MARCH 2023 - AudioFile
Heath Miller performs an endearing continuation of young Avery and Zib's journey in the magical world of the Up-and-Under. The two continue their singular quest to locate the missing Queen of Wands and find a way back home. First, they survive the harrowing Saltwise Sea, only to land in a more dangerous place: The Land of Air, ruled by the malevolent Queen of Swords. Miller shifts into distinct character voices with an engaging deftness. Creatures, supernatural beings, and Avery and Zib all have wild voices that seem like they're coming from a cadre of talented voice actors. Series fans and newcomers alike will find it hard to hit pause on this short but fascinating fantasy-adventure aimed at younger listeners. J.M.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
07/25/2022
In this enchanting third installment (after Along the Saltwise Sea) of the metafictional companion series to 2020’s Middlegame, Seanan McGuire, writing as Baker, continues to mix alchemical and metaphysical themes with tropes from early 20th-century children’s literature, presenting a darker, weirder, more mature take on the fantasies of Frank L. Baum and Edith Nesbit. Still lost in the magical world of the Up-and-Under, young Avery and Zib continue their journey along the improbable road toward the Impossible City, accompanied by their new friends, Crow Girl and Niamh. Their quest to find the missing Queen of Wands—who they hope can help them return to their own world—takes yet another unexpected turn when the improbable road drops them off in the Saltwise Sea. Surviving that, they wind up in the Land of Air, where wishes come true—but at a bitter price. There, the children get trapped at the court of the terrifying Queen of Swords, and must find a way to escape her enforced hospitality. There’s an episodic quality to this entry, though the protagonists do make some progress in their series-spanning trek and, while the self-aware omniscient narrative voice is occasionally a little too intrusive, the story remains fascinating and provocative. It’s a worthy series addition. Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
In this enchanting third installment...the story remains fascinating and provocative. It’s a worthy series addition.” —Publishers Weekly
"With nods to The Wizard of Oz and Through the Looking Glass, readers of portal fantasy and McGuire’s Wayward Children series will love this unsettling and imaginative adventure." —Buzzfeed on Over the Woodward Wall
"An experimental companion to McGuire’s intricate novel Middlegame, Over the Woodward Wall first came to life as a middle grade story that serves as a pop culture touchstone for the characters in that adult novel. It’s also a story by a master in its own right." —Den of Geek
"Has an uncanny knack for taking the worst things that lurk in the shadows and weaving them into an absolute delight." —Becky Chambers on Middlegame
"A mini-masterpiece of portal fantasy—a jewel of a book that deserves to be shelved with Lewis Carroll's and C. S. Lewis' classics" —NPR on Every Heart a Doorway
"One of the smartest writers around." —Charlaine Harris on Every Heart a Doorway
MARCH 2023 - AudioFile
Heath Miller performs an endearing continuation of young Avery and Zib's journey in the magical world of the Up-and-Under. The two continue their singular quest to locate the missing Queen of Wands and find a way back home. First, they survive the harrowing Saltwise Sea, only to land in a more dangerous place: The Land of Air, ruled by the malevolent Queen of Swords. Miller shifts into distinct character voices with an engaging deftness. Creatures, supernatural beings, and Avery and Zib all have wild voices that seem like they're coming from a cadre of talented voice actors. Series fans and newcomers alike will find it hard to hit pause on this short but fascinating fantasy-adventure aimed at younger listeners. J.M.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
