The girl who raced Fairyland all the way home by Catherynne M. Valente
Atom, 2016. ISBN 9781472112835
Recommended for fantasy lovers. Fantasy. Adventure. Fairies.
Magical world. This is unlike anything I have read before, although
there is an essence of Alice and a looking-glass world, a
hint of a crossover with a Wardrobe world, and a dose of psychedelic
fairy-tale adventure within its idiosyncratic style. My desire is to
write a review that reveals a little of the cloudburst that has
occurred within me as I read. This is a book with a magical
maelstrom of characters that are woven in a kaleidoscope of fantasy
magic, adventure and mystery, mixed with a pandemic of
inscrutability. The windstorm of characterisation of features and
follies is at first very difficult to follow, and the ultimate
fantasy 'Race' to sort out who deserves to be the current reigning
Royal takes the reader to places that no one knows or can fathom.
The confusion of plot and characters at first floored this reader -
it was hard to create a mental image of all that was exploding onto
the page in this unique fantasy creation. However the idiosyncrasies
and inherent humour of the language used, and the quirks of
expression were so unique that they had an irresistible charm that
created a desire to keep reading. (I am not so sure that this would
be enough for some younger readers, who would find the worlds and
wordsmithery confusing.) Note the following early descriptive
example to describe the world in which we find the central
character, September.
'A vast and hungry country takes tea somewhat differently than you
and I. Fairyland's teatime consisted of a dollop of rain in the
Autumn Provinces, a particular delicate icing of clouds over the
Painted Forest, a healthy squeeze of blazing sun in the Hourglass
Desert, and a fresh, green wind blowing wild through the streets and
alleyways and secret corners of Pandemonium.' (p2)
The winner in this incredibly unique telling is the language use;
metaphor, simile, word-play, personification and a general licking
of alliteration at every turn. The characters are also given
exceptional features, costumes and skills by the author Valente, who
obviously has a very verdant imagination. Each chapter has a
Dickens-like preamble to guide the reader into the next panoply of
wonder.
This can be recommended to those who love fantasy deeply, but who
also are inspired by words and wordplay. It might be confusing for
those who lack persistence or who devour books in small bites! This
is the last of the Fairyland series... but the first I have
read. It may be that those who already love this world would not be as
likely to be confused.
Carolyn Hull