The Fandom by Anna Day
Chicken House, 2018. ISBN 9781910655672
(Age: Older teens - YA) Note on book: Not suitable for younger
readers. Anyone in any fandom's greatest dream is to be transported
into the canon world of their favourite story and live out the
events as the main character. Maybe except for fans of The
Hunger Games, Game of Thrones and now The Gallows
Dance. The story follows four teens who were transported from
Comic-Con to the canon world of The Gallows Dance, where regular
humans are looked down upon and discriminated against. Of course,
then it all goes wrong; they accidentally kill the main character
and Violet, our main character, takes her place in the story. The
Fandom is full of tropes and cliches, but is comforting in the
sense that you can anticipate what happens next. The comfortably
cliched style is reminiscent of novels like The Medoran
Chronicles by Lynette Noni and is pleasant to read and follow
along to; however, if you like suspense and surprise, you might feel
the book falls short. The only problem I had with the tropes and
cliches (without giving too much away) was the death-revival trope,
as it doesn't allow for emotional payoff.
Although friendship is meant to be a large theme within the story,
there doesn't seem to be much true friendship displayed throughout
the book, something which disappointed me. The action moves quickly
once the world is established, and though you know what's going to
happen as the story follows canon, the writing describes it
beautifully and of course, nothing ever really goes to plan. The
twists and turns keep you on your toes as you read. The teens and
the audience get a glimpse at how large and deep a story's universe
is and how much effort goes into creating such a detailed,
captivating world.
Day gives a satirical look at discrimination and oppression,
emphasising everyone's humanity and the futility of social
constructs. The main character Violet is a massive fangirl and a
brave but reluctant hero, whose sarcasm and wit bring a spark to the
book. The story was compelling and complex, with witty twists and
turns.
I would recommend this book to people who want something comfortable
and easy to read, but captivating nonetheless.
Stephanie Lam