like Oz with more heart, or Narnia sans religious preachiness and racist/chauvanist undertones

If you haven't been following Catherynne M. Valente's excellent online serial novel, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, I strongly recommend it. I'm bringing it up because the story appears to be nearing its conclusion (I almost wrote "approaching its conclusion," then realized that was ridiculous-- there is nothing else to be approached, after all, it's only a matter of nearer or farther, a satisfying or an unsatisfying end), and I'm increasingly impressed by the growth of the protagonist, the way certain plot elements are being tied together, the mix of whimsy and nuanced emotional depth, the thoughtful deconstructions of or extrapolations upon common elements in fairy tales and children's fantasy stories, ect., ect.
This week's installment had a very, very well done twist (which I'm certainly not going to spoil here). It made a lot of sense, in retrospect, and there are very subtle hints at it in the preceding chapters, but I honestly didn't see it coming at all. (This is saying something. I am not a person who is usually floored by plot twists or surprises.) I will say-- or hint, or warn-- that it is a sad, even tragic, kind of twist, and that I cried a little.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is updated with a new chapter every Monday, and follows the adventures of a young girl named September, who voluntarily goes away to Fairyland when the opportunity is offered to her by the Green Wind, and ends up attempting to save it, and her friends Ell the Wyverary* and Saturday the Marid**, from a corrupt Marquess (who has a very fine hat). Once again, check it out. And yeah, it's technically free, but probably it'd be nice to donate some money to the author if you like it, and can afford to.

I don't like writing book reviews when I like the book in question so much that I know my write-up is just gonna amount to an advertisement for it in the end, but I really do think this one needs more attention. It's wonderful.



* His mother was a wyvern and his father was a library.

** Marids are blue-skinned warrior people who live in the sea and have an extremely non-linear sense of time, so that they experience past, present, and future simultaneously. They can grant wishes, but only if defeated in battle. That's in this story, anyway.