Tag: Tor Teen

Posted in Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Surreal Brooklyn: Vassa in the Night

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

vassaVassa in the Night, by Sarah Porter, (Sept. 2016, Tor/Forge), $17.99, ISBN: 9780765380548

Recommended for ages 12+

A retelling of the Russian folktale “Vassilissa the Beautiful” introduces readers to a surrealistic, modern-day Brooklyn where magic and mayhem rule the day. Vassa is a teen living with her stepmother, half-sister, and stepsister; she really only gets along with Chelsea, who isn’t even technically related to her. She also has a wooden doll, Erg, that is alive and a bit of a kleptomaniac, but Vassa can’t tell anyone about her, so everyone thinks she’s the one with the problem. Mean-spirited Stephanie sends Vassa to the store in the middle of the night to pick up light bulbs, but the only store open is the awful BY’s, where they behead shoplifters and leave the heads on pikes outside the store. Vassa goes to the store, fully aware that Stephanie is trying to get her killed.

When she arrives at the store, she discovers that the outside of BY’s is just the beginning of the weirdness, and that she’s caught up in it more deeply than she could have guessed. She’d better hold on tight to Erg if she wants to get out alive.

If you love your fairy tales fractured, they don’t come any more flipped than Vassa in the Night. Magical realism fans will embrace this story and so will fans of surrealist writing. Vassa is a smart heroine who undertakes a hero’s journey here; Baba Yaga – called Babs here – is appropriately awful, and Erg emerges as the best sidekick since C-3P0 and R2D2 teamed up. There’s great character development, cringe-worthy moments, and some beautiful storytelling. Every time Sarah Porter describes the swans that gather around Vassa, I just want to close my eyes and listen to the beating of their feathers around me. There will be moments where you have to put the book down and wrap your head around what you’ve just read, but it’s all worth it. Read the original folktale here first if you want a better grasp on the story, or just dive in if you like to live dangerously.

Sarah Porter’s author website has more information about her books, a gallery of artwork (some inspired by her books), and updates from the author.

 

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Teen

Fathomless – Lovecraft-inspired fantasy

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

9780765335906_be583Fathomless (Redemption’s Heir, #2), by Anne M. Pillsworth (Oct. 2015, Tor Teen), $18.99, ISBN: 9780765335906

Recommended for ages 13+

The second book in Anne M. Pillsworth’s Lovecraft-inspired Redemption’s Heir series, Fathomless, picks up where Summoned leaves off. Sean, having learned his magical heritage, is studying magic with his friend, Eddy, and a new classmate, Daniel, who has secrets of his own. The last time Sean played around with magic, though, all hell broke loose – it turns out that HP Lovecraft was writing fiction based on some pretty real happenings – so his teachers are a bit worried about Sean’s desire to jump right back into spellcasting, especially when an ever darker branch on his family tree makes itself known.

As Eddy and Sean become closer friends with Daniel, though, they find themselves mired deeper and deeper in magic and intrigue. Sean ultimately turns to Reverend Orne one more time for help – the same Reverend Orne who was responsible for Sean’s magical awakening and the fallout that followed. Family secrets and Lovecraftian beings abound in this continuing story, with plenty of intrigue and magic for everyone. If your teens have moved on from Harry Potter but haven’t dipped a toe into Lev Grossman’s The Magicians yet, this is the book for them. It’s Arkham without the mind-bending madness.

Sean is an interesting character. He’s a kid trying to figure out his place in the magical world, and he’s fully aware that the grownups in his life are either keeping things from him or holding him back. Eddy is a good sidekick – she’s more reasonable but isn’t above bending a rule or two to help her friends out, and Daniel’s the most intriguing character of all, with a family history shrouded in secrecy and magic and a conflicted relationship with both parents for very different reasons. I’d love to see a book focus on Daniel’s beginnings,  maybe even a short story, along the lines of “Geldman’s Pharmacy”, set in the same world as the Redemption’s Heir adventures. (nudge, nudge)

A familiarity with HP Lovecraft isn’t necessary to enjoy this book, but reading the first book in the series is recommended. Definitely have some HP Lovecraft on hand for readers who want to learn more – his work is available for free via the H.P. Lovecraft Archive, and any library worth its salt will have at least one copy of his work.