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Harry Bodie is an actor with some credits to his name; primarily, he’s been keeping afloat by working on a TV children’s program. His grandmother, however, was much more famous: she wrote the popular, beloved Underhill fantasy books for children.
When he goes on a TV show that digs into celebrities’ pasts, it turns up information that his grandmother was born in a mental institution. And his great-grandmother died there. She did, however, get to have visits with her daughter, with whom she shared many stories of Underhill. The poor woman insisted the place was real — and she was its queen.
The newfound attention from the show brings people asking Harry to tell them more about Underhill. He is, after all, the heir to the throne. And they want him to go back.
It’s all absolute nonsense. Of course. But what if it isn’t? And what if it isn’t delightful and always beautiful now? Its citizens are going to ask Harry to pay a high price to return it to its former glory.
And Put Away Childish Things is a smart short fantasy book. It plays on readers’ (and the characters’) familiarity with magical worlds like Narnia to turn it all sideways. It’s a little scary, a bit wonky, and all very clever. Adrian Tchaikovsky mixes a number of cool fantasy and science fiction elements to create an unusual take on familiar “childish things.” I’d never heard of the author or any of his other books, but I’m impressed now.
Rated: High. Profanity includes 17 uses of strong language, fewer than 10 instances of moderate profanity, about 20 uses of mild language, and 10 instances of the name of Deity in vain.
*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
