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.
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.
What do you think??
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