Description:
Pip is pulled into the fantasy novel series she's loved since she was a teenager. She can navigate this world - but what will happen to the characters outside the roles they were written for?
Brief description: J.M. Frey is an author, actor, and lapsed academic. She's appeared in podcasts, documentaries, radio programs, and on television to discuss all things geeky through the lens of academia. J.M. lives near Toronto, surrounded by houseplants because she is allergic to anything with fur. She's a tea and wine nerd, and her life's ambition is to one day set foot on every continent (3 left!) Her debut novel "Triptych" was nominated for two Lambda Literary Awards, nominated for the CBC Bookie Award, was named one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2011, was on The Advocate's Best Overlooked Books of 2011 list, received an honorable mention at the London Book Festival in Science Fiction, and won the San Francisco Book Festival for Science Fiction.
Review Quotes:
"Being a part of a family, however unconventional, is an integral theme of Frey's clever, adventurous, and endearing second Turn novel. [...] The thought-provoking story discusses the stereotypical role of women in fantasy novels, but more focus is placed on the characters' struggles with their familial roles and relationships, creating depth and commonality."
-Publisher's Weekly
"This superb novel grabbed me from the opening sentence, and never let go. [...] The whole tale is several clever twists on the oh-so-familiar fantasies we've read before. I want more. Books more."
-Ed Greenwood, Forgotten Realms
"Let me start by saying [...] that I think that J.M. Frey's The Untold Tale is the most important work of fantasy written in 2015. It may be the most important work of fantasy written this decade."
-Dr. Mike Perschon, The Steampunk Scholar
"INSANELY AMAZING! The Untold Tale tears apart the tropes of heroic fantasy and gives back what we need: true heroes, true love, and the astonishing realization that yes, real people are magical."
-Julie Czerneda, the Night's Edge and Trade Pact series
"This story is nothing short of fun, unexpected, and a little bit queer. If you're interested in a Science Fiction/Fantasy undertaking with all of the ingredients of a queer anthology, The Untold Tale is for you."
-Dallas Barnes, Pink Play Mags
"It's easily the strongest I've read in the last year. [...] The fictional world = real world trope isn't the only one Frey twists, however. She also plays with the ideas of the hero and heroic adventure, feminism, gender roles, and the role of the narrative itself, in innovative-and occasionally cheeky-ways. This novel has the potential to appeal to a great many readers, across genres.
-Violette Malan, PhD, Dhulyn Parno Series
"If I could mark this as 10/5 stars, I would, but that's impossible, so 5/5 it is, with much hearts and swoons. [...]The Untold Tale is delicious, each word meant to be savoured, breathed in, nibbled at, full of hidden delight and wonder. Frey has a beautiful writing style-all at once slightly old-fashioned and delectable, whilst also being modern and quick-paced. It's tongue-in-cheek and it's serious. It's like an epic fantasy and a modern all in one. It is a book for every bookworm or geek [...] But most of all, it is a book for writers-and Frey delivers."
-Ana Tan, A Tsp Blog