Centaurs, mermaids, and similar fantastic creatures populate the latest collection of short stories compiled by Coville. Ten noted fantasy authors take on a theme with a natural appeal to teens struggling with their own divided nature, both child and adult, yet neither. Many of the authors zero in on the dilemma of these “betwixt and between,” with mythical halfbreeds who despise their foreign natures. Nancy Springer portrays a modern-day adolescent gorgon shamed by her changing body, while the heroine of Jude Mandell’s “Princess Dragonblood” so loathes her fiery passions that she determines to slay her dragon sire. Other stories explore instead a restless yearning to escape humanity into the wholly other: Janilee Simner’s captured selkie, aching for the sea; Tim Waggoner’s Icarus-as-carnival-freak, tormented by his inability to fly; and, most poignant, Tamora Pierce’s exploration of an apple tree’s dilemma when accidentally transformed into a human. The most striking tales are also those loosely related to traditional models: Bruce Coville’s haunting tale of the scion of a family tainted by faerie blood, and his quest to restore his ancestor’s lost humanity; and Gregory Maguire’s stunning rumination the ontological plight of the Scarecrow of Oz before his rescue by Dorothy. Strikingly similar in their wistful, poetic, and introspective moods, each story is prefaced by an equally mysterious photo collage (which unfortunately partly obscures the text of Lawrence Schimel’s sharp-edged poem). A good choice for fantasy fans, or teachers looking to supplement a mythology unit. (Short stories. 10-14)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-590-95944-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2001
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes
A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.
Fifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas. Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting—plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers—escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel.
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes . (Science fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK TO SCREEN
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