First, let me apologize to the BSFS Admin. I'm sorry dude! I know, I know, I know I have not been on BSFS in weeks(coming to a month!)but I will try to come on here more often!(Consider it a late New Year's Resolution. We're only 30 days in.)*Note: Sorry guys for lack of tags and links. I don't feel like manually typing coding to link to sites on my phone. Yes, I'm blogging on my phone.*When I first woke up, the first thing on Facebook I saw was Amal El-Mohtar's post about a new Steampunk Anthology, "Steam Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories". Now, when I first heard of this, I just passed it aside. I'm not discriminitive when it comes to an individual's sexual preference. I was simply uninterested(After all, I am an Epic Fantasy kind of guy). However, earlier this month, after thinking about it, you bet my ass I became interested. Looking at this anthology with new eyes gives me an ounce of hope, that maybe-just maybe-this anthology might change our perceptions of the homosexual community. In this anthology we see works by(the already mentioned) Amal El-Mohtar, Matthew Kressel, and SFF's Black Goddess N.K. Jemisin(HOOOOOOOWWWWWLLL!!!). In fact, Jemisin's story, "The Effluent Engine" is available for free on her website, and it is wonderful! However, when I followed a link to Beyond Victoriana, THE blog on everything Steampunk, I found a horror beyond anything I have ever, ever, EVER set my eyes upon.Steampunk Palin. No, I'm not shitting you. Steampunk Palin. Just google it, google image it, check out my Facebook page, do whatever! It's real. Oh God, why God, why? The story is about a woman(Palin)trying to replace the world's oil with steam, but she gets blown up to pieces, only to awaken with steam-powered limbs. FUUUUUCCK.And finally, my confession, WHAT I REALLY THOUGHT OF THE WAY OF KINGS. Now, before I make this, know that these are purely my opinions and that I have not finished the book yet, and in some aspects, I am enjoying it. However, I lowered my head, something in this book hurt me: the representation of the Parshendi/Parshmen.*SPOILER ALERT. I WARNED YOU*I'll go for the obvious first, the Parshendi. If you are thinking what I'm thinking, then feel free to express so. When I first read the prologue, I was-for lack of a better word-sad, confused, and a bit angry. Parshendi, barbarians, the enemy of TWoK, with black skin marbled with white or red. Parshendi, a step above Parshmen, which translates to "Parshmen who can think". Sanderson, why? I conceived an image of the stereotypic barbaric African when I read this.I couldn't get it out of my head...black people were the enemy? Reading Porno Kitsch's(I think I mispelled the name) review re-surged all these mixed emotions I suppresed, and hell, this is my blog and I dont care what anyone thinks: I believe the Parshendi are blacks, simply because of the stereotypes potrayed. And, reading on Stormlight Archive Wiki, one of the characters goes as far as theorizing that the Parshendi/Parshmen are really the Voidbringers, the demons and primary enemies of TWoK and the entire Stormlight Archive sequence.I'm angry typing this now.So, that's it for right now. Sarah Palin going Steampunk, some great stories in a great anthology, and my anger towards Sanderson. Maybe I'll pick on this a bit more, as I never even scratched the surface on race and Fantasy.Take Care,Brandon K. Markham
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