H. G. Parry

H.G. Parry is a fantasy writer based in Wellington, New Zealand. Her short fiction has appeared in Intergalactic Medicine Show, Daily Science Fiction, and small press anthologies. She holds a PhD in English Literature from Victoria University of Wellington, and teaches English Literature, Film, and Media Studies. Parry lives in a book-infested flat by the beach, which she shares with her sister, three guinea pigs, and two over-active rabbits.

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep is her debut novel.

Recently I asked Parry about what she was reading. Her reply:

I tend to dip in and out of many different books at once. This means that what I’m currently reading is usually an eclectic patchwork of classic novels, magic, science fiction, and historical fiction. I wish this was a strategy; in reality, I just can never bear to wait for one book to finish before I start the next one!

I’ve just finished CA Fletcher’s A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World, which was a title I couldn’t resist. The plot is simple and compelling: the young protagonist, Griz, leaves his family to pursue a thief who stole his dog across post-apocalyptic Scotland. Griz’s voice – a mixture of practicality, quiet reflection, and foreshadowing – is instantly arresting, and the book itself is a powerful testament to hope, determination, and the power of story. Also, those twists in the last act!

I’m lucky enough to have an ARC of Mike Chen’s A Beginning at the End, which I’m half-way through. This is a very different kind of post-apocalyptic landscape, one where the apocalypse is still a fresh wound and the world is still struggling with the emotional aftermath of an epidemic that caused widespread death. It’s delicate and poignant and excels at using science fiction to explore human relationships.

I’m also reading Sarah Shoemaker’s Mr Rochester, a reimagining of Jane Eyre from Edward Rochester’s point of view that tells the story of his childhood, time in Jamaica, and finally the events of Charlotte Bronte’s novel. This is a character study and a companion to the novel rather than a revision of it, at least so far, but it’s the kind of beautifully detailed historical fiction you just want to fall inside.

Obviously, this means I’m also rereading Jane Eyre at the same time, because how could I not? It’s an extraordinary, passionate, revolutionary novel, and I love it forever.

Finally, I also recently finished Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho, which has been on my TBR pile for far too long. It’s delightful, full of magic and whimsy and humour, yet with real weight to its and the societal prejudices they face.

Visit H.G. Parry's website.

--Marshal Zeringue