Freedom, Spiced and Drunk (Jokka Shorts Book 1)

Kediil wants only to remain neuter and learn the secrets of herbs from its beloved Mardin but at its second puberty, it turns female, and is forced to decide.
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Not every author can create an otherworld culture with believable customs and traditions. This author has achieved it with resounding success. One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful.


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  • leondumoulin.nl: Clays Beneath the Skies (Jokka Collection Book 1) eBook: M.C.A. Hogarth: Kindle Store.
  • Freedom, Spiced and Drunk?

This is a collection of short stories obviously -- most are not direct sequels to each other, but instead display the spread of how Jokka react to their harsh world. The book itself is also beautiful, trade-paperback sized, with interior grayscale illustrations for each story, and lovely layouts of the titles and dropcaps. I've read most of these in ebook form already my eyes like it when I can control the font-size! Indeed, I'd been meaning to read "New Stories" on my e-reader for a while now, but hadn't quite been in a Jokka mood; getting the book let me get in the mood quite quickly! If you have not read Jokka stories before I find that while their reactions can be very human, they can also be very alien, which is what intrigues me most about them.

Their world is harsh; their stories are often poignant. They snatch moments of joy as well. For anyone who wants to see through alien eyes, and have a lovely book in the hands I'd say this one's worth a look. Hogarth's tales about the Jokka are always amazing, and this collection was no exception. I can even say I enjoyed these short stories even more than the full-length novels.

A very interesting look into various eras of Jokka "civilizations", and with so many well-written characters! I would love to read an entire book for each of these short stories, that's how good they were. The homeworld of the Jokka has many beauties, but it is a harsh, harsh place. The Jokka love their world, even as they fight it for their lives.

leondumoulin.nl: Freedom, Spiced and Drunk (Jokka Shorts Book 1) eBook: M.C.A. Hogarth: Kindle Store

Each of the stories in this collection leaves me with a vivid understanding of what's important to the Jokka, of the things that make life worth everything it costs. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Hogarth knows how to write about aliens. I strongly recommend this collection, and all of Hogarth's other Jokka stories. I've been a fan of MCA Hogarth's work for many years now and these were the stories that first introduced me to her.

The Jokka are a fascinating alien race whose struggles often coincide with our own. These stories are a great introduction to their world and the author's work. See all 7 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers.

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View or edit your browsing history. Get to Know Us. English Choose a language for shopping. Not Enabled Word Wise: Not Enabled Screen Reader: What would their culture be? That was enough to get my attention. The magic of Kediil's poetic words, its complete love for life itself and the pure joy it took in its new life picked me up and swept me away from the very beginning.

There just are no words adequate to convey the beauty of this story, its economy of words, its depth of emotion, the rich culture with its brightest joys and darkest pain. You'll be very glad you did! This short story is an excellently crafted tale about how a community would function with three distinct genders, and the coming of age of a young member of the community. The prose is almost poetic, this does occasionally become overblown, however.

My favorite aspect of this story is the fact that there is almost no exposition. That isn't to say that things aren't explained during the story, but that, there is never an info dump, or a period of dialogue when the characters tell each other what's going on, all of the dialogue feels natural.

This is especially impressive considering how alien the characters are. And I mean that in the best way possible, they are aliens after all. Hogarth has created a believable, well thought out alien race that is still relatable. Over all, this is a great story, and it has the added benefit of being a great introduction to the rest of the Jokka shorts. I loved this story more than I expected to.

I made that snap judgement based on the cover naughty, naughty, don't judge a book by its cover which, while lovely, was so simple in design I assumed the story would be likewise simple. The writing has a lovely literary tone with gorgeous description and metaphors but manages to avoid being the hard slog to read that some literary texts are to me. Add to this beautiful writing style a deeply detailed world with a very interesting type of non-human and you're in for a treat. The themes of the importance of memory and freedom to choose are wonderful and woven into the tale well so they are clear to see, but you don't feel beaten about the head with them.

The whole piece is marvelous and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the fantastic. Individuals are born a certain sex, but may change during puberty and change again during a rarer second puberty. I've read several of these stories and I found they were all beautiful explorations of destiny and personal agency. This one is no exception, but it's one of the most successful stories in the series. I read this about a week ago and I find that my mind is still returning to it and the bittersweet beauty that the author captured.

I have not had the time to read all of Ms. I also did not read 'Worth of a Shell' first. This story does not need it though, and I am happy that this was the first of the Jokka stories that I read. I was particularly fascinated by the way the world is built in such a short sitting. I also was very pleased at the personal interactions. What grabbed me the most is the tiny detail of the teardrop petals on the gift that had been left for Kediil. That spoke volumes in itself. Wonderful writer, Wonderful fiction story of alien life.

See all 24 reviews. Most recent customer reviews. Published on February 3, Published on October 30, Published on August 5, Published on July 17, Published on March 18, Published on February 26, Published on January 31, Published on December 25, Published on November 21, What other items do customers buy after viewing this item? Mindtouch The Dreamhealers Book 1. Earthrise Her Instruments Book 1. Customers who viewed this item also viewed. Feedback If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us. Would you like to report poor quality or formatting in this book?

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Series: Stories of the Jokka

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