Frances Hardinge

With the feel of a fairy tale, this is one of those books that seems to straddle middle grade and YA territory, but be stronger for it. The protagonist, Faith, is someone who a reader can't help but fall in love with (particularly if they love natural science and snakes, like I do), and the writer's attention to historical detail, historical customs, and details of natural science and archaeology bring what is a sort of fantastical mystery to another level of intrigue and magic.

For animal show more lovers, I feel like I do have to mention that there's a quick scene related to the game of a dog catching rats, and as much as I'm not a fan of rats particularly, it was graphic enough that it was hard for me to read it. In fact, I'd planned on finishing a chapter and going to bed, but ended up deciding there was no way I could stop or go to sleep on that scene. I know that, if I'd read that as a child, it would have bothered me a lot more, which is why I mention it--if you're a parent considering this book for your child, and they're an animal lover, it's worth considering.

That said, this was a quick bad moment in a book that's otherwise smart, magical, and absolutely worth falling into. I'm sure I'll read more of Hardinge's work in the future. show less

They say that the Undersea was the dwelling place of the gods. They say many things of the Myriad, and all of them are true. The gods were as real as the coastlines and currents and as merciless as the winds and whirlpools.

No one knows who or what the gods were, the giant creatures who lived in the sea and then, mysteriously, all died. But everyone knows that a piece of a dead god can make your fortune. Hark is still a child himself, all of 14 years old, but he knows it, too. That’s why show more he’s in the crowd when a submarine brings back parts of the Hidden Lady, the god that used to live in the waters around the archipelago on which he lives. His friend, Jelt, knows it too, and he has plans that call for Hark to do some hazardous things to make them both rich. Hark pays the price for Jelt’s foolishness, sold into indentured servitude.

Hark is lucky that he has a golden tongue. That gets him purchased by Dr. Vyne, a woman who has need of a good liar. She is a scientist who works with the Sanctuary, home to broken priests who used to lead worship for the now-dead gods, “a haven for those priests who could no longer look after themselves, a retreat from the cruel, incomprehensible, godless world.” Most of Hark’s work involves caring for the old priests, many of whom bear Marks: mutations caused by their exposure to the gods, deep in the Undersea. But Dr. Vyne also has other plans for him, starting with some real schooling, and Hark is delighted to find that this means he’ll be taught to read and write.

But Jelt isn’t willing to give up his hold on Hark, who continues to think of Jelt as his best friend, someone he can’t possibly abandon no matter how dangerous and stupid his plans for the two of them. Things go completely awry when Jelt and Hark stumble across an important piece of a dead god and discover its strange properties. And Hark has to make some decisions about who he wants to be.

The weirdness of Deeplight (2019) — perhaps that should be Weirdness, because this book belongs firmly in the tradition of the New Weird — is toned down more than I’d like, but it’s definitely there. There are strange things to see and learn, many of them in the ocean, where a fair bit of the action in this novel takes place. Deeplight is age-appropriate, despite its resemblance to tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, not too frightening for younger readers, and not too tame for adult readers. It’s a tricky balance to strike, but Frances Hardinge manages it nicely.

There is no doubt that this book is intended to teach a few lessons about making choices, but the world it describes is not any more black and white than ours is — and Hardinge mostly avoids preachiness. There are always trade-offs, and Hark has to learn to make difficult decisions about friendship, his future, and when risks are worth taking.

Deeplight has been nominated for the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, which is awarded at Worldcon along with the Hugos. It won’t get my vote, though; I would have enjoyed Deeplight a lot more if it had delved into Weirdness more deeply. Writing for a young adult audience probably kept Hardinge from creating a more brooding and horrific atmosphere. That makes sense: one would hardly give Laird Barron’s work to a 12-year-old, for instance. This book would be a good first step into the New Weird for an imaginative young adult without causing nightmares. The experienced and older admirer of the subgenre, however, will be a bit disappointed in reading about a world that has so much Weird promise, but does not fulfill it.

Originally published at http://www.fantasyliterature.com/reviews/deeplight/. show less

The Wall used to keep the Forest out of the human settlements, but the Forest won that battle long ago. Now, the small stronghold of Greyman's Gate ekes out a living from their remaining portion of the Wall. Feather has never met a stranger -- for all she knows, their community is the last one in the world. That is, until Merrildun appears in the place where Feather has been assigned to forage. He's determined to make his way along the ruins of the Wall to the sea, and from there to set sail show more and find a new land, one without the malevolent Forest. When he tricks Feather and steals the spyglass that is their community's most precious tool, Feather follows him, determined to get it back. As she does, she discovers that her world is so much bigger than she could have imagined.

I thoroughly enjoyed this illustrated novella, with its scrappy heroine and fully-realized world. I would love to read more about Feather's future travels and adventures, though I suspect that's unlikely. Emily Gravett's illustrations are delightful, and a perfect companion to Hardinge's text. Highly recommended. show less

First of all, let me say upon finishing this book: Wow. Now let me start from the beginning: This is a big, thick doorstop of a book. I almost decided it wasn't worth the commitment, but then I re-read the glowing reviews and resigned myself to lugging it around for a week. When I was halfway through, I realized that this book is enormous for a good reason. The epic story that takes place in this book could have easily been spread into a trilogy (or more) but the author bit the bullet and show more told the whole darn thing in one go. I really, really admire that, especially in light of my experience with year-long waits between finding out, say, whether Snape was evil or not, or what the prophecy about Percy Jackson said, or whether there really is a District 13. So there is a great reason to forgive it its length: no cliffhanger ending to put you on edge while the author spends the next year working out what happens next.

Now for the story. The Lost Conspiracy was originally titled Gullstruck Island in the UK, which is name of the setting, an island whose native populations live alongside their imperial conquerors. At the center of the story is a native tribe called the Lace. Our two main characters are Lace and they're sisters. They younger is Hathin whose sole purpose in life is to watch over her older sister Arilou. Arilou is a not a normal human being, but a member of a small race known as the Lost. The Lost can send their senses out of their bodies to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch anything anywhere on Gullstruck Island or beyond. So obviously, they're revered and considered very powerful. The thing is, Hathin isn't 100% sure her sister is really Lost, but her whole village is counting on her to "translate" Airlou's slurred speech and prove to government inspectors that she really is one of the Lost.

And that's just the first few pages. What follows is no less than the entire history of the struggle between the Lace and the Cavalcaste nation. I told you this was epic, right? It has shades of many powerful stories: The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Schindler's List, Robin Hood. It also feels anthropological. Like Hardinge studied and then blended together hundreds of details about ancient civilizations, religions, folklore, and the history of colonial conflict. Overall, it's a pretty amazing accomplishment. And did I mention the writing? Beautiful writing. Highly recommended for all fantasy buffs. show less