"The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England" by Brandon Sanderson

The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England (June 27, 2023) by Brandon Sanderson.

   Steve Argyle, illustrator.

<This is a standalone novel.>

A man awakens in what appears to be medieval England with no inkling of who he is, where he came from or why he’s there. Experiences and people he encounters along the way trigger his hidden memories. While he isn’t the person Ulric Stromfin (cartel leader) is chasing, Runian (Sefawynn’s name for him; she’s a skop a.k.a. poet) has become a person of interest just by being in this particular dimension. As he gains his missing memories, Runian makes allies amongst the locals. Along with Sefawynn, there’s Ealston, the Little Father of Stenford (lesser than an earldom), and Thokk, a spry woman who looks to be 80. Gaining his memories and finding allies will be necessary for him to survive in this Anglo-Saxon-England-type dimension. This dimension also supposedly has some magic, not like the expensive augments Runian has (like plating in his forearms to ward off, say, a knife attack) or his medical nanites (which require him to eat carbon to keep them replenished), but actual magic. Skops have their boasts, and there are wights. Superstition has it that if a skop sees one directly, either the wight will die or the skop will. They can be helpful or mischievous and usually alone aren’t powerful. But together, can they do more? Like overcome invading Hordamen (Vikings with long, enviously well-groomed hair) and the god Woden?

            In the case of this novel, I didn’t judge it by its cover, but by its title. This adult fiction novel is part sci-fi and epic fantasy involving traveling to a different dimension from a futuristic Seattle. When Runian fully recalls his name and who he is, he remembers that he’s not a person who’s made great choices. In this dimension, he can be the hero. It’s eye-opening for him and entertaining for the readers. It’s not without fear of constantly having to defend your territory and those you care about and the hardship of living life without basic amenities, but Sanderson writes it as a constant adventure with high stakes, brilliant world-building, a fast-paced plot and defined characters. Prior to this story, I’d only read one of his middle-grade stories in advanced reader copy (ARC) form, but in reading this novel, I can see why Sanderson’s a prolific author. When reading this story, you might ask yourself, “All Right, WHY Can’t I Have a Dimension Full of Talking Bananas?” Five out of five stars.

"Hither & Nigh" by Ellen Potter

Hither & Nigh (Oct. 18, 2022) by Ellen Potter.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

Welcome to the Last Chance Club, a place where Mr. Luther Boot will give magic lessons. To refuse them will mean expulsion from school. The students in this club are an assorted group. There’s Nell Batista: criminal truancy, skipping school to gamble in Washington Square Park (a chess hustler). Then there’s Annika Rapp, her former best friend and a beautiful bully, Crud (Carmen) Butterbank, who’s built like a linebacker and is rumored to be violent, and The Viking (whose name is Tom Gunnerson), a rich kid prone to stealing (and Mr. Boot despises him, for some reason). Nell isn’t falling for the magic bit. She’s got city kid smarts, and she has little imagination. The imaginative one was her brother, River, who disappeared three years ago. Nell has accepted that magic exists by the time she’s forced through a Wicket into the Nigh by an Imp. The Nigh is “a vast place. New York City is only a tiny part of it.” The Nigh is created from the imaginations of Human children. The Folk can do none of this magic, and they’re governed by the Minister, who’s simultaneously tiny and terrifying. It’s the Minister who has Human children abducted and brought to the Nigh. River is there, somewhere. The Nigh is a lot like NYC but different. Magicians ride astride, not horses, but giant dogs or dogges (DOH-eggs). Statues, like Bethesda, can talk. And there’s a Statue of Liberty, but it’s a man with no crown holding a television remote control. Nell’s life has been topsy-turvy since her brother went missing. How can she make sense of a world that’s topsy-turvy with enchantment? If she makes enough sense of it, can she find River and save him?

            Where there’s a parallel NYC, there will be middle-grade domestic, fantasy adventure where magic and mystery alight and chopsticks can be calibrated to work within a highly charged Oomphalos. Right? In the case of Potter’s story, yes. The fantastical details are a boon for fantasy readers. There’s a strong foundation with distinct character development, the writing employs solid world-building and middle-school snark and, even when it comes to magic, learning must occur. While Nell cues as Latinx, the other characters appear to default to Caucasian. A novel that I found to be a fast read, readers learn right away that magic isn’t only for the good kids.

            Note 1: An Oomphalos ”is a place where energy converges and makes magic not only possible, but probable.” (p. 69)

            Note 2: Zoophenloft layers are “a coping mechanism, so that we can get on with our lives after unpleasant events.” (p. 123)

            Note 3: “A Wicket is a way in to the Nigh. And a way out of it.” (p. 194)

            Note 4: A skrill is squirrel-like. It’s like a long-bodied weasel with a flat, short face like a pug. Dusty blue in color. Tiller is a skrill, and he understands English. When he talks, one feels the words, for they’re not spoken aloud. (pp. 190, 193)

            Note 5: An Imp is always a boy. “They’re creatures neither dead nor alive. They live in an in-between place, alone, hungry for the company of other children.” Imps can be cruel and want to steal children for fun, for entertainment, to prove that they can or for profit. (pp. 185, 233)

            Note 6: Mrs. Nerriberry is good Folk. She is a friend to Pilliwiggins, Noodgers, Fletchers and Auguries (Fates). No one is a friend to Sewer Mahambas (will eat you and therefore kill you), Boggedy Cats (will also kill you) and other nightmare creatures of the Ramble.

"Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy (Apr. 4, 2023) by Angie Thomas.

<This is the first novel in a projected trilogy.>

<Warning: Casual spoilers included.>

In a world of Remarkables (those with the Gift) and Unremarkables (regular humans) who are typically unaware of Remarkables, Nichole (Nic) Blake is a Manifestor. Manifestors are considered the most powerful of all Remarkables. The Gift “is more powerful than magic. You see, the Gift is an innate power that lives in us Manifestors. Magic, on the other hand, is a corrupt form of the Gift. It’s hard to control and super destructive. Also, magic in real life can only be performed with a wand, and the magic in wands runs out after a while. We Manifestors don’t need wands” (p. 7). Innate though the Gift is, it requires education; one must learn how to use it. The easiest way is with “mojos and jujus,” mojos being born of good intentions and jujus with bad.

            Nic has just turned 12 and being Remarkable has its perks, like when she receives a pet hellhound pup for her birthday. What Nic really wants is to learn how to use her Gift, but her dad (Calvin/Maxwell) is wary of teaching her. When Nic sneaks out to meet up with her best friend, Joshua Paul Williams (JP), to greet their favorite author, TJ Retro, revelations come to light. Like learning that her favorite author is her dad’s best friend. What?! There are more shocking revelations. She has a frightening and unexpected first encounter with her own mother who calls her Alexis, and she bumps into an invisible boy who turns out to be, Alex, her twin brother. Calvin is accused of stealing the Msaidizi, and Nic is determined to clear his name. Together with JP and Alex, the three youth will go on a quest to find it and hopefully avoid the Manowari, the person destined to destroy the Remarkable world. Can they find it in time to save Calvin from a devastating sentence? And will Nic’s emerging abilities point to greatness of the wondrous or ruining kind?

            Pun intended, but this is a remarkable middle-grade debut from YA author Thomas. She takes African American folklore and sobering history to create a complex novel that is enthralling, numinous, inventive and funny. It confronts fantasy tropes in a fresh, intrepid way. The text is rich with this fantasy world melded into the contemporary one so seamlessly that it feels like we could exist in this Jackson, Mississippi, too. I devoured this fast-reading adventure with its standout characters and on point plot. It’s my newest favorite middle-grade series. It simply dazzles!

            P.S. Uhuru is a Remarkable city, the one Nic would’ve grown up in.

            P.P.S. Giftech is Gift-infused technology and can only be purchased in Remarkable cities.