Kicking Off the New Year with Gods and Heroes

Intro

I know, it’s February. I’ve completely missed the time when it’s cool to post about the New Year. But I hope you’ll give me a free pass when I tell you what I’ve been up to in the beginning of 2023. Here goes:

1. Recovering from smashing my thumb in the car door on Christmas Eve. (It STILL hurts!).

2. Vacuuming water out of my grandparents’ basement (where I’ve been living while they’re gone) after a pipe broke.

3. Cutting 8,000 words from my manuscript so it’s a more acceptable length for a debut novel.

4. Embracing (against my will) the cold shower trend while I lived without a working water heater for 1.5 weeks.

5. And, finally (please, universe, let this be the last of my bad luck), my car dying on the side of the road.

Needless to say, I’ve been wanting to escape the real world, so I’ve been reading a ton of books!

Comp Books

But I’m reading very specific books.

I’m about finished with the manuscript of the novel I’ve been working on since last spring (if a perfectionist can ever be finished with something). Now I’m preparing my query materials. This includes the all important and daunting Query Letter, one part of which is Comp Books, a.k.a. Comparison Books. In other words, it’s a way to place your novel on an imaginary bookshelf. What books would it be shelved with? What other books might someone who loves your novel love?

It is not as easy as it sounds, especially when you take in to account that comp books are only good comps if they’ve been published in the last 3 years and aren’t too famous or too obscure.

So I’ve been searching for the perfect comparison books for my novel!

Here’s what I’ve been reading, and if you like these, you’ll probably like my novel!

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

In Iraden, the Raven god protects the kingdom–preventing fires, sickness, and invasion–as long as the leader of Iraden dies in his honor when the time comes. But it is time for the leader to die–and he’s fled Iraden instead.

The ruler’s brother takes his place as king, supplanting the heir and throwing the kingdom into turmoil. What might the Raven do now that the old king has failed to die? Meanwhile, enemies press upon the kingdom’s borders, having made deals with their own gods. Eolo, the aide of the heir, begins to investigate and discovers that the secrets of the Raven Tower of Iraden are rooted in a dark history that could change the kingdom forever.

The Raven Tower is about gods and men, and the deals between them. With a unique narrator, this book simultaneously launches the reader into the political intrigue of the Raven Tower and the leadership of Iraden, while also delving into the origin of the world and the gods who inhabit it. With high stakes, ancient gods, and a focus on power and revenge, many similar elements exist between The Raven Tower and my novel. Differences are that my novel has multiple points of view, a larger focus in terms of geography and stakes, and, in my opinion, a much more satisfying (and hopeful) ending.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

After making a deal with one of the old gods, Addie is given eternal life, but cursed so no one will remember her. For centuries, she’s existed moment-to-moment, never able to hold down a job, find a friend, own anything she can’t carry with her, or make a single mark. Her drawings disappear, her writing fades as though it never was. Are you truly living if no one remembers you? Lonely centuries have passed when, finally, Addie stumbles upon one man who can remember her.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is character driven while mine is plot driven. Additionally, it’s a slow, lyrical book, filled with explorations of art, music, and history. However, the novels asks similar questions to mine: what is meaning and purpose in a life with unusual circumstances? What is identity and mortality when one lives forever? And is it really living if you don’t have anyone to share it with?

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

Évike is the only woman in her village without power, thus abandoned by the gods. When the Woodsmen arrive to take a seer to the king, the villagers pass Évike off as a seer, since none of the girls taken ever return. But one of the Woodsman is actually the king’s disgraced son, and he needs Évike’s help finding a mythical bird that will help his father consolidate power. As Évike discovers who she is and begins to find her own magic, she questions if this kingdom that has always hated and oppressed her is one she truly wants to save.

With a setting and story deeply rooted in Hungarian and Jewish mythology, this book is definitely focused on world-building. It is full to the brim with folklore and myth that is wound tightly to the main plot. Like this book, I’ve woven myth and story into my novel, though mine is author-created myth rather than based on historical mythology. Political corruption, religious conflict, and struggles with identity are themes also found in my novel. However, The Wolf and the Woodsman is far more brutal and grotesquely detailed than anything I write.

Click here for my full review of The Wolf and the Woodsman.

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

Kaikeyi is a vilified character from the Hindu epic the Ramayana. In Patel’s novel, she gets to tell her own story. (You do not need to be familiar with the Ramayana to enjoy this book)

Kaikeyi is born first, but her twin brother will get to rule the Kingdom of Kekaya because she is a girl. Struck early on by the inequality between men and women, Kaikeyi seeks power in a world where gods and men dictate how the world works. Upon discovering a vein of magic, Kaikeyi uses it to transform herself from the forgotten daughter of a king into a warrior, advisor, and queen. With her power, she forges the world she wants to live in, but when her destiny clashes with the gods, she must decide if her beliefs and hopes for the world are worth destroying her family.

Despite fitting well in a list of books about gods and heroes (and strong women), I will not be using Kaikeyi as a comp book because I can not imagine comparing my novel to a masterpiece such as this. I know it’s only February, but this might be the best book I read all year.

The world building is lush and vivid, the characters are full of depth and desire, and the feminist message is perfectly and unobtrusively woven into every aspect of the adventure. Kaikeyi is a beautifully compelling character with the stubbornness to challenge the gods, a heart full of love for her family and her people, and a uncompromising approach to doing what she believes is right. I hope one day I can write something that resonates as fiercely and beautifully as this book.

Since I loved this book so much, I wrote a whole review just for it! Read my review of Kaikeyi here.

The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson

Fatima is a concubine of the last Sultan of Granada. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella need only take the Alhambra to complete the Reconquista of Spain. When Inquisitors arrive with the final terms of peace, Fatima flees the Alhambra with map-maker Hassan, whose maps always become reality. With his map-making magic, they avoid the Inquisitors in hot pursuit and seek freedom, something Fatima’s never had.

This book is deeply rooted in history and beautifully, lyrically written with a focus on love and freedom. The historical aspects of The Bird King are somewhat reminiscent of my novel, as is the setting: Muslim Spain. The religious conflict–and questions raised–are similar in vein to the questions in my novel, though the ultimate themes are very different. In The Bird King: love and freedom. In my novel: belief and identity.

Circe by Madeline Miller

Best known from The Odyssey, the goddess Circe is banished to an island for her power of witchcraft. She encounters many Greek heroes, featuring as both a villain and a love interest, and makes an enemy of a powerful Olympian god. To protect herself and what she loves most, Circe will have to finally choose where she belongs: with the gods who bore her or the mortal she has come to love.

Circe is a complex retelling of a woman often painted as a villain, yet in Miller’s novel, she grapples between her love of mortals and what she must do to protect herself. One of my characters has the ability to wield immense power, like Circe, and is also conflicted between who she is and who she wants to be. Additionally, the gods in my novel are more similar to the Greek gods of mythology than any modern western deities.

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

Book 1 of a Duology

Csorwe is a priestess of the Unspoken god, and she’ll die on her fourteenth birthday as a sacrifice. On the day of her death, a mage offers her an alternative path and she flees with him to start a new life. But the Unspoken has not lost interest in Csorwe, nor have other gods, and they will find any way to gain more power.

Like my novel, the gods are not a far-removed presence but one that walks the earth beside the main characters. Csorwe is a strong, female character who refuses to follow the destiny laid out before her. Her new road brings adventure and high stakes, as well as witty banter.

The Unspoken Name differs from my novel because the main characters are fantasy creatures (think orcs), and the world the story unfolds in is completely imagined (such as mazes that help Csorwe travel between worlds). My characters are human (mostly) and the world they stand on is like our own, though with different names and cultures.

In the Shadow of the Gods by Rachel Dunne

Book 1 of a Trilogy

Long ago, the Parents threw the Twins down from heaven for having a different vision for the world. In the land of Fiatera, many revere the Parents and kill all twin babies out of fear. Others seek to find and free the Twins and usher in a new age. A band of misfits–a skilled swordsman, a pair of twins that survived despite the law, a priestess who sees the future in the fire, and a mage suffering on the edge of madness–are brought together by a violent priest to stop the rise of the Twins and prevent the end of Fiatera as they know it.

Of all the books in this list, In the Shadow of the Gods is most similar to mine regarding style. In the vein of epic fantasy, it uses multiple points of view to follow characters who face their own challenges but are ultimately brought together to accomplish a singular goal with high consequences for failure.

Conclusion

If I had to put this imaginary bookshelf into words, it would be:

-historical fantasy

-mythological fantasy and world-building

-strong female characters

-gods and goddesses

-high stakes

-intrigue, politics, power

My Book:

My novel is best described as a plot driven adventure where The Iliad meets the Crusades. It boasts lonely gods, nostalgia for the past, political corruption, and women who kick ass.

Hopefully I get it published and it can join a list like this one!

Do you know of any other books that would fit on this list?

I’m still searching for the perfect Comp Book to place on my imaginary shelf. Who knows, the right book might be the final straw that tips an agent in my favor! If you have a recommendation, please add it in the comments!