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Fantasy. Fiction. Mythology. HTML: A young girl discovers a portal to a land filled with centaurs and unicorns in Seanan McGuire's Across the Green Grass Fields, a standalone tale in the Hugo and Nebula Award-wining Wayward Children series. "Welcome to the Hooflands. We're happy to have you, even if you being here means something's coming." Regan loves, and is loved, though her school-friend situation has become complicated, of late. When she suddenly finds herself thrust through a doorway that asks her to "Be Sure" before swallowing her whole, Regan must learn to live in a world filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines�??a world that expects its human visitors to step up and be heroes. But after embracing her time with the herd, Regan discovers that not all forms of heroism are equal, and not all quests are as they seem... A standalone Wayward Children story containing all-new characters, and a great jumping-on point for new listeners. A Macmillan Audio production from Tor.com… (more)
User reviews
The unicorn she sees is beautiful, but of course impossible, and the centaur pursuing the unicorn even more so.
The centaur's name is Pansy, and she is absolutely thrilled to meet Regan. Humans are considered magical, and heroic, figures who will bring great change. Regan will have to go see the Sunlit Queen--but not right away. Pansy, and the rest of her herd, see no reason to hurry; Regan is a child, just ten years old. None of the centaur adults say so directly, but they all make sure she has the chance to grow up.
In the course of giving her that chance, she becomes part of their herd, their family, and they all encounter new dangers, and adventures they didn't want. It bonds them together even more strongly--but the day comes when Regan realizes she has to face the task that brought her to the Hooflands.
It's a world where magical creatures, or magical in our world, exist everywhere. Unicorns and centaurs, kelpies, fauns, and minotaurs, and others. And at the heart of the Hooflands, there's a secret that Regan has to penetrate.
It has to be said that unlike the parents of some of the other Wayward Children, Regan's parents really were doing their best, not trying to remake her into something she wasn't. Regan's "problem" is mostly her "best friend," and her extreme ideas about what's normal. Yet in the Hooflands, what makes Regan different may also help her, in at least a small way, to face the task ahead of her. The experiences it gave her may help even more.
This is set in the universe of the Wayward Children, but Regan doesn't encounter the Home for Wayward Children.
I found this a really satisfying, enjoyable story.
I bought this audiobook.
The Wayward Children series has been inconsistent for me. The first book ,Every Heart a Doorway is one of the best things I've ever read. And yet, later books in the sequence didn't emotionally resonate in the same way or felt off in terms of
These novellas bring a fresh angle to the classic trope of the portal fantasy, a la Narnia: children find doorways into other realms, where they are often saviors or enact some great change, only to find their way back to Earth again years later. Some of the novellas have focused more on the hardship of that return to Earth, when they really want to return to the fantasy/scifi realm that they consider their true home. This one focuses on the life in that other realm: in this case, Regan, in the Hooflands, a realm populated by centaurs, unicorns, and other mythological creatures made real.
COULD THIS BOOK BE MORE PERFECT FOR ME.
I mean, come on, I was a horse-obsessed kid, and I still love horses. The word "Hooflands" alone hooked me in an instant. Fortunately, the book lived up to all of my expectations. McGuire is masterful at writing about the very psychology of her characters. Her children, in particular, feel so real it hurts. Here, Regan is a kid who is friends who a wretched girl, but stays her friend because that's what she's supposed to do. When Regan discovers something about herself and tries to go to her friend for support... well, she finds out the truth of their relationship, too. Distraught, she flees school and finds the doorway to the Hooflands. She's taken in by a herd of centaurs--wow, McGuire does some amazing world-building to make centaurs and unicorns comes across in a fresh way--and resists the call to be the destined human who will save the realm. She discovers truths about friendship, herself, and what destiny really means. There's an incredible message here, but not for an instant is it preachy.
This novella is a beautiful, breezy read, but it's deep. There are layers here. This book could be an academic study on the technical side of writing and how to make it work. And wow, does it work. This is almost up there with Every Heart a Doorway, and that is saying something. For certain, this novella is starting off my list of works to consider for awards next year (as this book is being released in January 2021).
content warning for traumatic misgendering of a child.
The ending was a little abrupt, especially if there isn’t going to be some sort of sequel to Reagan’s story, but otherwise this was quite satisfactory as a coming-of-age portal fantasy.
Wayward Children
By: Seanan McGuire
This was a stand alone book. It has a gal named Rogan that is a little different, slower to get her puberty. She ends up making the mistake of telling her "friend" who freaks out. Rogan leaves school early and runs, she's finds a door
This world has unicorns, venture, gains, kelpies, and more. A human is heralded as something great. She is to go see the Queen. But the Queen wants her dead or alive. Rogan is thought to be someone who will be a hero.
The characters are amazing! The world building is awesome! This book is truly spectacular! Who wouldn't want to live with centaurs and have a herd of unicorns? Great ending too!
*Although
I love this series and love that this one had an Intersex character but this one wasn't my favorite. Still, I'll keep reading--another book is coming out next year!
I did want more.
Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.
~ 2022 Hugo Novella Nominee
I always want to love Wayward Children. It has everything I should love. Portal worlds, magical places, children finding their souls' deepest reflections and homes. But every one of these falls flat for me. There's nothing per se bad about this book,
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
It is also a story
Stand-alone story. None of the action takes place at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children.
...but I was still surprised by how very, very good it was.
This book
The Wayward Children novellas will continue until the morale improves.
Seriously, though, this was one of the better ones, probably because the twee narrative voice McGuire affects in most of these is largely
Touching and imaginative as always.
This may be my favorite of the series so far, right up there with In an Absent Dream. I suspect I just want every permutation of portal fantasy that McGuire can cook up, though I do love the stories based at the school, too. At any rate, this is a true stand-alone, so if you are just intrigued by the Hooflands, read without fear of missing any key details. My only criticism of this book is that the ending was pretty abrupt, and I want to hear more about what happened after.