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Available March 28, 2023
Harry Bodie’s been called into the delightful fantasy world of his grandmother’s beloved children’s books. It’s not delightful here at all.
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All roads lead to Underhill, where it’s always winter, and never nice.
Harry Bodie has a famous grandmother, who wrote beloved children’s books set in the delightful world of Underhill. Harry himself is a failing kids’ TV presenter whose every attempt to advance his career ends in self-sabotage. His family history seems to be nothing but an impediment.
An impediment... or worse. What if Underhill is real? What if it has been waiting decades for a promised child to visit? What if it isn’t delightful at all? And what if its denizens have run out of patience and are taking matters into their own hands?
A dark take on fantasy worlds that collide with the "real" world. I've never read anything by Tchaikovsky, but I was captivated by this story.
Harry Bodie is relatable. A struggling TV personality. Okay, the blurb says "failing" and I have to admit, he's failing. His agent isn't much help in turning things around, and a family connection a beloved children's author should be a help. Only, he doesn't handle it well when family history is revealed on a TV show.
It's a bit of a slow start. I found myself wondering when we'd get to something that felt less like a downward spiral for Harry. And then he has an encounter with a faun.
This isn't the niceties of Narnia or Tolkien, though even Harry tries to fit Underhill into these molds. It does make one think about the what-ifs of a fantasy world. What if those that made it live aren't there?
Little bit of langauge, little bit of reference to things that might take some explaining. I can think of some older teens who would eat it up.
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