom. ISBN   9781250820563. OCLC   1340646532.
  15. ↑ "Book Marks reviews of Siren Queen by Nghi Vo". Book Marks. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  16. ↑ "World Fantasy Awards℠ 2023 | World Fantasy Convention" . Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  17. ↑ locusmag (2023-06-25). "2023 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Online. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  18. ↑ "2023 RESULTS - The Ignyte Awards". ignyteawards.fiyahlitmag.com. 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.