By every indication, Zanna seems to be the Chosen One, the girl who is destined to set things in order and lift the evil smog. Even foxes and umbrellas pay her tribute. So when Zanna and her friend Deeba are magically transported to another realm, Un Lun Dun seems headed toward the moment of her triumph. But then, as readers of China Miéville may have already suspected, things happen that were not mentioned in prophecy -- and suddenly, 12-year-old Deeba is thrust into a world-saving situation.
The fact that young adult books are being devoured by the not-so-young is so last news cycle. Hooked by propulsive storytelling, high stakes, and the sheer excellence of the authors working in YA, adult lovers of teen books are finding it harder and harder to pretend they care about age labels. But full-grown readers still […]
There is a certain kind of dread that comes from learning that book you were jazzed to read is actually the fifth volume in a series of 13. Catching up on that many books is a daunting task, and sticking with the story to the end is a true commitment. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing—I […]
What amazing new terrors await you in London? Some of the biggest names in science fiction have come up with myriad answers to that question. Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere exposed the London Underground as a secret, fantastical Babylon, complete with bazaars of the bizarre. China Miéville introduced the alternative UnLondon, a through-the-rabbit-hole realm where our trash is treasure. […]
From the slightly skewed to the utterly bizarre, alternate worlds are a staple of science fiction and fantasy. But as different as these parallel Earths can be, some things remain constant. To whit: there are a disproportionate number of alternate Londons (alt-Londons?) in genre fiction. While London is absolutely one of civilization’s greatest cities, it’s not […]
Speaking in purely mercenary terms, writing about magical libraries is a good bet: readers are readers, which means they likely have many happy memories of libraries as safe havens from the world. While I wasn’t always seeking enlightenment when I stole into my local library—I’ll admit there were shenanigans, though nothing truly damaging—I spent a lot of […]