(no subject)
Sep. 12th, 2010 02:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
patupaiarehe Am reading a good New Zealand book today, which makes me happy. It's called Guardian of the Dead by Katherine Healey, and I think I actually first heard about it from here or LJ, so yay for good recommendations.
I really enjoy the way it uses the setting - my city, which is extra-fun cos I can picture it all so clearly - and utilises the rich folklore and mythic tradition of the Maori. It does mean it'll be harder for outsiders to 'get', but I think Ms Healey does a pretty good job of that. I'm just happy to see a New Zealand story properly grounded in New Zealand and using New Zealand traditions. You would think it'd be more common, because Maori myths are pretty hardcore, but I don't know if I can think of many others that do so.
And on a side note, faeries, or patupaiarehe, have a fairly major role in the plot, and it confuses me a little every time. I didn't even realise I identified that much with this handle, but when I see 'patupaiarehe' written out, I just assume it's talking about me. And in this case, it's not. Who knew I had an internet identity? Not me :P
I really enjoy the way it uses the setting - my city, which is extra-fun cos I can picture it all so clearly - and utilises the rich folklore and mythic tradition of the Maori. It does mean it'll be harder for outsiders to 'get', but I think Ms Healey does a pretty good job of that. I'm just happy to see a New Zealand story properly grounded in New Zealand and using New Zealand traditions. You would think it'd be more common, because Maori myths are pretty hardcore, but I don't know if I can think of many others that do so.
And on a side note, faeries, or patupaiarehe, have a fairly major role in the plot, and it confuses me a little every time. I didn't even realise I identified that much with this handle, but when I see 'patupaiarehe' written out, I just assume it's talking about me. And in this case, it's not. Who knew I had an internet identity? Not me :P
