This was an interesting book, but difficult to read. I was able to get past this by reading while listening to the audiobook, which was a big help when trying to understand the dialect that Hopkinson created for this world.

One of my favourite parts of Hopkinson‘s world-building was her creation of the myths of Chynchin. I really enjoyed the way that the world‘s mythology influenced the characters. The myth of the Blackheart Man in particular, reappeared throughout, and was reframed as a ghost story, a derogatory slur, and a metaphor for grief at the loss of a child.

The world offers us a queer normative and multicultural society. There is a standardized gender neutral pronoun and conventional families are comprised of three adults: two husbands, one wife and their children.

Despite seeming like an accepting society, some characters experience systemic racism based on their ancestors’ participation in the colonial war against Chynchin, 200 years prior. Unfortunately, we only have limited conversations with characters from this group, so this perspective is not fully represented.

The main character, Veycosi, is frustrating and irresponsible. His selfishness drives a number of conflicts in the story. He faces consequences, however each one is temporary. He is forgiven again and again, without seeming to change.

Overall, I found this book inspiring as a writer. It provides a fascinating education on world-building and particularly on the creation of mythology.

Book review: 3.5/5 ⭐️
Genre: fantasy
Themes: magic, colonization, myths vs. reality, found family, ego
📖 Read if you like: Babel, The Midnight Bargain

The truth in tales, how folklore can be disseminated into historical facts from fanciful embellishments. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a chance to read this book.

This was a world at once recognizable and totally unique. Melding together languages, foods, clothing and customs from an amalgamation of existing cultures something new is born on this island. In a world that challenges a normative structure, where females or others are always sea captains, mariages are in truples, coin is useless, and gender is fluid we follow a griot named Veycosi who is training as a storyteller somewhere between historian and musician. A rather selfish dreamer using his attained knowledge to solve problems and often creating more trouble than he solves. On one such expedition he discovers an old foe sailing towards Chynchin’s shores, which sets the stage for this high fantasy story.

This book moves quickly and switches between POVs. At first I felt like I needed a how-to guide on reading this book. Terms, conventions and ways of speech took some analysis to discern, as did the premise of the book. It was confusing and the characters were difficult to connect with. You have to keep reading and somewhere along the way Cosi will become terribly endearing and this island on the brink of re-colonization becomes relatable. In some ways the conflict and relations between islanders and colonizers follows a familiar pattern of welcoming the devil to your dining table. Yet this is a world where the uncanny takes root and when children mysteriously start disappearing only to return as soulless automatons the people start to believe the Blackheart Man is at work. Add in an undead army rising from the tar, a half-caiman deity and a long dead witch in a new body and you have a unique story.

This is my first book by this author and it was certainly a well-built and immersive world. I was intrigued by the premise of indigenous fiction with a sci-fi/fantasy spin, but other than that I knew little of what I was walking into. In general, the exploration of folklore and truth was an interesting concept. So too was the morally grey character Cosi, who at times can be well intentioned and kind, but at others neglectful and downright dangerous. He is one you want to root for, but he is not short on vanity nor harsh words. He would enjoy the accolades that should be afforded to his brilliance and scheming in his own mind. He seeks to outfox the fox, but must learn humility and sacrifice to truly understand the meaning of love and family. An interesting read, but I had difficulty staying invested with the complexity.

Author Nalo Hopkinson sets this magnificent story on the magical island of Chynchin. Years earlier, the inhabitants kicked out their enslavers, and have been living their lives in peace, creating a place of peace, sharing, and diverse genders and sexualities. Hopkinson's world is heavily influenced by Caribbean folktales and myths, and it's not unusual for goddesses to influence events, and unusual, uncanny things to occur.

Hopkinson has two major plot threads in this novel: disappearing children, and invasion. All action is seen through the eyes of her main character Veycosi. He is learning to become one of the island's singer-storytellers, and is looking forward to his upcoming marriage to his two betrothed partners, Thandiwe and Gombey. Thandiwe has a daughter Kaïra.

The novel opens with Veycosi deciding he's going to perform an amazing act to help the town, which unfortunately backfires and harms many. He is also one of the first on the island to see that their former oppressors are nearing Chynchin in their ships. What follows is the invaders attempting to slowly retake the island, and a few, including Veycosi, attempting to thwart them, while more children disappear, including Kaïra.

There is a great deal more that happens, with Veycosi performing many more actions that are often ridiculous, always self-motivated, and which often have deleterious effects. Veycosi is a person who wants to be adored, who wants to be a hero, and he causes more problems than he solves, and has much to make up for by the end of the novel. At the same time, occasionally annoying as he can be, I was taken with him, and completely absorbed in this colourful story which bursts with the fantastic, musical and wondrous.

Hopkinson also examines stories and how they influence and make up culture, and Veycosi as taleteller is integral to his role in the story, and also how the people of Chynchin find a way to deal with their invaders. Incidentally, the in-story tales delight, and added another beautiful layer to this wonderful work.

Thank you to Netgally and to Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Veycosi is a chantwell scholar on the magical island of Chynchin and he is currently planning to fulfill his final test when he gets in trouble for destroying one of the islands books and as punishment must stay on the island and collect local tales, this all occurs the same day that the Ymisen invade the island with the attitude of accept our terms or we destroy you.
This is a bit of a slow build and the language takes a minute to get the rhythm of, which I think is partially responsible for slow start because once you get the hang of it the pace really picks up. Nalo's books have all been 5 or 3 stars for me so far, this one sits comfortably in the it was a great story and I might read it again one day slot. The MC is a selfish, flighty man that eventually learns how to think less about himself and more about others, I was worried I would dislike him the whole time but by the end I was rooting for him.

I have never read this author before but I have wanted to so I jumped at the opportunity to try this one. I often enjoy Indigenous fiction, although I'm usually horror, not fantasy. I wanted to like this one but I just couldn't get into it as much as I wanted. I just didn't feel a connection to this one despite really wanting to.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one

I remember years ago, when I was so incredibly lucky to meet Nalo Hopkinson in person at a Toronto public library event, she had been blogging then about a novel that she called "Blackheart Man" and I was just so enraptured by the description, and could not wait until she published it. Years later, that time has come. Nalo Hopkinson is one of the writers whose work has had a profound influence on my own, but also that has inspired me as a reader and shown me different worlds and characters who are among some of the most unique and dynamic. Nalo is a titan of speculative fiction and I’m in constant awe of what she produces.

The novel starts in “Carenage Town, the island nation of Chynchin” and begins with a character who can’t figure out what’s blocking his path. Immediately, the reader is immersed in unique worldbuilding and a setting that captivates with every detail.

Overlapping narratives move the story forward with a lot of sea imagery and fish markets with a distinctly Caribbean flavour and Hopkinson’s versatile linguistic prowess with dialect.

This is also a novel that strongly called to mind for me the works of René Depestre, of the recently passed Maryse Condé, of Dany Laferrière. Even though it is very strongly a fantasy novel, it also is so quintessentially Caribbean and represents a magnum opus for Hopkinson, who has produced so many masterpieces over the span of her career.

People who want swashbuckling or fight scene after fight scene in their fantasy won’t “get” this book and that’s okay because it’s not for them. It’s for readers with more patience who can savour each sentence, and absorb the worldbuilding that Hopkinson has carefully constructed.

Blackheart Man is set on the island of Chynchin, where main character Veycosi is working to become a singer-storyteller and looking forward to wedding his betrotheds, Thandiwe and Gombey. From the outset, it is clear Veycosi is someone keen to accomplish great things and solve problems his community is facing, but he is far from consistently effective. When the Ymisen arrive – whom Chynchin had previously successfully repelled from their island – Veycosi tries to help, but of course it doesn’t go as planned.

Hopkinson’s worldbuilding is, as always, incredible. On Chynchin, the economy is decidedly non-capitalist – people give away items they don’t need in ‘generousities’ and the idea of paying someone for work is seen as an insult (‘I assume you are a layabout who must be bribed to do an honest day’s work’); ship’s captain is a role for women and third-sexed folks and marriages are between threes. This is a world where diverse genders and sexualities are for the most part unremarkable, not marginalized. Chynchin’s Caribbean influences are clear – references to obeah, for example, are plentiful – and Hopkinson’s writing in Chynchin dialects, incorporation of myth, and exploration of the role of storytelling in Chynchin all contribute to making this novel a truly immersive read.

The plot is quite quick. There is a lot going on here. I think there is room for a sequel – if Hopkinson were to write another book in this world, I’d happily pick it up.

Content warnings: violence, colonization, war, death, murder, child death, medical content (not graphic), sexual assault (not graphically described), blood, injury detail, animal death

Thank you to NetGalley & Simon and Schuster for providing me with an ARC to review.

I always love to immerse myself in the words and worlds of Hopkinson. They have such a way with crafting stories that pay the deepest homage to the history of where they were born and grew up. The history of colonization, subjugation, resource theft and pillaging always play a role in world building and flow of her plot.

With Blackheart Man, she is using inspiration from a story that was told to Jamaican and Caribbean children to get them to behave. Our main character is flawed and as he moves towards his goal, is slowly realizing his prejudices and selfish personality towards certain ideas and social dynamics.

I love the intention of how family structures are formed here in Chynchin, representing healthy queer relationships of love and respect. The ways in which these relationships can be betrayed and mended; how characters can go through attitudinal and individual changes as they grapple with their own selfish views and expectations.