Jon Tattrie (Author of Peace by Chocolate)

Jon Tattrie is now following Heidi Rushton's reviews
Jan 26, 2026 08:53AM · like
Jon Tattrie rated a book it was amazing Inside Indonesia's Big Bang: A Canadian Policy-Maker's First-Hand Look at Governance Reform and International Collaboration by Mark Gilbert	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆. Inside Indonesia’s Big Bang, by Mark Gilbert, Phd. For many years I taught writing classes to civil servants. I always looked forward to those classes, as the students came ready to learn and eager ...more
Jan 13, 2026 12:10PM · like · see review
Jon Tattrie rated a book it was amazing Patchworld Nova by Jude Mire (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒚 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆. Nova Scotia’s most famous UFO sighting came in Shag Harbour in October 1967. Locals saw weird orange lights on an otherwise dark October night. The lights dove toward the water, scuffing along the surface, l ...more
Oct 22, 2025 09:32AM · like · see review
Jon Tattrie and 28 other people liked Alis's review of Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World: "Tom Holland has a great easy to read writing style, but the argument in this book was ... not his finest. The first half that explores the origins of Christian ideas and the growth / making of the Catholic Church is very interesting. Well researched," Read more of this review »
Oct 15, 2025 05:02AM · see review
Jon Tattrie and 31 other people liked MarinaS's review of Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind: "The central thesis of this book devolves into the Goodness Gracious Me sketch about the Indian father. Everyone was Christian! Diderot? Christian! Voltaire? Christian! Karl Marx? Christian! Charlie Hebdo? Christian! (The Nazis were not Christian, but" Read more of this review »
Oct 15, 2025 05:00AM · see review
Jon Tattrie rated a book it was amazing Damballa by Charles R. Saunders	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 $𝟓𝟎 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝑭𝑵𝑺’𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑹. 𝑺𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒆. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝒘𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝟏𝟐 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆. Charles R. Saunders has entered the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy H ...more
Aug 25, 2025 08:26AM · like · see review
Jon Tattrie rated a book it was amazing Gollancz Imaro. by Charles R. Saunders	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 $𝟓𝟎 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝑭𝑵𝑺’𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑹. 𝑺𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒆. IMARO Charles R. Saunders has been inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame! They announced it on Canada Day, saying Charles's "imp ...more
Jul 28, 2025 10:38AM · like · see review
Jon Tattrie rated a book it was amazing Black and Bluenose: The Contemporary History of a Community by Charles R. Saunders	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 $𝟓𝟎 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝑭𝑵𝑺’𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑹. 𝑺𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒆. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝒘𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝟏𝟐 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆. Black and Bluenose: The Contemporary History of a Community. I recently wr ...more
Jun 24, 2025 10:46AM · 1 like · like · see review
Jon Tattrie rated a book it was amazing Deep Freeze (Deep Mysteries) by Anne Louise O'Connell (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆. Deep Freeze, a novel by Anne Louise O'Connell I read the last chapter of Deep Freeze in the hospital emergency room, which was a perfect location to finish this fun and feisty cosy mystery. Cosy in ...more
Jun 09, 2025 11:50AM · 1 like · like · see review
Jon Tattrie and 15 other people liked Zain's review of Peace by Chocolate: "Inspirational and a much needed read for our current times of darkness. As A Syrian that recently moved to Canada, a big part of the book was very relatable. Images of war torn Syria weren't easy to get through. But the overall tone of hope that the b" Read more of this review »
May 22, 2025 04:36AM · see review

Jon Tattrie is now following Heidi Rushton's reviews

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Inside Indonesia's Big Bang by Mark Gilbert

Inside Indonesia's Big Bang: A Canadian Policy-Maker's First-Hand Look at Governance Reform and International Collaboration
by Mark Gilbert

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𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆.

Inside Indonesia’s Big Bang, by Mark Gilbert, Phd.

For many years I taught writing classes to civil servants. I always looked forward to those classes, as the students came ready to learn and eager 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆.

Inside Indonesia’s Big Bang, by Mark Gilbert, Phd.

For many years I taught writing classes to civil servants. I always looked forward to those classes, as the students came ready to learn and eager to get better at that aspect of their job. In our conversations between lessons, I was struck by how they were in many ways the opposite of the politicians I dealt with as a journalist. The civil servants are there for the long-haul, not a term, and tend to end up in departments whose work they care greatly about.

The same is true for Mark Gilbert. His insightful new book, Inside Indonesia’s Big Bang, is not about his main career as a Canadian expert on local government, nor his years as an academic. Instead, he tells the fascinating story of his twenty-year experience as a sort of diplomat sent from Canada to Indonesia as that country underwent significant reform from the 1990s onward.

If you remember the arrival of Access Nova Scotia in the 1990s, you will appreciate how big an improvement that made to countless people by offering a one-stop shop, rather than forcing you to go from place to place to get your paperwork sorted. Indonesians were interested in making a similar change, as well as rethinking their governmental structure from a highly centralized system, to one where many things were handled locally, as in Canada’s triple layers of municipal, provincial, and federal governments.

But the heart of this book is Mark’s human experience in Indonesia, and with Indonesians visiting Canada. Mark has a sharp eye for people and paints vivid pictures of his travels in Indonesia. He has a long and funny run of “distinguishing himself” after he learns that for Javanese in particular, adults are expected to always show high self-control, balance and grace, and never get loud or angry in public.

"My Western upbringing encouraged a degree of aggressiveness and confrontation and standing up for your rights to settle disputes when you felt wronged. I think Agung and other Javanese and Sundanese Indonesian colleagues felt 'distinguished' from me on a couple of future missions when I expressed my frustration in a very non-Javanese way," he writes with humour.

He learns to present himself in a humbler, more harmonious, Indonesian fashion.

He also shows us Nova Scotia through the eyes of his Indonesian colleagues, who visit several times on learning missions. One Canadian scene particularly stuck with me. He was introducing his Indonesian colleagues to the joy of Tim Hortons, but did it Canadian-style, which is to say everyone ordered their own coffee. He at first did not understand why this went over so poorly, but later learned that Indonesian manners required him to buy everyone’s drink and share them out. Otherwise, it felt more like inviting someone to your home for dinner and then asking your guest what's for supper.

I know this book very well, as OC Publishing hired me to edit it last year. The book would be a great case study for university courses, or a fun and informative read for anyone considering life abroad.

Mark was CEO of a Crown corporation for more than a decade, spent two years working with local government in South Africa, and served as national director of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada for six years. Mark is a humble, hard-working, curious person, and you will enjoy your time with him.

In a world where no two nations seem capable of cooperating anymore, Mark shows us that quiet, steady work on improving things from the ground up can make a more harmonious world, with fewer people “distinguishing” themselves.

I’ll be there for the launch. It’s in room 301 at the Halifax Central Library at 2 p.m. on Sunday Jan. 25. ...more

Jon Tattrie rated a book it was amazing

Patchworld Nova
by Jude Mire (Goodreads Author)

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𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒚 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆.

Nova Scotia’s most famous UFO sighting came in Shag Harbour in October 1967. Locals saw weird orange lights on an otherwise dark October night. The lights dove toward the water, scuffing along the surface, l ...more

Jon Tattrie and 28 other people liked Alis's review of Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World:

"Tom Holland has a great easy to read writing style, but the argument in this book was ... not his finest. The first half that explores the origins of Christian ideas and the growth / making of the Catholic Church is very interesting. Well researched," Read more of this review »

Jon Tattrie and 31 other people liked MarinaS's review of Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind:

"The central thesis of this book devolves into the Goodness Gracious Me sketch about the Indian father. Everyone was Christian! Diderot? Christian! Voltaire? Christian! Karl Marx? Christian! Charlie Hebdo? Christian! (The Nazis were not Christian, but" Read more of this review »

Jon Tattrie rated a book it was amazing

Damballa
by Charles R. Saunders

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𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 $𝟓𝟎 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝑭𝑵𝑺’𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑹. 𝑺𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒆. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝒘𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝟏𝟐 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆.

Charles R. Saunders has entered the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy H 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 $𝟓𝟎 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝑭𝑵𝑺’𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑹. 𝑺𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒆. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝒘𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝟏𝟐 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆.

Charles R. Saunders has entered the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. The story of how I came to have his plaque reminded me of a story connected to the birth of a unique novel for Charles.

Damballa is a joyful book and it became the first new fiction world from Charles in 26 years when it was published in 2011. He mixes his love of African history into Damballa’s origin story and adds his passion for boxing by centring the book around an upcoming heavyweight tilt. It’s the only novel Charles ever set in our world. “Music stirred the sultry night air of Sugar Row. The syncopated sounds of smooth jazz wove magic in the June heat and brought quick smiles to the lips of the men and women of all shades of darkness who walked past the mansion from which the music emanated,” it begins.

It’s Harlem in the 1930s and a Black American man is heavyweight champion of the boxing world. The Nazis hate him and send their own supreme white champion, powered by a mysterious potion, to destroy the champ in the ring. Damballa must thwart the Nazi plot to give the champ a fighting chance. In true Charles fashion, even the drugged-up Nazi pugilist is portrayed with all his rich humanity intact. Damballa uses a mix of modern science and ancient African magic to thwart the Nazi supremacy.

The novel came at the prompting of Charles’s old friend, Ron Fortier. The men had connected through letters over Dark Fantasy magazine in the 1970s and had corresponded for decades. In 2006, Ron and his friend Rob Davis accomplished a dream by launching Airship 27 Productions with the plan to publish new pulp fiction based on the 1930s classic pulp heroes they both loved. Charles admired the idea, and offered his support. Ron needed a solid proofreader and Charles volunteered. He devoured the stories starring Secret Agent X, the Black Bat, Domino Lady, Raven, Stepson of Mystery, and the Purple Scar. Charles got a hoot out of it, but he told Ron he’d found an old problem in the classic characters: “We can’t help but trip across the racism of the 1930s.”

Ron agreed, but contended he couldn’t revive classic Black pulp heroes, because there were none. Perhaps Charles could change that? No, Charles said. Repeatedly. For five years. But then … “If it’ll shut you up, I think I’ve got an idea,” he finally replied. The idea was Damballa, and it fused Charles’s primary passions in an original synthesis. “From the heart of Africa to the streets of Harlem, a new hero is born sworn to support and protect Americans of all races and creeds; he is Damballa and he strikes from the shadows.”

Ron could hardly believe his luck when he read the manuscript. It was a moment of literary history that he was proud of: the first Black pulp hero of the 1930s, just 80 years later. It was so different from everything else Charles had ever written, and yet fit immediately into his growing canon of Sword and Soul.

Charles won the Pulp Factory award for best novel for Damballa. The awards team created the prize, packed it up, and sent it to Charles. Yet somehow, they actually sent it to a very confused fan named Derrick Ferguson. He called them, alarmed, and asked why an award with his hero’s name on it was in his hands. The awards team told him just to return it and they’d get it to Charles. “No way. No way. I’m sending this to Charles on my own dime. Can I put a letter in?” Derrick asked. “By all means,” they replied.

So when the Canadian Hall of Fame sent me Charles’s plaque, I thought of that story. They hadn’t sent it to me by accident, as Charles’s estate had asked me to accept the honour on his behalf. However, as I wrote this, I realized that it had been a mistake. What was my hero’s plaque doing in my hands? This plaque belongs with Charles’s family – and dare I say it belongs in America. I am sending it home to them. I will follow Derrick’s lead and put a letter in, too, so that his descendents will know about Charles R. Saunders.

Source: To Leave a Warrior Behind: The Life and Stories of Charles R. Saunders, the Man Who Rewrote Fantasy. (McClelland & Stewart, Jan. 20 2026). ...more

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Gollancz Imaro.
by Charles R. Saunders

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𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 $𝟓𝟎 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝑭𝑵𝑺’𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑹. 𝑺𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒆.
IMARO
Charles R. Saunders has been inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame! They announced it on Canada Day, saying Charles's "imp 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 $𝟓𝟎 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝑭𝑵𝑺’𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑹. 𝑺𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒆.
IMARO
Charles R. Saunders has been inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame! They announced it on Canada Day, saying Charles's "impact as a writer continues to grow after his death, as new generations discover his work and find it to be life-changing."
His estate asked me to accept the award on his behalf. I spoke to CBC's Information Morning about it last week and hope to spread the word this summer.
And Imaro has been reborn this year, for the third time, in this edition with the UK publisher Gollancz, who has so far published Imaro and Imaro 2: Quest for Cush. This has his estate's blessing and hope that the full six-book series gets into print this time.
Which brings us to Charles's next big book, which was also his first: Imaro. An editor at Night Shade, a publisher in San Francisco and Portland, had heard about the Imaro series from the 1980s and searched out the first three - and was devastated when he closed the book on The Trail of Bohu and realized there were no more Imaro stories. The editor tracked down Charles and emailed him with the suggestion that Night Shade republish the first three Imaros - in hardcover no less - and then complete the series by publishing four and five.
Charles said no, he couldn’t republish the three novels. A key story in the first novel, “Slaves of the Giant Kings,” had become unprintable. In the 1980s, the story had been pure fantasy set in Nyumbani’s Ruanda, pitting the enslaved Kahutu against the imperious Mwambututsi, with Imaro leading the Kahutu on a bloody revolt. Imaro meets and falls in love with a Kahutu woman - Tanisha. “At the end of the story, the Mwambututsi are massacred,” Charles wrote. The horrific 1994 Rwanda genocide had made the story obscene. He ruled out an author’s note as too glib, and didn’t want to change a few details to try and hide the story’s African origins. But just removing it would render the novels incomprehensible, as Imaro otherwise never meets Tanisha.
“My fingers were poised on the keyboard,” about to say no to Night Shade, he wrote. “At that moment, a stray neuron fired in my brain. I had not written a word of new Imaro material in eighteen years, and I had become resigned to the probability that I would never write about him again. I had buried him in my subconscious, and I wasn’t certain that I could bring him back to life. However, my Ilyassai friend proved to be tenacious. … Imaro had not lain totally fallow all those years, and it turned out I had more to say about him.”
Charles brought Imaro back to life and was delighted with the Night Shade edition, seen in the top left of the above photo. But Night Shade killed the series after book 2. After Charles's death, his estate worked with Gollancz to give Imaro another shot at life, and the first two books were published posthumously this year. They are tricky to get in Canada, but not impossible.
Source: To Leave A Warrior Behind: The Life and Stories of Charles R. Saunders, the Man Who Rewrote Fantasy.
PS: we have a cover for Charles's biography, and it is sensational. Still behind closed doors for now, but it's coming closer all the time. Publication date is January 2026 with McClelland & Stewart. ...more

Jon Tattrie rated a book it was amazing

Black and Bluenose by Charles R. Saunders

Black and Bluenose: The Contemporary History of a Community
by Charles R. Saunders

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𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 $𝟓𝟎 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝑭𝑵𝑺’𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑹. 𝑺𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒆. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝒘𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝟏𝟐 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆.

Black and Bluenose: The Contemporary History of a Community.

I recently wr 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 $𝟓𝟎 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝑭𝑵𝑺’𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑹. 𝑺𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒆. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝒘𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝟏𝟐 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆.

Black and Bluenose: The Contemporary History of a Community.

I recently wrote an introduction for a new edition of Black and Bluenose, which Pottersfield Press will publish this fall. In it, I note that after spending the 1970s and 1980s producing an enormous amount of fiction, Charles published not a single word of fantasy between 1990 and 1999. “Fantasy fans in the United States concluded Charles R. Saunders was dead,” I wrote. “What was Charles doing during that ‘lost’ decade? You’re holding the answer in your hands.”

Charles had landed a job at the Halifax Daily News and soon became one of the most pugnacious pundits our city has ever seen. As I re-read the columns in this book, I was struck by how skilled Charles was at laying out the local problem and connecting it to the deeper issue. I suspect if you read the columns of his peers, you would cringe at their outdated ideas, or plain wonder what they heck they were talking about. That never happens here. The deep-seeing vision that guided his fantasy quest guided his nonfiction writing, too. He has been fully vindicated on some fronts, like Africville, so that what he writes now seems obvious to us. On other issues, like education, we are still far behind Charles. Another thing happened to Charles during this time: he fell in love. He met and married an African Nova Scotian woman in 1986 and their bond brought him into the heart of Africadia. He felt a powerful duty to use his elite writing talent to put forth the case for the people who had adopted him.

From our Nova Scotia perspective, the mysterious disappearance actually followed this book: Charles stopped writing his column in 2000. He stopped writing nonfiction books about Africadia. His marriage ended. He withdrew into private life. He still had to work, though, and that’s how I met him when I became a copy editor on the Daily News in 2006. I knew him from his legendary column and was delighted to start working the night shift with him. He was kind, funny, and very good at editing. I don’t think I ever got one of my edited pages past his keen eye without a few red marks. When the paper shut down in 2008, it shocked us all and bonded us for a lifetime.

Earlier this year, the British publisher Gollancz brought Imaro back to life in a beautiful new edition. They plan to publish the full series – including book five. And Pottersfield Press will publish this wonderful new edition of his classic nonfiction book, Black and Bluenose. Whether you are a fantasy fan discovering his nonfiction, or a fan of his nonfiction first hearing about his fantasy, know this: his words change lives. ...more

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Deep Freeze (Deep Mysteries)
by Anne Louise O'Connell (Goodreads Author)

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𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆.

Deep Freeze, a novel by Anne Louise O'Connell

I read the last chapter of Deep Freeze in the hospital emergency room, which was a perfect location to finish this fun and feisty cosy mystery. Cosy in 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆.

Deep Freeze, a novel by Anne Louise O'Connell

I read the last chapter of Deep Freeze in the hospital emergency room, which was a perfect location to finish this fun and feisty cosy mystery. Cosy in the sense that (per Wikipedia) it’s a “a sub-genre of crime fiction in which sex and violence occur offstage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and detection take place in a small socially-intimate community.”

Deep Freeze opens with a shocking incident at Dubai’s famous indoor ski hill. I had heard about this snow-in-the-desert before and loved experiencing it through the eyes and skiis of Susan Morris, our amateur sleuth. Halifax-based author Anne Lousie O’Connell lived in Dubai and the locations leap off the page with authentic first-hand experience, giving me a sense of what it would be like as a Westerner living in the UAE.

Bad things keep happening, and our heroine never takes the easy route of looking away. A man is attacked in hospital. A home is broken into. A Sri Lankan maid goes missing. Susan, with no special powers but curiosity and compassion, dives into the mystery to try and save the missing maid - and a lot of other vulnerable women. The strong female characters were one of the most enjoyable parts of the book. Public images of the UAE tend to focus on men, so it was a treat to go inside homes and minds of local women, Westerners, and the other international women who come to the UAE for work. This book aces the Bechdel test!

It’s the second book in O’Connell’s Deep Mysteries (Deep Deceit, 2016), but it was the first one I read, and one that makes you want to read the entire series. I also read Louise Penny’s Three Pines books in the order the library sent them to me, and I think here too each book pulls you deeper into the world, but I don’t think you need to read them in order.

Deep Freeze is a great summer read, so buy a copy and throw it in your bag, or get it on your phone so it’s always with you - even in the emergency room! (kidney stone, horrific pain, wonderful medical staff, full recovery.) ...more

Jon Tattrie and 15 other people liked Zain's review of Peace by Chocolate:

"Inspirational and a much needed read for our current times of darkness.

As A Syrian that recently moved to Canada, a big part of the book was very relatable. Images of war torn Syria weren't easy to get through. But the overall tone of hope that the b" Read more of this review »

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