cover image Queendom: Feast of the Saints

Queendom: Feast of the Saints

Kim Antieau. Green Snake, $19.99 trade paper (410p) ISBN 978-0-692-58027-1

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown—particularly when the previous wearer pays an unexpected call, as in this pastoral postapocalyptic family drama. Queen Reina, elected monarch and CEO of the nation of Queendom, struggles to discover why her country faces sudden economic and political turmoil after centuries of peace. Reina is also confronted with reminders of her past when her older sister, Hildegarde, returns and her former lover (and Queendom’s creditor), Premier Outram of Berland, attempts to revive their personal connection. Mix in a first family that resists and fumbles its attempts to relieve Reina’s burdens, along with a new chef who is being blackmailed into spying on them all, and the stage is set for court intrigues and emotional confrontations. Antieau (Maternal Instincts) adopts a plain style of storytelling, akin to fairy tales and parables, and uses it effectively to unsettle the placid waters of her ecotopian future. (Mar.)