CHILDREN OF MADNESS

Undaunted young friends trek perilous terrain to save their world in Early’s fantasy novel.

The land of Quaan receives a gift from the God-Snails every 100 years. The latest imminent gift will surely aid in fighting off “Gloomtide,” a “kind of despair” that’s overwhelming Quaan citizens. But signs of the God-Snails’ arrival put them just past a grove that’s besieged by toxic fumes. To retrieve the gift, the Imperator sends children of Crimmish, an outcast town disparagingly called the Stenches. It’s rife with poisonous air that townsfolk have built up a resistance to, though adults ultimately succumb to the fatal “Maddening.” The less-exposed Crimmish kids are ideal candidates for moving through toxic fumes, and the Sour Flower Gang, so named for harvesting a local, plague-curing flower, willingly heads north with the Imperator’s soldiers as guides. Tween boys Ditto and Fincher, along with Ash, her younger sister Sammi, and the group’s youngest, Hana, travel across Quaan and encounter its myriad dangers, including assorted creatures, despicable humans, and any number of other things that can kill them. Early’s often harrowing tale unfolds in a vividly detailed setting. Social class distinctions enliven the narrative, with the Imperator’s (and even the soldiers’) haughtiness noticeably contrasting with the geniality of the Crimmish locals. The bulk of the story comprises a series of thrilling misadventures that Fincher and the others fall into, such as a favor that necessitates diving into a lake infested with megamouth sharks. Despite the heroes’ young ages, this book is definitely for adults; violent imagery entails “fountain[s] of blood,” “rivers of red,” and “chunks of flesh,” and the brutal fights are all the more shocking for involving children. Still, a few unexpected allies, along with the youngsters’ unyielding tenacity, give the tale an encouraging tone.

An unflinching, riveting quest with plucky kid heroes and exhilaration at every turn.