Isabel Ibañez releases new fantasy book, "Where the Library Hides"
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Isabel Ibañez. Photo: Shelby Mahurin. Book cover courtesy of St. Martin's Publishing Group
Authors of Latino heritage are increasingly carving a space in fantasy literary realms.
The big picture: Fantasy, especially when imbued with elements of romance or retelling a famous myth, is currently one of the best-selling genres in the publishing industry.
- But even in a genre that deals with fairies and dragons, characters of color are still infrequent.
Driving the news: Isabel Ibañez's works are among those who buck that trend. Her novels have sold well and been named to best-of lists, all while including several Latino characters.
- As her newest book, "Where the Library Hides" hits shelves today, Ibañez tells Axios this genre helps readers "dream a little bit and see the world with a lot more possibility," and that should include introducing them to truly diverse magical settings.
- The novel follows up on a story she introduced a year ago, of Bolivian Argentine amateur archeologist Inez Olivera and her family as they look for Cleopatra's tomb and the remains of the Library of Alexandria.
What they're saying: Ibañez says she sought to include several Latin American characters and to have more nuances in their personalities and actions.
- "I thought of my own love of telenovelas, the array of different types of people and the surprises and plot twists … there are not just clear-cut heroes and villains, there are people in gray areas and people who make mistakes," she says.
- Her stories also discuss looting of archeological sites or auctions with historical artifacts, following in the steps of Latino authors in other genres like horror who make it a point to mix in issues like colonialism when spinning imaginative tales.
- "I would hope that all of this makes readers curious to learn more, that they pick it up and they enjoy a new perspective," Ibañez says.
Zoom out: Other recent or upcoming Latino-authored books with fantastical elements include:
- "The Sun of Blood and Ruin," about a Mesoamerican vigilante in the vein of El Zorro, by Mariely Lares.
- The Greek mythology retelling "The Palace of Eros," by Uruguayan American author Caro de Robertis.
- Veronica Chapa's "Malinalli," which centers on the maligned figure of La Malinche, a Nahua woman who acted as interpreter to Hernán Cortés.
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