The Dreaming Land I: The Challenge (The Zemnian Series Book 5)
Page 52
Shouts were coming from behind us as everyone inside the cabin came running outside, demanding to know what was happening.
“It’s wolves!” I called over to them, shaking off the strange fascination that had come over me. “A whole pack of wolves! They’ve come up to the fence.”
“By all the gods!” cried Marusya. “Shoot them, shoot them!”
“NO!” I shouted.
“We have to shoot them, we have to shoot them, get your bow and arrows, get your bow and arrows…” Marusya was shrieking heedlessly.
“NO!” I shouted again. I picked up my own bow and nocked an arrow against the string, but pointed it, not at the wolves, but at the inside of the compound. “There will be no shooting!”
“What…what…” Everyone was staring at me.
“There’s been enough killing of wolves,” I announced. “That’s the problem, don’t you see? It has to stop now.”
“Very good, princess,” said a voice behind me. I whirled around and looked out over the fence again. Standing right by it was a tree I hadn’t noticed before. As I was trying to comprehend its sudden appearance where I was sure no tree had been just a few heartbeats ago, two large eyes suddenly opened in its trunk and peered straight into mine.
End of Part I
Part II is coming soon! Meanwhile, want to find out how it all began? Sign up for my mailing list and get a FREE copy of the prequel collection Winter of the Gods and Other Stories here. Plus updates, tidbits, and plenty of free offers!
Discussion Questions
1) This book is subtitled “The Challenge.” What are some of the challenges that appear in it?
2) The society of Zem’ is matrilineal and female-dominated. What are the characters’ objections to rule by men? How are their objections grounded in what they consider to be objective reality, just as our society’s objections to rule by women have historically been grounded in what it considers to be objective reality?
3) Related to question 3 above, what do the characters say about the sexes and relationships between them? What about the book—is its message different from that of the characters? What effect does it have to avoid a total power inversion but instead subvert expectations?
4) How did the love story in the book follow the conventional plot of a romance novel? How did it subvert it? How did it change the typical gender dynamics of such a story?
5) Were there moments in the story that made you uncomfortable or made you think twice? What were they, and why? What are the benefits of reading something that makes you uncomfortable or challenges you?
6) Authors often use a technique called “defamiliarization” or “making things strange” (ostranenie in Russian) to make things that the readers would normally take for granted seem strange, or to highlight their absurdity. What examples of defamiliarization did you notice in The Dreaming Land?
7) The Dreaming Land is high fantasy, set in a made-up world where magic works. What the point of reading or writing fantasy? What does the fantastical setting offer that a more realist or historically grounded setting does not?
8) Like all speculative fiction, The Dreaming Land is as much about the present-day society of its author as anything else. What parallels with the present day or current events do you see in it?
9) The Dreaming Land was heavily inspired by Russian literature. Did you find any allusions to Russian literature in it? Stylistic or thematic influences? What sets Russian or Russian-esque literature apart from Western literature?
10) How does The Dreaming Land subvert the East/West expectations of most English-language fiction? Who are the barbarians in this story, and who are the civilized people?
About the Author
When she is not teaching Russian, E.P. Clark is probably playing with her pets or reading a wide variety of literature from around the world. She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached at elenapedigo@yahoo.com, or on her website at https://epclarkauthor.net/, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/epclarkauthor/, and Twitter at @EPClarkauthor. You can also sign up for her mailing list in order to get regular updates and special offers at http://eepurl.com/c5ul55.
Also by the Author
Amazon US links:
The Zemnian Series
The Midnight Land I: The Flight
The Midnight Land II: The Gift
The Breathing Sea I: Burning
The Breathing Sea II: Drowning
Unplanned Parenthood
Amazon UK links:
The Zemnian Series
The Midnight Land I: The Flight
The Midnight Land II: The Gift
The Breathing Sea I: Burning
The Breathing Sea II: Drowning
Unplanned Parenthood