THEO TAN AND THE IRON FAN

Can young Theo Tan and his friends infiltrate hell and save his brother, Jamie?

In this follow-up to Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit (2022), Theo and Kai, his newly minted spirit companion, seek a way to retrieve Theo’s brother’s soul; Jamie was also Kai’s original human master. Their quest takes them away from San Francisco on a dangerous adventure into Diyu, or “hell’s waiting room,” according to Chinese mythology, with the desperate—and very likely naïve—hope that Jamie can be brought back to life. Getting to Diyu is one difficult task, and getting out of there is even more complicated. They’ll have to navigate the dangerous courts of Diyu and the kings who rule them as well as formidable Princess Iron Fan. It’ll take lots of ingenuity and teamwork to pull it off without ending up permanently stuck in Diyu. Sutanto builds an intriguing fantasy world of spirits, spells, and mythologies. With dual narration from the first-person perspectives of Chinese American Theo and his shape-shifting fox spirit, Kai, the book takes readers on a well-paced journey that explores themes of identity, courage, connection, and especially grief and life after loss. Some comedic levity in the precarious situations the characters find themselves in balances the emotional themes. Kai is especially expressive, and her chapters frequently feature footnotes highlighting her feistiness and snark. A supportive friend group in Namita Singh, Danny Chang, and Xiaohua, Danny’s divine dragon companion, bring additional heart.

An animated adventure centering family and friendships.