Daniel Heath Justice
Daniel Heath Justice is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and was raised in the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in that part of the Mouache Ute territory now known as Victor, Colorado.
He teaches Indigenous North American literatures and Aboriginal studies at the University of Toronto. Kynship is the first volume of the Way of Thorn and Thunder Trilogy, all volumes published by Kegedonce Press.
He is also the author of Our Fire Survives the Storm: A Cherokee Literary History, from University of Minnesota Press , December 2005.
www.danielheathjustice.com
Books
- Kynship -- The Way of Thorn & Thunder -- Book One
- Wyrwood -- The Way of Thorn & Thunder -- Book Two
- Dreyd -- The Way of Thorn and Thunder -- Book Three
Reviews:
Interview With First Nations Fantasy Author
Daniel Heath Justice
by Celu Amberstone
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"Beautiful and tragic; epic in its breadth and scope. Daniel Heath Justice is a master storyteller, effortlessly weaving a luscious tapestry of images and characters that will infuse your dreams, leaving you wanting to know more. The Way of Thorn and Thunder is a powerful allegory bursting with adventure and inspiration. I can't wait for Book Two!"
-Michelle St. John, Actor, The Business of Fancydancing; Host, Red Tales, Aboriginal Voices Radio
With beautiful lines such as "heartbeat of the soil", steamy lesbian love scenes, exciting fight images and colonial characters that boil your blood as much as Stephen Harper does, Kynship: The Way of Thorn and Thunder, the first edition of a trilogy, is a must
read.
- Jorge Vallejos, Redwire Magazine (Aug. 2006)
Jorge Vallejos for Redwire Magazine, Volume 9 Issue 1 August 2006
"A Cherokee-rooted fantasy that weaves a world every bit as challenging, dangerous, urgent, and joyful as our own, Kynship is a tale that shatters colonial myths. With this stunning debut novel, Justice helps decolonize the genre and brings us a story that is vital to Indigenous survival and resistance."
-Qwo-Li Driskill, Author, Walking with Ghosts: Poems
"...Kynship is a story of will, honour, and tradition, and how they are used to combat colonization. What separates this fantasy novel from others is that the main character, Tarsa'deshae-the Spearbreaker-is a queer female warrior. Tarsa'deshae, a member of the Kyn, is responsible for defending her nation from Men who are trying to rob her peoples' land, the Everland, of its resources. Does this sound familiar?"
- Jorge Vallejos, Redwire Magazine (Aug. 2006)
Jorge Vallejos for Redwire Magazine, Volume 9 Issue 1 August 2006
"There is action and adventure aplenty in this epic tale of conflict between Humans and other-worldly Kyn, but there is something deeper as well. Like the magic that imbues his imagined world of spirit-trees and talking beasts, a true sense of wonder and enchantment wells up through Daniel Heath Justice's words. This is a realm that fantasy fans can immerse themselves in, and return to again and again; a realm that feels at once fresh and new, yet old as the oldest myth."
-Alison Baird, author of The Hidden World
"Some of us read fiction to get away from these dismal political times. But novelist Daniel Heath Justice gives us a better option: escape to an imaginary world where our rage can literally cause trees to uproot and strike the white men taking our community's land."
Daisy Hernandez for Colorlines, November/December 2006
"Come on a journey of ancient worlds, mysterious creatures, warriors and primeval tales told through remarkable images and fantasy-driven dialogue. Think of it as Lord of the Rings set in the culture and wisdom of Aboriginal society in North America....Published by Kegedonce Press, this fantasy epic could have been written by J.R.R. Tolkien-if he was Indian."
-Spirit Magazine, Autumn 2005
I just finished teaching Kynship in a 21st-Century Native literatures course. The text is a powerful allegory that reads and teaches well. I can't wait to read book two!
Lisa M. Tatonetti (Manhattan, KS)