GRIMWELL

In Belanger’s fantasy, two ordinary people enter the world of a mysterious novel in an attempt to break a strange curse.

Derek Winnebaker is a barista at Read and Bean, a cafe in the fictional town of Pemberton’s library. One day, he finds a book belonging to the library’s founder, Jackson Wilfred, describing the adventures of someone named Eldrid Babble. Aside from some magical elements (like the presence of “grimkins,” which have “managed to keep a low profile in the tales and yore of the past owing to their catlike agility and excellent sense of smell”), the book mirrors events in Derek’s own life. Derek takes actions based on the book’s plot, leading him to ask out a local waitress, Kat, and stand up to his boss, Sam. However, when he attempts to stop using the book, he slowly begins to take on the characteristics of a grimkin, tail included. He hides this from Kat but is eventually exposed. Later, she reveals that she has read some pages of the book and has also become a victim of the curse. The pair decides to venture into the book’s setting of Grimwell (accessible through a door in the forest)to break the spell. As they traverse the world of the book, Kat continues to transform and Derek eventually crosses paths with Felten, the book’s author; this leads to an encounter with an evil sorcerer called Lord Grittlebane. The narrative is a fun combination of genres, incorporating magical elements into a mostly real-world setting. Belanger effectively lays out a natural-feeling progression of events, breaking up the necessary exposition with humor. However, from the time the heroes enter the fantasy world, the story feels rushed; the epilogue alludes to a series of fantastical adventures that would have appealed to readers if they’d been fleshed out. Nonetheless, the story is full of magic, meta-literary humor, and opportunities for the reader to reflect on how they might act as the heroes of their own stories.

A witty, magical yarn that will be a welcome addition to the shelves of fantasy aficionados.