Hello! I’m Beth Cato, author of the Clockwork Dagger duology and the Blood of Earth trilogy. The finale of that trilogy just came out, and I’m delighted that Liana invited me by to talk about my books and share an excerpt.
In the first book, Breath of Earth, I set about rewriting the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire with earth magic and incredible creatures. My heroine, Ingrid Carmichael, is a strong and stubborn geomancer. Without delving into spoilers, the events of the second book, Call of Fire, leave her in a bad way. Turns out, channeling demigod-level power through a human body doesn’t work out so well. She’s very aware of those repercussions as the novel Roar of Sky begins.
In this scene from chapter 2, Cy pushes Ingrid in a wheelchair through downtown Honolulu when they encounter a rather unusual parade. This scene acts as an effective snapshot of the terrible war within in my trilogy–America and Japan allied as the Unified Pacific, trying to take over mainland Asia–but there is also an eerie reality to what I describe. A similar parade, complete with the BANZAI banners, actually occurred in downtown Honolulu in 1895, after Japan experienced a victory in the first Sino-Russian war.
Breath of Earth – Call of Fire – Roar of Sky
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Flowers abounded here in a way Ingrid had never known, their scent penetrating the sharp stench of autocar exhaust. Walls contained waterfall cascades of blossoms in almost unreal shades of purple, red, and pink, while nearby trees and bushes swayed beneath their fragrant burdens. Nonflowering vibrant greenery sprouted on lawns and small parks even in the thick of downtown.
The natural beauty stood as an odd contrast to the heavy presence of the military and the patriotic signs and swags that lined the street declaring emperor banzai, navy banzai, and army banzai in both kanji and English.
The predominant language spoken around them was English, and many of the people here looked white as well; the Japanese government ruled the land on paper, but America’s agreement for use of Pearl Harbor predated Japanese dominion.
As a lanky white man in working-class clothes, Cy would have blended in fairly well had he been traveling by himself, though he was more youthful than many men around. Most men his age and younger had been conscripted.
“Something’s going on up ahead,” Cy muttered as their progress slowed.
Ingrid’s low vantage point only afforded her a view of suited backsides and hats and the brick buildings across the way.
Autocar horns honked and voices rose, many in complaint, as brass instruments struck up a festive tune nearby.
“What can you see?” Ingrid asked.
“Nothing yet,” said Cy.
“You’re not missing anything,” said the white man beside them. “It’s a damned parade again. They’re doing it every night. Support for the war effort. Ooh-rah.” He spoke, deadpan. “As if anyone feels otherwise. All it does is clog the street.”
The parade consisted of a caravan of flatbed trucks garishly adorned in banners for the United States, Japan, and the combined flags of both as the Unified Pacific. The first truck held the band—a dozen men in suits, with a drummer a half beat ahead of the rest. Two more trucks rumbled by hosting children who tossed wrapped candies into the crowd. A few boys darted from the sidewalk to scoop up loot, and were nearly squashed flat.
The next truck hosted three Chinese men hanging in effigy.
Ingrid sharply inhaled, the sound of her reaction lost amid the cheers that erupted around her. The leaf-stuffed cloth bodies bobbed and swayed. They wore yellow brassards on their upper arms that bore the characters for “Shina,” as all Chinese were required to wear in public. This attention to detail was repeated in the paper identification booklets that jutted from their shirt pockets.
The third figure looked smaller, younger than the other two, its face slender and black hair shaggy.
It looked like Lee.
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If alternate history with a magical twist is your thing, now’s the time to grab the whole trilogy! No need to wait until the next release.
Breath of Earth http://amzn.to/1noq6fE
Call of Fire http://amzn.to/2gscIsJ
Roar of Sky http://amzn.to/2HJQT0Q
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Nebula-nominated Beth Cato is the author of the Clockwork Dagger duology and the new Blood of Earth Trilogy from Harper Voyager. She’s a Hanford, California native transplanted to the Arizona desert, where she lives with her husband, son, and requisite cats. Follow her at BethCato.com and on Twitter at @BethCato.