The first book in the Kick-Ass Heroine Fantasy Book Club is Al-Kabar by Lee French! [Click the link for more information about the book club]. I will start a discussion thread in my reader run fan group as well, but feel free to comment on this post if you aren’t on Facebook.

FYI – Al-Kabar by Lee French can currently be found in the 2019 SFWA Fantasy Storybundle but only util Feb 14, 2019.

Short synopsis: A young woman is chosen by powerful supernatural forces to bring justice to a desert land of oasis kingdoms. 

About the Author: Lee French lives in Olympia, WA with two kids, two bicycles, and too much stuff. She is an avid gamer and active member of the Myth-Weavers online RPG community, where she is known for her fondness for Angry Ninja Squirrels of Doom. In addition to spending too much time there, she also trains year-round for the one-week of glorious madness that is RAGBRAI, has a nice flower garden with one dragon and absolutely no lawn gnomes, and tries in vain every year to grow vegetables that don’t get devoured by neighborhood wildlife.

You can find Lee on her web site: https://authorleefrench.com or on Twitter: @AuthorLeeFrench

MCD’s thoughts/notes (as of Jan 23): I’m only about a third of the way through Al-Kabar, but quite enjoying the world Lee French has created. It’s a different read for me (I tend to read only straight up urban fantasy these day), full of spices and sand and fire layered between tiny intimate moments that really breath life into the otherwise foreign setting (for me at least).

Let me know your favourite parts in the comments below or over in the fan group discussion. We have two weeks to read and chat. Also please feel free to chat amongst yourselves!!