coming of age

Best of All Worlds

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Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel

This teen science fiction thriller is a compelling read. Xavier, known as Zay, is 13 and is spending the weekend at the family lake cottage with his dad and pregnant stepmom, Nia. His brother Sam has a soccer tournament and didn’t come along. He did put a couple of new albums on Zay’s phone. Zay’s favorite hobby, besides listening to music, is creating Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.

One morning the Oak family wakes to the bleating of goats needing milking. Nearby is a chicken coop, an orchard, and farm fields. The lake has vanished, as has their vehicle. There are lots of tools, some useful books, and soon, a crib for the coming baby. Zay narrates messages to his brother Sam on his phone, until eventually it won’t charge anymore. As no phone means no music, he is very unhappy.

When Zay is 16, new neighbors appear in the night. Their kids are similar ages to Zay and his little sibling. The dad, Riley Jackson, has a good idea about how to get back home, and thinks they are still on Earth. But whoever brought the two families to their new homes clearly wants them to farm, and to cook food from scratch, not eat frozen pizza and junk food. They are clearly not meant to try leaving, as threatening animals appear when they do.

Zay, finally having another teen to connect with, isn’t sure about the escape attempt, and is shocked by some of the beliefs that Riley reveals. This is a fast-paced, memorable story that reminds me just a little of Nation by Terry Pratchett, even though Nation is set on a tropical island. Quite a few years back, I remember enjoying Oppel’s Airborn, a teen steampunk novel set aboard a zeppelin.

Brenda

The Witch Roads

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The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott

Elen is a deputy courier, delivering messages to small towns and settlements along the same route each month. For part of the month, she’s back home in Orledder Halt, with her teen nephew Kem. Elen can detect and root out new irruptions of Spore. This time Kem is accompanying her on the route, to see if he also wants to be a courier. His Declaration Day is just around the corner. Kem’s mother Aoving died two years ago during an avalanche, while working as a midwife at the Heart Temple. The avalanche has cut Orledder Halt off from travel to the north, except for a secret pathway through the hills and across a canyon.

Two groups of important travelers arrive in Orledder Halt. From one, Kem learns that his father is a lord. The second group includes Prince Gevulin, who’s heading north. Kem, considering being a Warden, joins Prince Gevulin’s group, as does Elen, who knows the hazardous route. Kem is angry with Elen for keeping secrets from him, even after his mother’s death. A guardian statue’s spirit, or haunt, secretly joins the group. Elen has the lowest status of the group and often has to sleep and eat separately from the others. But a simple bed and a full belly remind Elen of the hungry years when Ao and El, orphaned child atoners, were always in danger of the Spore until their daring escape.

This is a memorable journey through an amazing world with many dangers, wonders, and not-quite-human beings. The land is so ancient that much of its history has become myth. Elen and the haunt have some very interesting conversations. I eagerly await Elen and Kem’s further adventures. Epic fantasy readers will likely enjoy this duology, to be concluded this November with The Nameless Roads. The author has two dozen other fantasy works, which I don’t think I’ve read, but look forward to sampling.

Brenda

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath

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To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

The First Book of Nampeshiweisit

This is the best fantasy debut I’ve read in years. 500 pages was not too long, and I eagerly await To Ride a Rising Storm, to be published this October. This novel is from 2023 and won the Andre Norton Nebula Award. Teen Anequs sees a dragon flying east from the island of Masquapaug, then finds a dragon egg. Her village gathers around the egg in celebration, and the hatchling dragon, Kasaqua, bonds with Anequs. Her brother Niquiat, working on the mainland, says that she must apply to attend the Anglish dragon academy with Anequs. No dragon has been seen in the islands for many generations. This alternate history fantasy with some steampunk elements is set in a version of the 1840s in which the Vikings rule eastern North Makeslund. The breath of a dragon can have both useful and destructive powers, so Anequs must learn skiltakraft, a combination of alchemy and chemistry. Having never attended a traditional school, she has some catching up to do.

As an indigenous islander and a girl, some of the academy staff look down on Anequs and her unpedigreed dragon. Only one other student is female, and Marta’s from a wealthy family. Anequs studies hard and speaks her mind, affecting the status quo, making connections at all levels of society. Her goal is to take her dragon and move back to the island, probably an alternate Nantucket, to use her new skills to help her village. Kasaqua, unlike dragons in books by some other writers, grows slowly and is not yet flying by the end of the book. This is listed as a readalike for the popular Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros, beginning with Fourth Wing, but it sounds darker than To Shape a Dragon’s Breath. Moniquill Blackgoose is a member of the Seaconke Wampanoag tribe and lives in Rhode Island. Anequs is a memorable protagonist, and I loved reading about her world. Adult and teen fans of dragon fantasy books will likely enjoy.

Brenda

Moonbound

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Moonbound by Robin Sloan

This science fiction novel has wizards, dragons, talking beavers, and swords of destiny. It’s also set on Earth, but 11,000 years in the future. If you, like me, enjoy genre-bending tales, you may enjoy the wild ride with young Ariel de la Sauvage and an unseen Chronicler. Dragons (who may actually be robots) live on the Moon and have enclosed Earth in a sort of bubble. Part of the bubble is torn when Durga comes to Earth in stasis, aboard a small spacecraft.

As young Ariel journeys across a far future version of the British Isles along with robot Clovis, Durga, beaver Agassiz and others, he also visits a town dedicated to recycling and remaking and a virtual memory café. Ariel has a lot to learn and has numerous adventures. I enjoyed this very imaginative tale from the author of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore and Sourdough.

Brenda