Siren Queen
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''Siren Queen'' (2022) is a
historical fantasy Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic (fantasy), magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those c ...
novel by Nghi Vo set in a magical 1930s Los Angeles. The story follows an aspiring actor known as Luli Wei, who hopes to achieve immortality through stardom. Hollywood provides obstacles in the form of
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
,
sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
, queerphobia, and dark magic. Luli rejects stereotypical roles on-screen and off, instead embracing the power of playing movie monsters. The book was Vo's first novel to be written, but the second to be published, preceded by '' The Chosen and the Beautiful'' (2021) in a similar magical universe. It received positive reviews in
speculative fiction Speculative fiction is an umbrella term, umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from Realism (arts), realism, or strictly imitating everyday reality, instead presenting fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or ...
venues, and was a 2023 finalist for the
World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...
, the
Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. Originally a poll ...
, and the Ignyte Award.


Plot

A young Chinese-American girl, whose parents run a laundry in a magical Los Angeles, resolves to become a movie star. Achieving stardom, in this Hollywood, involves a literal
apotheosis Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity. The origina ...
that grants immortality. After a series of bit parts for the director Jacko Dewalt, she blackmails him to meet the studio executive Oberlin Wolfe. To avoid revealing her real name (and thus making herself magically vulnerable), she takes her sister's name, Luli. Luli joins Wolfe's
studio system A studio system is a method of filmmaking wherein the production and distribution of films is dominated by a small number of large movie studios. It is most often used in reference to Hollywood motion picture studios during the early years of th ...
, on the condition that her roles will include "no maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers." These conditions limit her career. She befriends her roommate in the studio dorms, a kidnapped
Skogsrå The Skogsrå ( ; ), Skogsfrun ('the Mistress of the Forest'), Skogssnuvan, Skogsnymfen ('the Forest Nymph'), Råndan ('the Rå') or Huldran, is a mythical female creature (or ''rå'') of the forest in Swedish folklore. It appears in the form of ...
named Greta. She also begins a romance with the more-established actress Emmaline Sauvignon. Greta falls in love with Wolfe's protégé Brandt Hiller, whom Wolfe intends to sacrifice in that year's ritualistic Wild Hunt, through which Wolfe feeds a dangerous ancient power. Eventually, Luli lands a major role as a siren. She befriends her famous co-star Harry Long, who reveals to her his secret relationship with a man. Luli's siren movie is a hit, as is its sequel. Greta (now pregnant) and Luli rescue Brandt during the Wild Hunt, and he and Greta escape to Sweden. Emmaline rejects Luli, angry that she drew Wolfe's negative attention. Two years later, Luli's initial contract with Wolfe is nearly over. While filming the third siren movie, the set catches fire and Harry disappears; he is declared dead. Luli connects with the
butch Butch may refer to: People * Butch (nickname), a list of people * Barbara Butch, French lesbian DJ and activist * Butch Patrick, American child actor Patrick Alan Lilley (born 1953), best known for his role as Eddie Munster in ''The Munsters'' ...
Tara Lubowski at a lesbian bar. Jacko is brought on to direct a hasty re-envisioning of the siren film without Harry in the lead. As Jacko's revenge on Luli for her long-ago blackmail, the film now ends with the siren begging pathetically for her life. Luli is initially angry that Tara (under a male pseudonym) has written this degrading ending, but after she and Tara get to know each other better, they begin a romance. Filming the climactic death scene of her siren, Luli achieves magical stardom. She re-signs with Wolfe from a position of power. The epilogue is narrated from Luli's perspective as a celestial star in the present day, reflecting on the legacy of her long career and her romantic relationships.


Development and inspiration

Vo initially wrote a draft of ''Siren Queen'' for a contest run by Angry Robot, which sought novels from writers who didn't yet have agents. It was the first novel she wrote, although her second novel '' The Chosen and the Beautiful'' (2021) would be published before it. Despite losing the contest, Vo began sending the draft to agents, and eventually gained representation from Diana Fox. At the time, it was her longest piece of writing. Vo described the length as a challenging departure from her early career in
short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
, stating, “I work best with boundaries. I love speculative fiction as the genre without limits, but that can be deeply paralyzing sometimes.” The movies starring Luli's siren are loosely inspired by 1930s horror films and the later ''
Creature from the Black Lagoon ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' is a 1954 American black-and-white 3D monster horror film produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm. It stars ...
'' (1954). Other influential movies include ''Morocco'' (1930), ''Shanghai Express'' (1932), '' Queen Christina'' (1933), and ''
Design for Living ''Design for Living'' is a comedy play written by Noël Coward in 1932. It concerns a trio of artistic characters, Gilda, Otto and Leo, and their complicated three-way relationship. Originally written to star Lynn Fontanne, Alfred Lunt and C ...
'' (1933). The characters of Greta and Harry Long are inspired by
Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...
and
Ramon Novarro Ramón Gil Samaniego (February 6, 1899 – October 30, 1968), known professionally as Ramon Novarro, was a Mexican actor. He began his career in American silent films in 1917 and eventually became a leading man and one of the top box-offic ...
. The Chinese-American star
Anna May Wong Wong Liu Tsong (January 3, 1905 – February 3, 1961), known professionally as Anna May Wong, was an American actress, considered the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood, as well as the first Chinese American actress to gain internat ...
is mostly reflected in a minor character in the novel, Su Tong Lin, though Wong shares some details of her background with the novel's protagonist Luli. Another minor character, Louisa Davis, echoes
Hattie McDaniel Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893 – October 26, 1952) was an African-American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the f ...
. In general, these inspirations are loose, with no real films or specific biographical events being dramatized in the novel.


Style

The novel is framed like a
memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autob ...
, narrated by a future Luli who consciously navigates the differences between truth and memory. One effect of a retrospective first-person narration, according to Vo, is that it gives readers an implicit assurance that the protagonist will survive the dark events of the novel. Scenes from movies are also described like Luli's memories, weaving them in to the narrative. The fantasy elements are introduced without explanation, only gradually building into a distinctive world. A key narrative effect is a feeling of unreality, or the sense that
metaphors A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...
are actually real. These ambiguities contribute to an overall environment of suspense, since the reader is never quite provided enough information to fully understand the dark magic that Luli navigates. The environment of uncertain, lurking danger has been compared stylistically to the horror writing of
Shirley Jackson Shirley Hardie Jackson (December 14, 1916 – August 8, 1965) was an American writer known primarily for her works of horror and mystery. Her writing career spanned over two decades, during which she composed six novels, two memoirs, and mor ...
(1916–1965).


Major themes


Hollywood's Fairyland rules

Vo's first ideas for the novel began with seeing similarities between the 1930s Hollywood studio system and folklore depictions of
Fairyland Fairyland (Early Modern English: ''Faerie''; ( Scottish mythology; cf. (Norse mythology)) in English and Scottish folklore is the fabulous land or abode of fairies or ''fays''. Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of ...
. Specifically, she describes Hollywood as mirroring Fairyland through "its promises of immortality and beauty, its penchant for stealing names and faces, the prevalence of bets you can’t win unless you can and some really, really dark underpinnings." In ''Siren Queen'', this connection is expressed through the fantasy
worldbuilding Worldbuilding is the process of constructing an imaginary world or setting (narrative), setting, sometimes associated with a fictional universe. Developing the world with coherent qualities such as a history, geography, culture and ecology is a k ...
of the setting, which has some elements of
allegory As a List of narrative techniques, literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a wikt:narrative, narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political signi ...
. Vo's setting builds on the literary convention of depicting Hollywood as "a kind of hallucinogenic inferno of ambition, lust, corruption, and betrayal." A central theme of the novel is that exploitative systems allow for few good choices, and even successful agreements can be akin to " monkey's-paw pacts" when negotiating with dangerous powers.


Outsider status and monstrosity

Luli navigates Hollywood as "a multiple outsider in a rigged system" according to Gary K. Wolfe, facing racism (especially Chinese exclusionism), sexism, and queerphobia. Others often perceive her as inherently monstrous or not-fully-human due to her marginalized identity. Commenting on Luli's main character traits, Vo has said that "like a lot of mean people out there, she is afraid all the time." Her pursuit of stardom is, in part, an attempt to avoid the limited social roles available to her in her ordinary life -- even though success in Hollywood requires navigating the equally limited fictional roles offered by those with the most power. A central question of the book is whether Luli desires stardom so much that she will sacrifice her authenticity by accepting racial stereotypes in her roles and keeping her queer relationships secret. Her embrace of her monstrous siren character accompanies an embrace of a non-
assimilationist Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a society's majority group or fully adopts the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group. The melting pot model is based on this concept. A relat ...
strategy: she claims power by setting her own terms and forcing others to accede to them, sometimes ruthlessly.


Publication and reception

''Siren Queen'' was published by Tordotcom in 2022, with hardcover and ebook editions. An audiobook narrated by Natalie Naudus was published by Macmillan Audio in June. A paperback edition was released in 2023. The novel was reviewed positively by the speculative fiction magazines ''Locus'', ''
Strange Horizons ''Strange Horizons'' is an online magazine, online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry and non-fiction in every issue, including reviews, essays, interviews, and roundtables. History and profile It was launched in S ...
'', '' Reactor'', and '' Lightspeed''. It received a
starred review A starred review is a book review marked with a star to denote a book of distinction or particularly high quality. A starred review can help to increase media coverage, bookstore placement and sales of a book. Outlets that published starred review ...
in ''Publishers Weekly''. Reviews praised the distinctive and memorable setting, characters, and prose style. Several reviewers commented that the novel continued the success of her earlier works, solidifying Vo's reputation as a speculative fiction writer. In 2023, ''Siren Queen'' was a finalist for the
World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...
, the
Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. Originally a poll ...
, and the Ignyte Award.


References

{{Reflist 2022 fantasy novels Novels set in Los Angeles Novels set in the 1930s 2020s LGBTQ novels 2022 LGBTQ-related literary works Hollywood novels