Nina Allan's Spin will be published soon (April/May 2013) by TTA Press. Spin is the second release in the new TTA Novellas series.
Information about Nina Allan:
Nina Allan is a British author.
Click here to visit her official website.
Information about Spin:
In Nina Allan's re-imagining of the Arachne myth, Layla, a weaver of extraordinary talent, leaves home to make her own way in life.
She heads to Atoll City in a modern alternate Greece, attracting the interest of an old lady along the way. The old lady informs Layla that she knew her mother, and of the gift the woman once possessed.
A gift that brought tragedy on Layla's family.
A gift that Layla too possesses.
A REVIEW OF NINA ALLAN'S SPIN
I became aware of Nina Allan by reading one of her short stories, Bellony, in the Blind Swimmer anthology (Eibonvale Press, 2010). Then I had a chance to read The Silver Wind (Eibonvale Press, 2011), which was a fascinating short story collection. I was very impressed by her writing, because her stories were good, so I'm glad that I had a chance to read and review Spin, which is without a doubt one of this year's best novellas.
The author has created an alternate and futuristic Mediterranean world. She blends fantasy with science fiction and mythology in an entertaining way to create a new and modern reimagining of the Arachne myth. Her version of the Arachne myth is genuinely fascinating and will be of interest to several readers who enjoy reading good and well constructed stories.
Here's a few words about the story: The protagonist is Layla Vargas, who makes panoramas and tapestries. Nashe Crawe asks Layla to help her son, Alcander, but Layla says that she can't heal him...
Layla is an interesting character, because the author writes fluently about all aspects of her life. Her transformation is the core of the story, because she has a gift and she has to accept who she is. It was interesting to read about her inner struggle with her gift.
There are wonderful scenes in this novella. The scenes with Alcander are written beautifully and touchingly. It was fascinating to read about Alcander's disease, because it made him look different. The scenes with the old woman, Thanick Acampos, were also well written.
Nina Allan writes good prose and easily captures the heart of the reader with her descriptions about the places and people. She is a talented author who clearly has a vivid imagination. In my opinion she writes beautifully about weavers, sybils, clairvoyance laws, spiders (Saint Joan Spiders) and other things.
If you're looking for an extraordinary and beautifully written story that will charm you with its happenings you've just found it. Spin is perfect entertainment for SFF readers, because it's a well written and surprisingly literary novella, which combines science fiction, fantasy and mythology.
Excellent novella!