Jeri Smith-Ready

Into the Wild

Taking a break from revisions to the rewrite of Wicked Game (going swimmingly now, thanks!) to announce the very exciting debut launch of one of my favorite writer friends, Sarah Beth Durst.

INTO THE WILD is a fantasy adventure (for ages 10 and up) about fairy-tale characters who've escaped the fairy tale and what happens when the fairy tale wants its characters back.

I heard Sarah read from this book at World Fantasy Con, and it was amazing! Definitely not just for kids. I think anyone who likes fairy tales, comics (especially FABLES), alternate universes, and stories that explore ideas of freedom and self-determination* would love this one. It's got a wonderful touch of humor, and the main character, Julie (Rapunzel's daughter), is easy to relate to.

Don't believe me? Here's what more eloquent people have to say about it:

Sarah Beth Durst kept me reading because she's so inventive with her take on fairy tales' relevance to our world... The fun of INTO THE WILD is in recognizing the iconic figures from fairy tales and seeing them in this new light that Durst has provided for us. You'll breeze through this book and you'll have a fine time while doing so.
--Charles de Lint, in his review for Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction

Think de Lint is too kind? Then listen to Kirkus Reviews, the "Mikey" of book review publications (i.e., they hate everything):

Deeper than most rewritten fairy tales, this existential story is chunked with big ideas about the fairy-tale genre, yet the story is lightened with touches that will connect with its audience.

So go get it.


*that last part is my own interpretation--feel free to mentally discard if it sounds like existentialist non-fun

Labels: reading

• posted by Jeri @ 12:37 PM
• 1 comments