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In Other Lands #1
In Other Lands
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2017)The Borderlands aren’t like anywhere else. Don’t try to smuggle a phone or any other piece of technology over the wall that marks the Border — unless you enjoy a fireworks display in your backpack. (Ballpoint pens are okay.) There are elves, harpies, and — best of all as far as Elliot is concerned — mermaids.
Elliot? Who’s Elliot? Elliot is thirteen years old. He’s smart and just a tiny bit obnoxious. Sometimes more than a tiny bit. When his class goes on a field trip and he can see a wall that no one else can see, he is given the chance to go to school in the Borderlands.
It turns out that on the other side of the wall, classes involve a lot more weaponry and fitness training and fewer mermaids than he expected. On the other hand, there’s Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elven warrior who is more beautiful than anyone Elliot has ever seen, and then there’s her human friend Luke: sunny, blond, and annoyingly likeable. There are lots of interesting books. There’s even the chance Elliot might be able to change the world.
In Other Lands is the exhilarating new book from beloved and bestselling author Sarah Rees Brennan. It’s a novel about surviving four years in the most unusual of schools, about friendship, falling in love, diplomacy, and finding your own place in the world — even if it means giving up your phone.
Elliot? Who’s Elliot? Elliot is thirteen years old. He’s smart and just a tiny bit obnoxious. Sometimes more than a tiny bit. When his class goes on a field trip and he can see a wall that no one else can see, he is given the chance to go to school in the Borderlands.
It turns out that on the other side of the wall, classes involve a lot more weaponry and fitness training and fewer mermaids than he expected. On the other hand, there’s Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elven warrior who is more beautiful than anyone Elliot has ever seen, and then there’s her human friend Luke: sunny, blond, and annoyingly likeable. There are lots of interesting books. There’s even the chance Elliot might be able to change the world.
In Other Lands is the exhilarating new book from beloved and bestselling author Sarah Rees Brennan. It’s a novel about surviving four years in the most unusual of schools, about friendship, falling in love, diplomacy, and finding your own place in the world — even if it means giving up your phone.
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First published August 15, 2017
About the author
Sarah Rees Brennan
73 books5,471 followersSarah Rees Brennan is Irish and currently lives in Dublin. She's been writing YA books for more than ten years, which is terrifying to contemplate! She hopes you (yes you!) find at least one of them to be the kind of book you remember.
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July 6, 2020One of the aspects of the long conversation writers have been having with literature that I find most interesting is what some call deconstruction. We read a given genre with pleasure, eventually discovering patterns to which we respond in various ways. The fictional deconstruction I tend to gravitate to reads like a conversation, and like a conversation can vary from critical engagement to sly tweaks and riffs. I’m not really into the slamdunks, though many readers I know are.
In recent years there’ve been a lot of fictional deconstructions. In fantasy, there was, for example, Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, which—like Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials—deconstructed C.S. Lewis’s Narnia, and unlike the latter, also took on the magic school tropes as found in the Harry Potter books, along with many, many previously published fantasies that never reached that level of popularity.
A lot of readers found Pullman’s deconstruction mean-spirited, smug, etc etc—you can find the reviews right here on Goodreads. These reactions have sparked interesting discussions in fan and genre circles; I’ve talked with many who enjoy deconstructive fiction but couldn’t make it through Pullman's or Grossman’s books for various reasons, from objection to rape to coming away feeling that they were despised for liking Narnia.
I invite those readers to try Sarah Rees Brennan’s In Other Lands, which deconstructs children’s portal fantasy, but without ever being mean-spirited about it. There is even a reference to Narnia (not named) but no sneering.
Instead, what we get is an often hilarious look over the wall that not everyone can see, into magic lands where elves, dwarves, mermaids, harpies, trolls, and others live . . . not in peace.
Thirteen-year-old Elliot, taken on a class trip, can see the wall. To the attempt to recruit him for the summer, he responds like a 21st century kid would, even if that kid is an indefatigable reader, causing me to startle the dogs with my laughter.
Elliott is taken to a camp that trains young warriors and champions to defend the borderlands . . . and he hates it. He wants nothing to do with sword-slinging or death-dealing. Instead, he firmly opts for the smaller program that teaches diplomacy.
He also falls in love.
Usually I find older emotional tropes in younger kids an eye-roller, but Brennan made the whole scene funny enough to keep me reading, and as I picked up the clues to his emotionally starved character, it made sense. This is a smart kid who has spent thirteen years knowing he is unwanted, and so he attacks the world head on . . . while seeking love.
He falls for Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elven girl whose family didn’t want her involved that closely with humans, but gave in. She is so adept with weapons that her natural partner is Luke Sunborn, the handsome golden-haired boy who is the general object of admiration for his prowess and handsomeness.
Elliott, in falling for Serene and wanting to be close to her, is stuck with Luke coming along, and thus we get the most brilliant deconstruction of the Deadly YA Love Triangle ever ever ever.
Don’t come to this book looking for Tolkienesque worldbuilding; this is more of a character book, slyly but charmingly and generously and affectionately examining and often turning inside-out all those familiar portal fantasy tropes, while the central focus is firmly on character. It’s funny, and wise, and sometimes heart-breaking, definitely LGBTQ friendly as the three main characters grow into their teens and discover sex and its attendant emotional landmines. Love-starved Elliott is the main POV, but the narrator dips into others’ POVs when necessary, and expertly presents Elliott with hilarious grace notes of free indirect discourse, adding to my delight.
I would have bought it alone for the elven culture, which turns out to be a gender-mirror to high chivalric mode: it’s the women who are the strong defenders, and their dear, silly men must be protected for their own good, their virtue guarded, and those who stray are seen as floozies and wantons. There were moments I laughed so hard my nose hurt.
In recent years there’ve been a lot of fictional deconstructions. In fantasy, there was, for example, Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, which—like Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials—deconstructed C.S. Lewis’s Narnia, and unlike the latter, also took on the magic school tropes as found in the Harry Potter books, along with many, many previously published fantasies that never reached that level of popularity.
A lot of readers found Pullman’s deconstruction mean-spirited, smug, etc etc—you can find the reviews right here on Goodreads. These reactions have sparked interesting discussions in fan and genre circles; I’ve talked with many who enjoy deconstructive fiction but couldn’t make it through Pullman's or Grossman’s books for various reasons, from objection to rape to coming away feeling that they were despised for liking Narnia.
I invite those readers to try Sarah Rees Brennan’s In Other Lands, which deconstructs children’s portal fantasy, but without ever being mean-spirited about it. There is even a reference to Narnia (not named) but no sneering.
Instead, what we get is an often hilarious look over the wall that not everyone can see, into magic lands where elves, dwarves, mermaids, harpies, trolls, and others live . . . not in peace.
Thirteen-year-old Elliot, taken on a class trip, can see the wall. To the attempt to recruit him for the summer, he responds like a 21st century kid would, even if that kid is an indefatigable reader, causing me to startle the dogs with my laughter.
Elliott is taken to a camp that trains young warriors and champions to defend the borderlands . . . and he hates it. He wants nothing to do with sword-slinging or death-dealing. Instead, he firmly opts for the smaller program that teaches diplomacy.
He also falls in love.
Usually I find older emotional tropes in younger kids an eye-roller, but Brennan made the whole scene funny enough to keep me reading, and as I picked up the clues to his emotionally starved character, it made sense. This is a smart kid who has spent thirteen years knowing he is unwanted, and so he attacks the world head on . . . while seeking love.
He falls for Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elven girl whose family didn’t want her involved that closely with humans, but gave in. She is so adept with weapons that her natural partner is Luke Sunborn, the handsome golden-haired boy who is the general object of admiration for his prowess and handsomeness.
Elliott, in falling for Serene and wanting to be close to her, is stuck with Luke coming along, and thus we get the most brilliant deconstruction of the Deadly YA Love Triangle ever ever ever.
Don’t come to this book looking for Tolkienesque worldbuilding; this is more of a character book, slyly but charmingly and generously and affectionately examining and often turning inside-out all those familiar portal fantasy tropes, while the central focus is firmly on character. It’s funny, and wise, and sometimes heart-breaking, definitely LGBTQ friendly as the three main characters grow into their teens and discover sex and its attendant emotional landmines. Love-starved Elliott is the main POV, but the narrator dips into others’ POVs when necessary, and expertly presents Elliott with hilarious grace notes of free indirect discourse, adding to my delight.
I would have bought it alone for the elven culture, which turns out to be a gender-mirror to high chivalric mode: it’s the women who are the strong defenders, and their dear, silly men must be protected for their own good, their virtue guarded, and those who stray are seen as floozies and wantons. There were moments I laughed so hard my nose hurt.
October 13, 2018
um hello i reread it (listening to the audiobook actually) and im still absolutely in love with this book,,, also the audiobook is good
DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR AND READ THIS BOOK ASAP
this (not-really-a) review is going to be in a bullet point thingy style because i can't stay coherent even if my life depended on it
• I HAVEN'T BEEN EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW BOOK SINCE LIKE THE LAST NOVEMBER AND TKM
• i fell in LOVE with this book since the very FIRST PAGE
• elliot is one of my most fav NARRATORS
• sarah rees brennan's wit and humor always gets me
• THIS BOOK IS HILARIOUS AS FUCK
• i couldn't put it down
• elliot is the funniest istg he's such a funny idiot im in love w/ him
• THERE IS AN ELVEN SOCIETY WHICH IS A REVERSED COPY OF OUR SOCIETY aka it's just our annoying gender stereotypes BUT FLIPPED
• just look at this quotes
~~~
~~~
• is this paradise
• also its only the beginning of the book and there are a lot of hilarious things about it asjkdlaks
• apart from that I LOVED THE CHARACTERS SO MUCH like there is a lot of great side characters who i loved
• ALSO SERENE MY BEAUTIFUL ELF GIRL
• LUKE MY POOR LONG SUFFERING GAY SON
• imagine having a crush since u were 13 but ur crush is oblivious and dense as fuck
• also his coming out was hilarious
• also i love him
• BUT LET ME GUSH ABOUT MY FAVORITE OBNOXIOUS ANNOYING LOVELY SON WHO IS ELLIOT JEROME SCHAFER
• HE PUTS BI INTO BISEXUAL
• he's also a non-practicing jewish person
• has REAAAAAAAAAAALLY wild and unruly red hair
• we follow him from ages 13 to 17 and there's some good character development
• HE'S THE BEST NARRATOR
• HE'S SO FUNNY AND WITTY WTF
• he's very clever
• likes reading and studying and despises physical activity
• also petty as fuck
• and a tsundere
• he's my lovely little brilliant son who's also dense and oblivious as fuck and i would die for him
• lbr sometimes his actions were a lil unlikable but idk i think it's ok
• elliot is a pacifist and he hates war and violence but lbr he's a walking (ง'̀-'́)ง
• elliot "i'll sleep with a mermaid or a harpy or maybe a troll if they were willing" schafer
• i'd be surprised if u don't go "ISTG ELLIOT" at least every 10 pages
• stabbed himself with a butter knife once to get out of the conversation #goals
• brought a lot of contraband items to the camp. the microwave was probably the most hilarious.
• thought he is unlovable BUT THATS NOT TRUE WE ALL LOVE U ELLIOT BABY
• his parents suck though
• i want to add some of his iconic quotes BUT ALMOST ALL OF THEM ARE ICONIC
~~~
~~~
• pls read this book and love my son i beg u
• i need a dictionary to look up all affectionate words in english because i want to use them all to describe elliot schafer
• i also really loved the bisexual rep!!! bless
• elliot actually said these words ON A PAGE HE ACTUALLY SAID "IM BISEXUAL" im Delighted
• also explained bisexuality to luke
• also owned it
• gimme more bisexual characters plS
• idk what else to add, i loved the story a lot, but it's not an action-driven story, it's absolutely character-driven
• basically it's just elliot's five years of school
• school thing might remind u of a harry potter bc it's basically a boarding school in a magic realm but elliot has to spend his summer at human realm
• i love this book more ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
• will add more things to this "review" with times, will also reread it forever
• 110/10 would recommend
• i rarely say this BUT WHY IS THIS A STANDALONE I WANT MORE I WANT A SEQUEL I WANT GROWN UP ELLIOT I WANT MORE ADVENTURES AAAAAAAAAAA
• PLEASE READ AND DISCUSS IT WITH ME ESPECIALLY MY BABY ELLIOT SCHAFER
I ACTUALLY GOT THINGS TO ADD
so there is apparently a short story which happened during year 5 but in luke's pov in Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales
it was actually written before this entire book
ALL THINGS WRITTEN BELOW ARE KIND OF SPOILERY but not a lot but i would recommend not to read it AT LEAST before you read IOL
• so after reading it im still pretty sure luke had a crush on elliot since the very beginning
• but apparently the juiciest part is: HE WASN'T AWARE OF IT
• idk if i want to accept some of the story's content or not
• anyway
• idk if it's a headcanon or not BUT i kind of think luke made up his crush on dale just bcs dale also was gay??
• like he thought he had a crush but i actually think he never did
• i mean in the iol he most certainly has a crush on elliot BUT HE IS IN DENIAL
• elliot is such a little shit though
• also luke's pov kind of proves that elliot is the best narrator not because there is smth wrong w/ luke but just ELLIOT A SMARTASS
• "i think im in love with elliot" "elliot who" askdlaskdlkaslfk
• why r they so cute
~~~
it's absolutely hilarious and amazing and you will fall in love with the characters BLESS SARAH REES BRENNAN I CAN'T BELIEVE IM SAYING THIS BUT WHY IS IT A STANDALONE I NEARLY CRIED WHEN IT ENDED BECAUSE I WANT MORE
i haven't been this excited about a new book in a while
ELLIOT SCHAFER??? MY LOVELY ADORABLE BRILLIANT OBLIVIOUS TINY BISEXUAL SON AN ABSOLUTE MENACE WITH UNRULY RED HAIR WHO I WOULD SAW MY RIGHT HAND WITH A RUSTY BUTTER KNIFE OFF FOR
rtc absolutely but it's going to be gushing over the book not a review k bye
DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR AND READ THIS BOOK ASAP
Normally, Elliot refused weird propositions from potentially demented strangers.
this (not-really-a) review is going to be in a bullet point thingy style because i can't stay coherent even if my life depended on it
• I HAVEN'T BEEN EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW BOOK SINCE LIKE THE LAST NOVEMBER AND TKM
• i fell in LOVE with this book since the very FIRST PAGE
• elliot is one of my most fav NARRATORS
• sarah rees brennan's wit and humor always gets me
• THIS BOOK IS HILARIOUS AS FUCK
• i couldn't put it down
• elliot is the funniest istg he's such a funny idiot im in love w/ him
• THERE IS AN ELVEN SOCIETY WHICH IS A REVERSED COPY OF OUR SOCIETY aka it's just our annoying gender stereotypes BUT FLIPPED
• just look at this quotes
“Hello,” said the beautiful elven maid. “I was just thinking, and I mean no offence, but—how can any fighting force crowded with the softer sex hope to prevail in battle?”
“Huh?” said Elliot brilliantly. “The softer what?”
“I refer to men,” said the elf girl. “Naturally I was aware the Border guard admitted men, and I support men in their endeavor to prove they are equal to women, but their natures are not warlike, are they?”
Elliot offered, after a long pause: “I don’t enjoy fighting.”
She favored him with a slow smile, like dawn light spreading on water. “Very natural.”
“In fact,” Elliot confessed, encouraged, “I never fight.”
“You should not have to,” she said. “There should always be a woman ready to protect a man in need.”
~~~
“I wish I could grow a moustache like that,” Elliot said wistfully.
“Probably a bad idea,” said Luke. “You can’t control the hair you’ve got.”
“Besides,” said Serene, joining them, “I know it’s natural and everything, but don’t you think it looks weird if a man has hair anywhere but on his head? I mean, can they not be bothered to put in the time and effort to look good?”
~~~
“Oh dear, a child,” said Serene, moving backward with more alacrity than elven grace. “Could someone fetch a man to see to it?”
The group stared at her, as one.
“In elven society caring for the children is considered a task for the menfolk,” said Elliot, sighing and wondering why nobody else ever bothered to read a book.
“Of course it is,” said Serene. “The woman goes through the physically taxing and bloody experience of childbirth. A woman’s experience of blood and pain is, naturally, what makes womenkind particularly suited for the battlefield. Whereas men are the softer sex, squeamish about blood in the main. I know it’s the same for human men, Luke was extremely disinclined to discuss my first experience of a woman’s menses.”
Luke stared ferociously into the middle distance, obviously trying to visualize himself somewhere else, having an entirely different conversation. Serene patted him on the back. “Perfectly all right, I should have had more respect for your delicate masculine sensibilities.”
“Thank you,” said Luke, sounding very far away.
“What, you people expect women to tear apart their bodies and then go to all the bother of raising the children? That takes years, you know,” Serene remarked sternly. “The women’s labour is brief and agonizing, and the man’s is long and arduous. This seems only just. What on earth are men contributing to their children’s lives in the human world? Why would any human woman agree to have a child?”
“The more she talks the more sense it all makes,” said Elliot. “Has anyone else discovered that?”
• is this paradise
• also its only the beginning of the book and there are a lot of hilarious things about it asjkdlaks
• apart from that I LOVED THE CHARACTERS SO MUCH like there is a lot of great side characters who i loved
• ALSO SERENE MY BEAUTIFUL ELF GIRL
• LUKE MY POOR LONG SUFFERING GAY SON
• imagine having a crush since u were 13 but ur crush is oblivious and dense as fuck
• also his coming out was hilarious
• also i love him
• BUT LET ME GUSH ABOUT MY FAVORITE OBNOXIOUS ANNOYING LOVELY SON WHO IS ELLIOT JEROME SCHAFER
• HE PUTS BI INTO BISEXUAL
• he's also a non-practicing jewish person
• has REAAAAAAAAAAALLY wild and unruly red hair
• we follow him from ages 13 to 17 and there's some good character development
• HE'S THE BEST NARRATOR
• HE'S SO FUNNY AND WITTY WTF
• he's very clever
• likes reading and studying and despises physical activity
• also petty as fuck
• and a tsundere
• he's my lovely little brilliant son who's also dense and oblivious as fuck and i would die for him
• lbr sometimes his actions were a lil unlikable but idk i think it's ok
• elliot is a pacifist and he hates war and violence but lbr he's a walking (ง'̀-'́)ง
• elliot "i'll sleep with a mermaid or a harpy or maybe a troll if they were willing" schafer
• i'd be surprised if u don't go "ISTG ELLIOT" at least every 10 pages
• stabbed himself with a butter knife once to get out of the conversation #goals
• brought a lot of contraband items to the camp. the microwave was probably the most hilarious.
• thought he is unlovable BUT THATS NOT TRUE WE ALL LOVE U ELLIOT BABY
• his parents suck though
• i want to add some of his iconic quotes BUT ALMOST ALL OF THEM ARE ICONIC
“Where have you been?” Elliot demanded.
“Looking for you!” Luke snapped back. “How was I supposed to know you were off hiding in trees, you lunatic?”
“Don’t be rude to me when you’re rescuing me, loser,” Elliot told him. “That’s terrible manners. You’re the worst.”
~~~
Elliot gave up on subterfuge, clung to the counter, and said, “All right, you got me. I need some books full of specific elven instructions on how to please an elven lady.”Bright stared at Elliot, and Elliot wondered if he had perhaps misunderstood. “Sexually please her, I mean,” he clarified. “Very specific instructions, please. Do you know of a book like that?”
Bright drew in a deep breath. “How dare you?”
“The library is meant to be a place of learning, not of judgment,” said Elliot.
~~~
“Excuse me, sweetheart,” said Elliot. “Darling? A moment of your time? Sugarplum? Sugargrape? Sugarassortedfruitsandvegetables?”
Luke did not even turn his head.
“HEY, LOSER!” said Elliot.
• pls read this book and love my son i beg u
• i need a dictionary to look up all affectionate words in english because i want to use them all to describe elliot schafer
• i also really loved the bisexual rep!!! bless
• elliot actually said these words ON A PAGE HE ACTUALLY SAID "IM BISEXUAL" im Delighted
• also explained bisexuality to luke
• also owned it
• gimme more bisexual characters plS
• idk what else to add, i loved the story a lot, but it's not an action-driven story, it's absolutely character-driven
• basically it's just elliot's five years of school
• school thing might remind u of a harry potter bc it's basically a boarding school in a magic realm but elliot has to spend his summer at human realm
• i love this book more ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
• will add more things to this "review" with times, will also reread it forever
• 110/10 would recommend
• i rarely say this BUT WHY IS THIS A STANDALONE I WANT MORE I WANT A SEQUEL I WANT GROWN UP ELLIOT I WANT MORE ADVENTURES AAAAAAAAAAA
• PLEASE READ AND DISCUSS IT WITH ME ESPECIALLY MY BABY ELLIOT SCHAFER
I ACTUALLY GOT THINGS TO ADD
so there is apparently a short story which happened during year 5 but in luke's pov in Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales
it was actually written before this entire book
ALL THINGS WRITTEN BELOW ARE KIND OF SPOILERY but not a lot but i would recommend not to read it AT LEAST before you read IOL
• so after reading it im still pretty sure luke had a crush on elliot since the very beginning
• but apparently the juiciest part is: HE WASN'T AWARE OF IT
• idk if i want to accept some of the story's content or not
• anyway
• idk if it's a headcanon or not BUT i kind of think luke made up his crush on dale just bcs dale also was gay??
• like he thought he had a crush but i actually think he never did
• i mean in the iol he most certainly has a crush on elliot BUT HE IS IN DENIAL
• elliot is such a little shit though
• also luke's pov kind of proves that elliot is the best narrator not because there is smth wrong w/ luke but just ELLIOT A SMARTASS
• "i think im in love with elliot" "elliot who" askdlaskdlkaslfk
• why r they so cute
~~~
it's absolutely hilarious and amazing and you will fall in love with the characters BLESS SARAH REES BRENNAN I CAN'T BELIEVE IM SAYING THIS BUT WHY IS IT A STANDALONE I NEARLY CRIED WHEN IT ENDED BECAUSE I WANT MORE
i haven't been this excited about a new book in a while
ELLIOT SCHAFER??? MY LOVELY ADORABLE BRILLIANT OBLIVIOUS TINY BISEXUAL SON AN ABSOLUTE MENACE WITH UNRULY RED HAIR WHO I WOULD SAW MY RIGHT HAND WITH A RUSTY BUTTER KNIFE OFF FOR
rtc absolutely but it's going to be gushing over the book not a review k bye
August 14, 2018
4ish stars.
This is a warts-and-all type of story. Far from perfect, but so much of it worked for me. It wasn't at all what I was expecting and it caught me off guard when I realized I liked it so much. Loved these characters, as awful a person as Elliot is. Can you even blame him though? HE'S SO MUCH SMARTER THAN YOU IT'S NOT HIS FAULT. Great dialogue and lots of snark really elevate it from other "magic school" or "portal fantasy" books and deconstructions of the same, and make up for what it lacks in worldbuilding, setting, and even plot to be honest. Fair warning that there's some mean-hearted sarcasm, but I have a dark empty soul so I'm cool with it.
The book is at its best in the context of the interactions between the three main characters. When plot and war and politics become a focus it's less interesting. It's funny, obnoxious, occasionally heartwarming, and clever, sometimes a little too much so. Describes me perfectly.
Recommended for fans of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Audio by Matthew Lloyd Davies is recommended, although apparently there are pictures I'm missing out on?
Posted in Mr. Philip's Library
This is a warts-and-all type of story. Far from perfect, but so much of it worked for me. It wasn't at all what I was expecting and it caught me off guard when I realized I liked it so much. Loved these characters, as awful a person as Elliot is. Can you even blame him though? HE'S SO MUCH SMARTER THAN YOU IT'S NOT HIS FAULT. Great dialogue and lots of snark really elevate it from other "magic school" or "portal fantasy" books and deconstructions of the same, and make up for what it lacks in worldbuilding, setting, and even plot to be honest. Fair warning that there's some mean-hearted sarcasm, but I have a dark empty soul so I'm cool with it.
The book is at its best in the context of the interactions between the three main characters. When plot and war and politics become a focus it's less interesting. It's funny, obnoxious, occasionally heartwarming, and clever, sometimes a little too much so. Describes me perfectly.
Recommended for fans of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Audio by Matthew Lloyd Davies is recommended, although apparently there are pictures I'm missing out on?
Posted in Mr. Philip's Library
February 3, 2019
NOTHING HAS EVER BROUGHT ME MORE JOY THAN THIS BOOK IN MY ENTIRE LIFE
June 12, 2018
DNF. I read several chapters, started suspecting that it wasn't going to be my type of read, and skimmed about half of the rest of the book, which confirmed my suspicions. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Thirteen-year-old Elliot is pulled from his geography class one day, packed into a van with three other students, and driven to a random field in Devon, England, where he watches his French teacher exchanges money with a woman standing next to a high wall.
So begins Sarah Rees Brennan’s In Other Lands, which has been nominated for the 2018 World Science Fiction Society award for best Young Adult book ― a new category for the WSFS, which administers the Hugo awards. It’s a magical school set in a magical land peopled with the usual suspects: pointy-eared elves, short dwarves with beards and hammers, unicorns, mermaids. The fantasy worldbuilding is paper-thin; Brennan’s real attention here is focused on teenage relationships and growing pains. We follow Elliot and his friends and classmates over the next four years as they learn to navigate magic school, friendships and romances. There’s lots of sleeping around, and Elliot’s emerging bisexuality is one of the things he explores through several sexual relationships with both sexes. Gay, bi and straight relationships and sexual exploration are all accepted in this magical world with equanimity.
Elliot is a deeply insecure protagonist who gets along by being relentlessly antagonistic, hurling sarcastic insults at others at every opportunity. Many readers may enjoy his constant snark; it got old for me fast because there was so much anger and meanness underlying it. It takes Elliot years, not to mention way too many pages of this book, to grow up emotionally. Elliot’s dedication to obnoxiousness, combined with the superficial, chatty writing style Brennan uses in this book (one review I read compared it to fanfiction) and the lack of any originality or depth in the fantasy aspects of In Other Lands, were enough to make me abandon the book. I wasn’t ever able to lose myself in the story.
In Other Lands wasn’t my type of YA book, but if bisexual characters, gender-bent societies (the elves have a firmly matriarchal society where the women are the warriors and the men keep house), and a primary focus on teen relationships are particularly interesting to you, give it a shot.
Content notes: lots of teen sex, but nothing beyond the kisses is explicit.
Thirteen-year-old Elliot is pulled from his geography class one day, packed into a van with three other students, and driven to a random field in Devon, England, where he watches his French teacher exchanges money with a woman standing next to a high wall.
The woman in odd clothing “tested” him by asking him if he could see a wall standing in the middle of a field. When he told her, “Obviously, because it’s a wall. Walls tend to be obvious,” she had pointed out the other kids blithely walking through the wall as if it was not there, and told him that he was one of the chosen few with the sight.When the woman asks Elliot to come with her to the magical land on the other side of the wall, he promptly tells her no one will miss him (Elliot’s problematic home life is explored later in the book) and heads over the wall with her. There he finds, somewhat to his disappointment, that he’ll be attending school to be trained as either a warrior or councilor. Elliot, more inclined to using sarcastic words than his fists for fighting, quickly opts for the council course. He equally quickly begins to mock Luke, the handsome blond guy who seems inclined to act as the leader of the group of new students at the Border, and Luke’s smiling sidekick Dale, mentally dubbing them Blondie and Surfer Dude. And Elliot immediately falls in love with an “elvish maiden” warrior who introduces herself as Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle.
So begins Sarah Rees Brennan’s In Other Lands, which has been nominated for the 2018 World Science Fiction Society award for best Young Adult book ― a new category for the WSFS, which administers the Hugo awards. It’s a magical school set in a magical land peopled with the usual suspects: pointy-eared elves, short dwarves with beards and hammers, unicorns, mermaids. The fantasy worldbuilding is paper-thin; Brennan’s real attention here is focused on teenage relationships and growing pains. We follow Elliot and his friends and classmates over the next four years as they learn to navigate magic school, friendships and romances. There’s lots of sleeping around, and Elliot’s emerging bisexuality is one of the things he explores through several sexual relationships with both sexes. Gay, bi and straight relationships and sexual exploration are all accepted in this magical world with equanimity.
Elliot is a deeply insecure protagonist who gets along by being relentlessly antagonistic, hurling sarcastic insults at others at every opportunity. Many readers may enjoy his constant snark; it got old for me fast because there was so much anger and meanness underlying it. It takes Elliot years, not to mention way too many pages of this book, to grow up emotionally. Elliot’s dedication to obnoxiousness, combined with the superficial, chatty writing style Brennan uses in this book (one review I read compared it to fanfiction) and the lack of any originality or depth in the fantasy aspects of In Other Lands, were enough to make me abandon the book. I wasn’t ever able to lose myself in the story.
In Other Lands wasn’t my type of YA book, but if bisexual characters, gender-bent societies (the elves have a firmly matriarchal society where the women are the warriors and the men keep house), and a primary focus on teen relationships are particularly interesting to you, give it a shot.
Content notes: lots of teen sex, but nothing beyond the kisses is explicit.
May 8, 2017
Hands-down one of the most hilarious narrators I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Think Percy Jackson, if Percy Jackson was a pacifist and also kind of a huge asshole. Elliot is intelligent, gutsy, and out to save the world through learning trollish, throwing knives (in a uniquely pacifist way that's also a dick move), and talking to (flirting with) people instead of hitting them, good lord guys. He is my absolute favorite person: I laughed during "In Other Lands" more than I have in ages.
Also, this book pulled the rug out from underneath me more times than I can say. Don't expect the unexpected, because you'll be surprised regardless. Just relax and enjoy this insane, creative, hilarious ride.
ALSO I READ THIS IN A DAY. I COULDN'T STOP. IT'S THAT GOOD.
Also, this book pulled the rug out from underneath me more times than I can say. Don't expect the unexpected, because you'll be surprised regardless. Just relax and enjoy this insane, creative, hilarious ride.
ALSO I READ THIS IN A DAY. I COULDN'T STOP. IT'S THAT GOOD.
July 16, 2019
if you ever wanted a crash course in things I love then read this book
June 25, 2020
this book is my happy place
February 8, 2019
I absolutely LOVED this book. If it was 2017 still I'd be saying this is the best bisexual book I've read all year. But it'll probably be the best one I read in 2018 too (we'll see?). It took me a little bit to get into this, but once I was on board with the dry humour and understood who Elliot was (obnoxious little turd that he is who has never been loved), I could not stop reading this book.
I found it to be a wonderful nuanced portrayal of a bisexual boy and about a kid who goes away to a portal fantasy world that isn't quite the idealized thing he imagined and who's built up so many walls around him to protect himself from a world who doesn't care about him. Just like the people around him in the book (and maybe some of you as well?), when I first met Elliot I found him abrasive and obnoxious; but it didn't take me long to love him once I understood where he was coming from. It was so amazing to watch his journey, where he gets to a point of finally opening up and making himself vulnerable:
"Elliot could not help but think of how often he had struck out wildly to defend himself, when just saying what he felt would have worked. Except it would not have worked, not on his father, or his mother, or on Jase or Adara. It only worked when someone cared how you felt. He did not know how to act, if Luke cared what he felt." I was NOT expecting this book to make me cry, but that part did.
I also loved the final romance and love scene and found it really moving. I think I squealed while I was reading that part of the book. On the one hand, it would have been nice if the bi content had been more explicit in the earlier parts of the book, but this also felt realistic to me since Elliot is only 13 when the book starts and there are many things we don't know about him (for example, why he can be so mean).
I also wonder too how much our expectations of representations of bisexuality depend on same-gender feelings always being explicit? Should we ask that a character or a person IRL express same-gender feelings or out themselves as bi constantly so that we know? Or should we change our expectations and not assume because a boy like Elliot has a raging crush on a girl that he is straight? If his first crush was on a boy and we didn't hear anything about him liking girls, would we count that part as the start of the bi content? Is he assumed straight or gay unless proven otherwise? Anyway, this book got me thinking about those things. I found it so refreshing that we got to see Elliot date and have genuine feelings for people of many genders; I don't remember the last time I read a bi book that really showed that. Someone described this book to me as "aggressively bisexual" before I read it and I totally feel the same way. This moment with Elliot's boyfriend Jase hit me like a brick, and felt so specific to bisexual experiences:
" 'Ohhhh. Does he, ah, "like girls as well"?' Jase repeated what Elliot had said in a voice with just an edge of a sing-song lilt, a savor of mockery that Elliot could not pin down and be mad about."
Brennan's writing style is a bit complicated (she seems to like to write long sentences!) but I never had any trouble untangling her meaning. This is probably a personal preference of mine, as I know I like other writers who also tend to be a bit convoluted.
Did I mention how much I liked the humour? I thought it was so great; it had me laughing out loud many, many times, most of all Serene's matriarchal elf speeches about protecting fair gentlemen and how women are especially suited for the battlefield because of their experiences with menstrual blood (I also loved how Brennan interrogated that matriarchal way of thinking and didn't idealize it, having Elliot point out that any society that treats any gender as less than human is not okay). Serene and all the supporting characters, especially Luke and his family, were wonderfully drawn and felt like unique, interesting people. Do I need to gush more? I already said I loved it.
I found it to be a wonderful nuanced portrayal of a bisexual boy and about a kid who goes away to a portal fantasy world that isn't quite the idealized thing he imagined and who's built up so many walls around him to protect himself from a world who doesn't care about him. Just like the people around him in the book (and maybe some of you as well?), when I first met Elliot I found him abrasive and obnoxious; but it didn't take me long to love him once I understood where he was coming from. It was so amazing to watch his journey, where he gets to a point of finally opening up and making himself vulnerable:
"Elliot could not help but think of how often he had struck out wildly to defend himself, when just saying what he felt would have worked. Except it would not have worked, not on his father, or his mother, or on Jase or Adara. It only worked when someone cared how you felt. He did not know how to act, if Luke cared what he felt." I was NOT expecting this book to make me cry, but that part did.
I also loved the final romance and love scene and found it really moving. I think I squealed while I was reading that part of the book. On the one hand, it would have been nice if the bi content had been more explicit in the earlier parts of the book, but this also felt realistic to me since Elliot is only 13 when the book starts and there are many things we don't know about him (for example, why he can be so mean).
I also wonder too how much our expectations of representations of bisexuality depend on same-gender feelings always being explicit? Should we ask that a character or a person IRL express same-gender feelings or out themselves as bi constantly so that we know? Or should we change our expectations and not assume because a boy like Elliot has a raging crush on a girl that he is straight? If his first crush was on a boy and we didn't hear anything about him liking girls, would we count that part as the start of the bi content? Is he assumed straight or gay unless proven otherwise? Anyway, this book got me thinking about those things. I found it so refreshing that we got to see Elliot date and have genuine feelings for people of many genders; I don't remember the last time I read a bi book that really showed that. Someone described this book to me as "aggressively bisexual" before I read it and I totally feel the same way. This moment with Elliot's boyfriend Jase hit me like a brick, and felt so specific to bisexual experiences:
" 'Ohhhh. Does he, ah, "like girls as well"?' Jase repeated what Elliot had said in a voice with just an edge of a sing-song lilt, a savor of mockery that Elliot could not pin down and be mad about."
Brennan's writing style is a bit complicated (she seems to like to write long sentences!) but I never had any trouble untangling her meaning. This is probably a personal preference of mine, as I know I like other writers who also tend to be a bit convoluted.
Did I mention how much I liked the humour? I thought it was so great; it had me laughing out loud many, many times, most of all Serene's matriarchal elf speeches about protecting fair gentlemen and how women are especially suited for the battlefield because of their experiences with menstrual blood (I also loved how Brennan interrogated that matriarchal way of thinking and didn't idealize it, having Elliot point out that any society that treats any gender as less than human is not okay). Serene and all the supporting characters, especially Luke and his family, were wonderfully drawn and felt like unique, interesting people. Do I need to gush more? I already said I loved it.
June 15, 2018
/ugly crying
(The more proper review)
Let’s start with a confession: I really like reading books that my friends like. I love being a part of a fandom or a community, so usually a hype is something that pulls me closer and not away. Unfortunately, sometimes I talk myself into believing I like something much more than I really do and then the realization is disturbing and I feel kind of fake or stupid. It happened to me already once this year so when I started reading In Other Lands I promised myself to be careful. All my friends seemed to like it or love it, so I didn’t want to jump on the hype train just for the sake of sharing if the book wasn’t really for me. So I was cautious and at first I turned up my nose a bit – the novel seemed to be a little too much, I wasn’t sure if I really find it funny, if I really can get into Elliot… And then, around page 30 I laughed aloud for the first time and decided I like it a lot. Around page 60 I cried for the first time and decided I love it.
This is a kind of a book that will make you smile and laugh, then you will want to hug it and sleep with it under your pillow only to have your heart broken several times. But in the end it will take all the pieces, glue it together and you will love it with no end. Or at least it happened to me, and believe me, I didn’t know what an emotional ride it would be for me.
I could talk about this book for hours so I will try to write about at least a few things I loved. Generally, the premise is pretty simple. A guy gets to a school in a magical land where there are representatives of different races. The school isn’t about magic but it is a soldier training course. Elliot, our hero, is not interested in combat at all, being a book lover and a little nerd. He is also insufferable, nasty and hilarious, despite often he is the only one who laughs while the others run away. He makes some unexpected friendships and grows up to make decisions about himself and maybe influence in some way the whole magical world. Sounds original? Not really. But that’s not the point, because the author concentrated on making the issues she touched deep, cohesive and thorough. I’ve recently complained that in many YA books the author decides to incorporate some themes to their novel and then when it should become darker, deeper, uncomfortable – they back off as if shrugging, “hey, it’s just for teens!” Well, this book does nothing like that. If the character acts certain way because this is his protecting mechanism or anything else – fine. You will get to know about his trauma. But he will also pay a price and have to learn how to deal with his issues. If there is an action, there will be a reaction.
Another thing – I loved the characters. Elliot was heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time, I was mad at him and I understood him so well. I believe most people will find a piece of him in themselves, especially when they were teens. His path, his growing up, his decisions… All touched me deeply. Serene was irresistible, even if also made me uncomfortable with her comments. I wasn’t sure at first what to think about the elven society. Gender reversal may be funny but it made me uneasy in a way “okay, I love Serene so what, should I think that all those chauvinists are in fact loveable guys like Serene is?” – but don’t worry, the author addresses that. Generally, the author has a beautiful tendency to address all the issues she writes about. So when a character is nasty or does something awful don’t worry, she won’t brush it off as “problematic but cute”, no. There will be consequences, there will be addressing.
And no, I don’t forget to mention Luke, my prince of sunflowers. I’m just so much in love I can never stop if I start writing about him.
Then there is an anti-war message, as clear as it can be, which is a nice thing after all these dystopias that of course criticize wars but also make their heroes look so wonderful in uniforms and all. Then there is explicit bisexuality, discussed and treated beautifully. Then there is demisexuality – not named but made clear and described by a person who ‘feels that way’. There is a whole lot of chosen family theme, friendship, romantic scenes, teens being teens and the whole message of trying to learn about ‘the other’ and respect them that is so close to my heart.
Is it a book without flaws? No, probably not. There are no POCs as far as I remember [edit: there is one character, I was corrected, but still it feels like some minimum, right?] as if the different races thing was enough. I don’t think so, I’m afraid. But then, the author really does a good job with representation so it feels like complaining it's not perfect while it's very good. The book is also a bit heavy on angst in the middle of it, which for me was fine and only logical but I guess not everyone will like it. Finally, I’m myself not a big fan of misunderstandings as a basis of a romantic plot so I guess it may be a problem for some people. But then I believe this romance here was much, MUCH more than that and the misunderstanding made sense. Also, I shipped them from the first scene they appeared in so sue me. I might not be very objective and I don’t care.
It’s easier to criticize books. When you love something and talk about it, it’s wonderful but also makes you a bit vulnerable. But I can’t really make any disclaimers here to make myself distant from this opinion. I truly believe that though it’s not flawless, it’s beautiful. I’d like you all to read it and join me in being happy what a great book it is. And then we could talk about it for hours, pretty please.
(The more proper review)
Let’s start with a confession: I really like reading books that my friends like. I love being a part of a fandom or a community, so usually a hype is something that pulls me closer and not away. Unfortunately, sometimes I talk myself into believing I like something much more than I really do and then the realization is disturbing and I feel kind of fake or stupid. It happened to me already once this year so when I started reading In Other Lands I promised myself to be careful. All my friends seemed to like it or love it, so I didn’t want to jump on the hype train just for the sake of sharing if the book wasn’t really for me. So I was cautious and at first I turned up my nose a bit – the novel seemed to be a little too much, I wasn’t sure if I really find it funny, if I really can get into Elliot… And then, around page 30 I laughed aloud for the first time and decided I like it a lot. Around page 60 I cried for the first time and decided I love it.
This is a kind of a book that will make you smile and laugh, then you will want to hug it and sleep with it under your pillow only to have your heart broken several times. But in the end it will take all the pieces, glue it together and you will love it with no end. Or at least it happened to me, and believe me, I didn’t know what an emotional ride it would be for me.
I could talk about this book for hours so I will try to write about at least a few things I loved. Generally, the premise is pretty simple. A guy gets to a school in a magical land where there are representatives of different races. The school isn’t about magic but it is a soldier training course. Elliot, our hero, is not interested in combat at all, being a book lover and a little nerd. He is also insufferable, nasty and hilarious, despite often he is the only one who laughs while the others run away. He makes some unexpected friendships and grows up to make decisions about himself and maybe influence in some way the whole magical world. Sounds original? Not really. But that’s not the point, because the author concentrated on making the issues she touched deep, cohesive and thorough. I’ve recently complained that in many YA books the author decides to incorporate some themes to their novel and then when it should become darker, deeper, uncomfortable – they back off as if shrugging, “hey, it’s just for teens!” Well, this book does nothing like that. If the character acts certain way because this is his protecting mechanism or anything else – fine. You will get to know about his trauma. But he will also pay a price and have to learn how to deal with his issues. If there is an action, there will be a reaction.
Another thing – I loved the characters. Elliot was heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time, I was mad at him and I understood him so well. I believe most people will find a piece of him in themselves, especially when they were teens. His path, his growing up, his decisions… All touched me deeply. Serene was irresistible, even if also made me uncomfortable with her comments. I wasn’t sure at first what to think about the elven society. Gender reversal may be funny but it made me uneasy in a way “okay, I love Serene so what, should I think that all those chauvinists are in fact loveable guys like Serene is?” – but don’t worry, the author addresses that. Generally, the author has a beautiful tendency to address all the issues she writes about. So when a character is nasty or does something awful don’t worry, she won’t brush it off as “problematic but cute”, no. There will be consequences, there will be addressing.
And no, I don’t forget to mention Luke, my prince of sunflowers. I’m just so much in love I can never stop if I start writing about him.
Then there is an anti-war message, as clear as it can be, which is a nice thing after all these dystopias that of course criticize wars but also make their heroes look so wonderful in uniforms and all. Then there is explicit bisexuality, discussed and treated beautifully. Then there is demisexuality – not named but made clear and described by a person who ‘feels that way’. There is a whole lot of chosen family theme, friendship, romantic scenes, teens being teens and the whole message of trying to learn about ‘the other’ and respect them that is so close to my heart.
Is it a book without flaws? No, probably not. There are no POCs as far as I remember [edit: there is one character, I was corrected, but still it feels like some minimum, right?] as if the different races thing was enough. I don’t think so, I’m afraid. But then, the author really does a good job with representation so it feels like complaining it's not perfect while it's very good. The book is also a bit heavy on angst in the middle of it, which for me was fine and only logical but I guess not everyone will like it. Finally, I’m myself not a big fan of misunderstandings as a basis of a romantic plot so I guess it may be a problem for some people. But then I believe this romance here was much, MUCH more than that and the misunderstanding made sense. Also, I shipped them from the first scene they appeared in so sue me. I might not be very objective and I don’t care.
It’s easier to criticize books. When you love something and talk about it, it’s wonderful but also makes you a bit vulnerable. But I can’t really make any disclaimers here to make myself distant from this opinion. I truly believe that though it’s not flawless, it’s beautiful. I’d like you all to read it and join me in being happy what a great book it is. And then we could talk about it for hours, pretty please.
January 20, 2023
this book was a fucking DELIGHT and I have truly never loved anything more
UPDATE:
this book continues to be the Best Everything My Two Eyes Have Ever Read!!!!!! I LOVE!!!
UPDATE:
this book continues to be the Best Everything My Two Eyes Have Ever Read!!!!!! I LOVE!!!
March 29, 2018
2.5/5 stars (rounded down)
I just realized that the book has been long published and I can finally update my partial review here as well. It was originally posted on my blog: HERE
I must say that the blurb of this book is a little misleading. I was expecting a fantasy book – full of adventures, mermaids, elves, dwarves, maybe even some dragons – you know, the usual stuff. That was not what I got. Granted there were elves and mermaids, and some other mythical creatures – it just wasn’t fantasy. It had fantasy elements, but that’s it.
Also the praise for this book keeps calling it gothic, I didn't see or feel anything gothic about it at all (just fyi).
5 shining stars for concept and ideas.
2 very bleak stars for the execution of those ideas.
The topics and issues this book was exploring were fantastic! Racial, cultural, sexual, political – you name it – this book has it! But the way the book was going about them – desired better.
To be honest, I felt like this book didn’t quite know what it wanted to be. It started out as a middle grade fantasy, then it became young adult fiction, then it turned into a contemporary, then lgbt, then finally I realized that this was more of a coming-of-age novel than anything else.
‘In Other Lands’ has absolutely no plot. This book is 433 pages and is full of so many different things, yet somehow – nothing really happens. Nothing too important, nothing too shocking, nothing too big and life changing.
Example: Elliot’s friends go to war. They fight. He sits at camp and worries. They come back unhurt and all is good. Later on only one of his friends goes to fight again. Two others sit and worry. Friend comes back unhurt and all is good. Where is the tragedy? Where is purpose? Where is the plot?
Mind me, some important things do happen, is just the main character is so indifferent to most of them that it made me indifferent too (there are reasons for his indifference, but they were presented quite late in the book). Things would happen and he would have the most mild reaction, so instead of gasping and being shocked I would think ‘Well if HE doesn’t care, why should I?’
Protagonist of this story is Elliot, and he acquires two friend-sidekicks (so to say), Luke and Serene (why does it always have to be two sidekicks? Why is it always a trio?). Anyway, Elliot and Luke are human, and Serene is an elf.
Elliot is the most annoying, bratty and insufferable main character ever. For the first 100 or so pages, all he does is complain, says how he is better than everybody else and calls people ‘loser’. He must have said ‘loser’ more than 50 times through the whole book.
All I wanted to do was grab Elliot by his little fictional throat and squeeze..!
Yes, the premise warns us that Elliot is grumpy, and not hero-like, but at times he was so spiteful for no good reason, that it just felt overdone. Because of this, I never grew to feel any strong compassion towards Elliot, no matter how sad the events that happened to him were. He was ruined to the point of no return for me, and when the time came to feel for him – I just didn’t care that much (I did still care a little though).
Elliot is as pacifist as you can get. He feels very strongly about war and fighting. He HATES it, he DESPISES it. He finds it completely useless (which I agree with and applaud him for it). But, in my opinion, he goes on about being pacifist very wrong. He constantly tells other people how stupid war is, how stupid they all are for fighting (although his friends risk their lives protecting him, because he refuses to learn even the basic defenses and prefers to hide behind their strong warrior backs. Later on he even asks his friends to protect and fight for him, so that, in my opinion, negated the whole pacifism thing).
At first I thought that a pacifist-character was new and different from all other fantasy-adventure novels out there (a main character who doesn’t fight to survive, doesn’t kill, doesn’t have tons of weapons on him at all times – what??!). But there were so many snide remarks and little comments that it actually got me thinking – maybe instead of just being different this book makes fun of all dystopian, fantasy young adult books out there? Makes fun of the idea of children and teenagers having to fight, and survive, while adults stand by?
Luke was very bland for the most part of the book. However, I liked his character a lot! He was reserved, old-fashioned and a prude (which was funny and refreshing at the same time, for you don’t often get to see a prude male character).
Serene was a girl of the trio, and an elf. Oh, how I enjoyed Serene in the beginning. Her thoughts and humor were so stoic, it was delightful. Also Serene is a feminist! Or so I thought.
To understand why I went from liking Serene to basically despising her, you have to know that the elf community in the book was basically a backwards-human-community, in terms of how their sexes worked. For elves, the woman was a warrior, a provider and a ‘macho’. Which at first I thought was incredibly cool and feminist – to portray women so incredibly equal to men. But then it was shown how elven women treat their men (as feeble, helpless, gentler-sex made only to care for children and cook, and do needle-work while women were on the battlefield) and I thought ‘wait a minute, all this does is just flips stereotypes without changing a thing’. I was really looking for equality all around, and it just wasn’t there.
If you expect 'In Other Lands' to be a fantasy-adventure book - you will be very disappointed.
This is a coming-of-age story, with a character who just wants to feel loved, but doesn't know how. It is Elliot's journey of finding himself (even if his journey takes him on a kissing and sleeping with every girl, boy and other species spree).
This book talks about many important issues - bullying, abandonment, fitting in, sexuality, racial and sexual stereotypes, pains of growing up and politics - it is truly a gem. But it is a well hidden gem. And I am afraid that many readers will feel that the way this book is presented is not engaging enough to actually get to those hidden gems.
I would like to thank LibraryThing and Big Mouse House publishing, as well as the author, for providing me with an arc of this book. I always feel honored to be able to read novels before they hit the market.
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I just realized that the book has been long published and I can finally update my partial review here as well. It was originally posted on my blog: HERE
I must say that the blurb of this book is a little misleading. I was expecting a fantasy book – full of adventures, mermaids, elves, dwarves, maybe even some dragons – you know, the usual stuff. That was not what I got. Granted there were elves and mermaids, and some other mythical creatures – it just wasn’t fantasy. It had fantasy elements, but that’s it.
Also the praise for this book keeps calling it gothic, I didn't see or feel anything gothic about it at all (just fyi).
5 shining stars for concept and ideas.
2 very bleak stars for the execution of those ideas.
The topics and issues this book was exploring were fantastic! Racial, cultural, sexual, political – you name it – this book has it! But the way the book was going about them – desired better.
To be honest, I felt like this book didn’t quite know what it wanted to be. It started out as a middle grade fantasy, then it became young adult fiction, then it turned into a contemporary, then lgbt, then finally I realized that this was more of a coming-of-age novel than anything else.
‘In Other Lands’ has absolutely no plot. This book is 433 pages and is full of so many different things, yet somehow – nothing really happens. Nothing too important, nothing too shocking, nothing too big and life changing.
Example: Elliot’s friends go to war. They fight. He sits at camp and worries. They come back unhurt and all is good. Later on only one of his friends goes to fight again. Two others sit and worry. Friend comes back unhurt and all is good. Where is the tragedy? Where is purpose? Where is the plot?
Mind me, some important things do happen, is just the main character is so indifferent to most of them that it made me indifferent too (there are reasons for his indifference, but they were presented quite late in the book). Things would happen and he would have the most mild reaction, so instead of gasping and being shocked I would think ‘Well if HE doesn’t care, why should I?’
Protagonist of this story is Elliot, and he acquires two friend-sidekicks (so to say), Luke and Serene (why does it always have to be two sidekicks? Why is it always a trio?). Anyway, Elliot and Luke are human, and Serene is an elf.
Elliot is the most annoying, bratty and insufferable main character ever. For the first 100 or so pages, all he does is complain, says how he is better than everybody else and calls people ‘loser’. He must have said ‘loser’ more than 50 times through the whole book.
All I wanted to do was grab Elliot by his little fictional throat and squeeze..!
Yes, the premise warns us that Elliot is grumpy, and not hero-like, but at times he was so spiteful for no good reason, that it just felt overdone. Because of this, I never grew to feel any strong compassion towards Elliot, no matter how sad the events that happened to him were. He was ruined to the point of no return for me, and when the time came to feel for him – I just didn’t care that much (I did still care a little though).
Elliot is as pacifist as you can get. He feels very strongly about war and fighting. He HATES it, he DESPISES it. He finds it completely useless (which I agree with and applaud him for it). But, in my opinion, he goes on about being pacifist very wrong. He constantly tells other people how stupid war is, how stupid they all are for fighting (although his friends risk their lives protecting him, because he refuses to learn even the basic defenses and prefers to hide behind their strong warrior backs. Later on he even asks his friends to protect and fight for him, so that, in my opinion, negated the whole pacifism thing).
At first I thought that a pacifist-character was new and different from all other fantasy-adventure novels out there (a main character who doesn’t fight to survive, doesn’t kill, doesn’t have tons of weapons on him at all times – what??!). But there were so many snide remarks and little comments that it actually got me thinking – maybe instead of just being different this book makes fun of all dystopian, fantasy young adult books out there? Makes fun of the idea of children and teenagers having to fight, and survive, while adults stand by?
Luke was very bland for the most part of the book. However, I liked his character a lot! He was reserved, old-fashioned and a prude (which was funny and refreshing at the same time, for you don’t often get to see a prude male character).
Serene was a girl of the trio, and an elf. Oh, how I enjoyed Serene in the beginning. Her thoughts and humor were so stoic, it was delightful. Also Serene is a feminist! Or so I thought.
To understand why I went from liking Serene to basically despising her, you have to know that the elf community in the book was basically a backwards-human-community, in terms of how their sexes worked. For elves, the woman was a warrior, a provider and a ‘macho’. Which at first I thought was incredibly cool and feminist – to portray women so incredibly equal to men. But then it was shown how elven women treat their men (as feeble, helpless, gentler-sex made only to care for children and cook, and do needle-work while women were on the battlefield) and I thought ‘wait a minute, all this does is just flips stereotypes without changing a thing’. I was really looking for equality all around, and it just wasn’t there.
If you expect 'In Other Lands' to be a fantasy-adventure book - you will be very disappointed.
This is a coming-of-age story, with a character who just wants to feel loved, but doesn't know how. It is Elliot's journey of finding himself (even if his journey takes him on a kissing and sleeping with every girl, boy and other species spree).
This book talks about many important issues - bullying, abandonment, fitting in, sexuality, racial and sexual stereotypes, pains of growing up and politics - it is truly a gem. But it is a well hidden gem. And I am afraid that many readers will feel that the way this book is presented is not engaging enough to actually get to those hidden gems.
I would like to thank LibraryThing and Big Mouse House publishing, as well as the author, for providing me with an arc of this book. I always feel honored to be able to read novels before they hit the market.
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July 20, 2021
THIS is a book
February 16, 2020
I loved this book for many reasons but one of my favorite parts was that Luke like a boner, except it’s much more embarrassing because it’s really really noticeable
January 17, 2022
i love love loved this book. i don’t even know how to say but the characters? chefs kiss. their personalities were so strong and you really get to see them grow throughout the book. romance in the form of bickering. mermaids. adhd nerd who just wants to be loved and yet can’t show affection. this book has it all!!!!!! harry potter & percy jackson fans please check this one out
April 20, 2020
so after my fifth reread i can safely say this is my favorite book of all time.
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so after my fourth reread i can safely say this is one of my favorite books of all time. like. top 3. read it. thanks.
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i'm so shook,,, this keeps getting better and better the more times i read it hhhh
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honestly i'm so overwhelmed right now and i'm crying a lot and i'm probably not making much sense i'm so overwhelmed i can't
listen, there is a distinct, unique feeling after finishing a really beautiful and good story. and then, then there is that state that you only get to experience a couple of times in your life, after you put your heart and soul into a story so immersive and spectacular, when you feel like you've been nestled deep in a character's soul and learned their whole life story, and all the feelings they have ever felt kind of just transfer into your own heart. because there are no words for this, i wish i could put it into words, what i am feeling right now. i've only felt it a few times, and mostly with series because the more time i spend with the characters and with the world itself, the more this feeling amplifies. i wish i could just tear out my heart and paste it on the page, only then would anyone truly understand.
this was spectacular, one of the best slowburns i have ever read/seen and i don't have the words to express anything of what it is in my heart. i am overwhelmed and i'm going to bawl my eyes out for a really really long time.
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so after my fourth reread i can safely say this is one of my favorite books of all time. like. top 3. read it. thanks.
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"storybook strange and known by heart"
i'm so shook,,, this keeps getting better and better the more times i read it hhhh
___________________________
honestly i'm so overwhelmed right now and i'm crying a lot and i'm probably not making much sense i'm so overwhelmed i can't
listen, there is a distinct, unique feeling after finishing a really beautiful and good story. and then, then there is that state that you only get to experience a couple of times in your life, after you put your heart and soul into a story so immersive and spectacular, when you feel like you've been nestled deep in a character's soul and learned their whole life story, and all the feelings they have ever felt kind of just transfer into your own heart. because there are no words for this, i wish i could put it into words, what i am feeling right now. i've only felt it a few times, and mostly with series because the more time i spend with the characters and with the world itself, the more this feeling amplifies. i wish i could just tear out my heart and paste it on the page, only then would anyone truly understand.
this was spectacular, one of the best slowburns i have ever read/seen and i don't have the words to express anything of what it is in my heart. i am overwhelmed and i'm going to bawl my eyes out for a really really long time.
April 3, 2018
I LOVED this book! It's funny, thoughtful and wonderfully inventive. My only gripe is that it's over now;-) Such a bright, satisfying read. My copy came from the library, but I liked it so much I just ordered my own. I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
August 8, 2020
main character the most obnoxious ass rat ever omg
September 6, 2017
I ADORE SARAH REES BRENNAN AND HER MAGICAL WRITING
seriously magical and wonderful and so angsty but also I love my smol kids Elliot and Luke and brb I need to sob over them because this book was a true delight I don't even have WORDS TO DESCRIBE
seriously magical and wonderful and so angsty but also I love my smol kids Elliot and Luke and brb I need to sob over them because this book was a true delight I don't even have WORDS TO DESCRIBE
August 22, 2017
Mild general spoilers about premise/characterisation in review; more specific spoilers under cuts.
There are some great books I love and then there are books that, regardless of any possible imperfections, strike a chord right in my heart. No, let's be real: as a Polish poet once said, with pathos I'm sure Elliot would appreciate, what they do is (with apologies for the godawful translation) "tear out veins to use for chords, and pull them, and strike as chords".
This is such a profoundly funny, lovely, uncomfortable, heart-wrenching book, and I love it to pieces.
The premise is not terribly complicated, or new. It's got those fun and recognisable elements of the genre. Elliot, a precocious and nerdy human boy (also one who is ginger and comes from a particularly bad family situation - think Matilda levels of bad and then some more), finds out he's got magic, goes to magic school, meets elf warrior girls and human warrior boys and some other people, finds friends and love. But it's also so much more!
I guess a lot depends on whether a reader "buys" Elliot or can't stand him. Elliot is a pill. He's bitter, and frequently mean, insecure and dramatic, unaware of his own strength, with an almost painful tendency to overlook the obvious and sometimes unable to accept love when it is given. (If you know me, you should already be able to guess he's my perfect hero.) And at the same time, Sarah Rees Brennan manages to make him lovable: loyal, loving, willing to work on himself, passionate and principled. I loved how the novel showed the ease with which one can slide from being bullied to bullying, from protecting oneself to hurting others. I loved the emotional climaxes of the novel. And I loved, loved, loved Elliot. I think there's a bit of Elliot in so many of us: in anyone who has ever felt abandoned, unloved, unworthy. I certainly recognised shades of his emotions from the darkest angsts of my youth.
So if you can't get over the protagonist being prickly 24/7 and occasionally rising from prickly to shitty, and if you mind him being somewhat precocious (the ages of characters felt 1/2 years too young for me, but maybe we're late bloomers in my country ;)), it might not be a book for you. It was the book for me.
What else did I love? Some elements of representation. I think it's not perfect: there's certainly a little of that tendency to elide real-life race issues for the sake of metaphor, but the book does some great work with regard to sexuality: how confusing it can be, how clingy one might feel, how sex can be many different things and how different young people can treat it differently.
I loved how the book dealt with confining gender roles and sexism. Not infrequently a joke based on role reversal - women acting masculinity, men performing femininity - works to reinforce the status quo; the funny is based on "look, how unnatural - it should be the other way round". That was not the case here, in my opinion at least. Reading about elven society, where women are warriors and men are caregivers (think: man who has it all) does not lead to "it's unnatural", it leads to "why should there be such a binary in the first place". It's an uncomfortable joke, and walks a tightrope, but to me, it lands just right. At the same time, it isn't afraid to go a little dark and to write characters who are profoundly influenced by the culture that wrought them. Serene is not un-misogynistic (it's still hegemonic femininity that is devalued after all, just associated with men), but she learns and improves. I loved it so.
A thing I loved even more - and that felt very needed to me - was the explicit, on page, repeated and grounded anti-war message. Elliot is a pacifist thrown into a world that not only wages constant war but that celebrates war prowess and associated traits and devalues anything else. He does not allow this world to deprive him of his principles. He loves people who are warriors but he never allows that to cloud his judgment. He knows killing is evil, even when necessary. He mourns for lost innocence of his friends. He doesn't become a man by killing someone, or by accepting killing. There's no pro-war propaganda. After reading a number of books this year that celebrated war, war heroism, killing, I needed this so much.
Sometimes I read a book whose author is clearly emotionally invested in their characters due to being emotionally invested in people. Books that, to me, successfully and inobtrusively but clearly preach acceptance and loving fellow humans, loving the world, being kind. That's how I feel about certain Pratchett novels: that they are didactic in the best possible meaning of the word. That's also what I love in early Zadie Smith novels. In Other Lands does it too, and it also adds its own focus on loving oneself and using that love to be better. I can't not five star it for that.
There are some great books I love and then there are books that, regardless of any possible imperfections, strike a chord right in my heart. No, let's be real: as a Polish poet once said, with pathos I'm sure Elliot would appreciate, what they do is (with apologies for the godawful translation) "tear out veins to use for chords, and pull them, and strike as chords".
This is such a profoundly funny, lovely, uncomfortable, heart-wrenching book, and I love it to pieces.
The premise is not terribly complicated, or new. It's got those fun and recognisable elements of the genre. Elliot, a precocious and nerdy human boy (also one who is ginger and comes from a particularly bad family situation - think Matilda levels of bad and then some more), finds out he's got magic, goes to magic school, meets elf warrior girls and human warrior boys and some other people, finds friends and love. But it's also so much more!
I guess a lot depends on whether a reader "buys" Elliot or can't stand him. Elliot is a pill. He's bitter, and frequently mean, insecure and dramatic, unaware of his own strength, with an almost painful tendency to overlook the obvious and sometimes unable to accept love when it is given. (If you know me, you should already be able to guess he's my perfect hero.) And at the same time, Sarah Rees Brennan manages to make him lovable: loyal, loving, willing to work on himself, passionate and principled. I loved how the novel showed the ease with which one can slide from being bullied to bullying, from protecting oneself to hurting others. I loved the emotional climaxes of the novel. And I loved, loved, loved Elliot. I think there's a bit of Elliot in so many of us: in anyone who has ever felt abandoned, unloved, unworthy. I certainly recognised shades of his emotions from the darkest angsts of my youth.
So if you can't get over the protagonist being prickly 24/7 and occasionally rising from prickly to shitty, and if you mind him being somewhat precocious (the ages of characters felt 1/2 years too young for me, but maybe we're late bloomers in my country ;)), it might not be a book for you. It was the book for me.
What else did I love? Some elements of representation. I think it's not perfect: there's certainly a little of that tendency to elide real-life race issues for the sake of metaphor, but the book does some great work with regard to sexuality: how confusing it can be, how clingy one might feel, how sex can be many different things and how different young people can treat it differently.
I loved how the book dealt with confining gender roles and sexism. Not infrequently a joke based on role reversal - women acting masculinity, men performing femininity - works to reinforce the status quo; the funny is based on "look, how unnatural - it should be the other way round". That was not the case here, in my opinion at least. Reading about elven society, where women are warriors and men are caregivers (think: man who has it all) does not lead to "it's unnatural", it leads to "why should there be such a binary in the first place". It's an uncomfortable joke, and walks a tightrope, but to me, it lands just right. At the same time, it isn't afraid to go a little dark and to write characters who are profoundly influenced by the culture that wrought them. Serene is not un-misogynistic (it's still hegemonic femininity that is devalued after all, just associated with men), but she learns and improves. I loved it so.
A thing I loved even more - and that felt very needed to me - was the explicit, on page, repeated and grounded anti-war message. Elliot is a pacifist thrown into a world that not only wages constant war but that celebrates war prowess and associated traits and devalues anything else. He does not allow this world to deprive him of his principles. He loves people who are warriors but he never allows that to cloud his judgment. He knows killing is evil, even when necessary. He mourns for lost innocence of his friends. He doesn't become a man by killing someone, or by accepting killing. There's no pro-war propaganda. After reading a number of books this year that celebrated war, war heroism, killing, I needed this so much.
Sometimes I read a book whose author is clearly emotionally invested in their characters due to being emotionally invested in people. Books that, to me, successfully and inobtrusively but clearly preach acceptance and loving fellow humans, loving the world, being kind. That's how I feel about certain Pratchett novels: that they are didactic in the best possible meaning of the word. That's also what I love in early Zadie Smith novels. In Other Lands does it too, and it also adds its own focus on loving oneself and using that love to be better. I can't not five star it for that.
August 2, 2022
“Oh no,” Elliot moaned, and sat down heavily on his bunk bed. “This is magic Sparta.”
In Other Lands is genuinely one of the sweetest, most entertaining novels I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Sarah Rees Brennan has created an intricate world full of drama, humour, fantasy and queer romance that I can’t recommend enough.
By far the best thing about this novel is it’s protagonist, Elliot Schafer, a bisexual, Jewish boy. When In Other Lands begins, Eliot is 13 years old and it follows him through five years of magic school, concluding when he’s seventeen. We get to read as Elliot grows up, watching him as he begins to understand his sexuality, making friends, and go through incredible character development. Elliot is the definition of a little shit: he’s doesn’t listen to authority figures, he constantly thinks he knows best, and he’s stubborn as hell. He’s also very intelligent, bossy, and rude, which makes him off-putting to some people in the novel, and he’s a pacifist … which is pretty difficult when you go to a magical school that trains children to become warriors. So he uses his brains to find solutions to the wars and skirmishes the Borderlands have, which tends to piss off a lot of adults in charge. But Elliot is so very loveable — you can’t help but adore him as you realise he’s just a kid trying to make his way in a world he doesn’t understand yet.
What I love most about Elliot is that he’s bisexual, and I cried over how bisexuality is represented in the novel. In Other Lands has the most positive representation of bisexuality I’ve ever read in my life. I can barely put my thoughts in order, but I’ll try. Elliot figures out he’s bi from a pretty young age — 14 or 15 — and he has crushes, relationships and sex with girls and boys. It’s such a healthy representation of teens discovering their sexuality and sex, which is what many teens do. I love how much Elliot falls for someone as well: wholeheartedly and completely. The best description I have of Elliot is this: my beautiful, disaster bisexual son. I love him.
"If you must know, she is the one soul destined for my own, and we are going to be together forever,” he declared loftily.
“That’s weird,” Luke told him. “We’re thirteen.”
I think it’s safe to say that the novel doesn’t have much of a plot: it simply follows Elliot through five years of magic school and how he and his friends prevent wars along the way. But it’s also safe to say that Elliot’s friendship is the heart of the novel’s plot — his amazing friendships with Serene, a female elf, and Luke, a human boy who comes from a powerful warrior family. The friends go through the normal issues teenagers do, a very realistic portrayal of life-long friendship, and I adored all three of them. When the novel starts, Elliot has a massive crush on Serene — he believes they’re going to be together for the rest of their lives — and as he grows, his feelings for her develop and change. And I adore his friendship with Luke: he starts off really hating Luke, believing the boy to be just a dumb jock and a bit of a bully, but resigns himself to being friends with him for Serene’s sake … until his feelings for Luke start changing too.
One of the best parts of In Other Lands is undoubtedly the representation of the elf society. The elf society is a matriarchal one and showcases “reverse sexism”: it’s a society where the males stay at home, care for children, and must be virgins by the time marriage come around, while the female elves are warriors, protectors and encouraged to engage in sexual relations before marriage … and even during. While at the beginning of the book, this kind of reverse sexism is quite funny, but as the novel develops, you begin to see Brennan’s reasons for including this society: pointing out how ridiculous a sexist society is, which makes you think about our own patriarchal world. Brennan shows how gender roles and stereotypes are not only horrible, but ridiculous too – and she does so in a clever, humorous way that will get you thinking. But, more importantly as this novel is catered to teens, it will get teenagers thinking.
“I am not winning any arguments because I know how to hurt someone. How does that prove that you’re right? How does being stronger or more vicious prove anything, except that all this talk about honor is stupid? Where’s the honor in being better at hurting somebody? Telling me I have to do this is insulting, as if I can’t win any other way. As if I can’t win in a better way.”
In Other Lands is the best book I’ve read all of 2018 (and I’ve read 94 books!). The plot was fun and entertaining, but as Elliot grows up, it becomes darker as he moves towards adulthood. Sarah Rees Brennan’s writing perfectly complemented the tone of the book, and Elliot as the MC. I will reread this book again and again, and I highly recommend you do too!
In Other Lands is genuinely one of the sweetest, most entertaining novels I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Sarah Rees Brennan has created an intricate world full of drama, humour, fantasy and queer romance that I can’t recommend enough.
By far the best thing about this novel is it’s protagonist, Elliot Schafer, a bisexual, Jewish boy. When In Other Lands begins, Eliot is 13 years old and it follows him through five years of magic school, concluding when he’s seventeen. We get to read as Elliot grows up, watching him as he begins to understand his sexuality, making friends, and go through incredible character development. Elliot is the definition of a little shit: he’s doesn’t listen to authority figures, he constantly thinks he knows best, and he’s stubborn as hell. He’s also very intelligent, bossy, and rude, which makes him off-putting to some people in the novel, and he’s a pacifist … which is pretty difficult when you go to a magical school that trains children to become warriors. So he uses his brains to find solutions to the wars and skirmishes the Borderlands have, which tends to piss off a lot of adults in charge. But Elliot is so very loveable — you can’t help but adore him as you realise he’s just a kid trying to make his way in a world he doesn’t understand yet.
What I love most about Elliot is that he’s bisexual, and I cried over how bisexuality is represented in the novel. In Other Lands has the most positive representation of bisexuality I’ve ever read in my life. I can barely put my thoughts in order, but I’ll try. Elliot figures out he’s bi from a pretty young age — 14 or 15 — and he has crushes, relationships and sex with girls and boys. It’s such a healthy representation of teens discovering their sexuality and sex, which is what many teens do. I love how much Elliot falls for someone as well: wholeheartedly and completely. The best description I have of Elliot is this: my beautiful, disaster bisexual son. I love him.
"If you must know, she is the one soul destined for my own, and we are going to be together forever,” he declared loftily.
“That’s weird,” Luke told him. “We’re thirteen.”
I think it’s safe to say that the novel doesn’t have much of a plot: it simply follows Elliot through five years of magic school and how he and his friends prevent wars along the way. But it’s also safe to say that Elliot’s friendship is the heart of the novel’s plot — his amazing friendships with Serene, a female elf, and Luke, a human boy who comes from a powerful warrior family. The friends go through the normal issues teenagers do, a very realistic portrayal of life-long friendship, and I adored all three of them. When the novel starts, Elliot has a massive crush on Serene — he believes they’re going to be together for the rest of their lives — and as he grows, his feelings for her develop and change. And I adore his friendship with Luke: he starts off really hating Luke, believing the boy to be just a dumb jock and a bit of a bully, but resigns himself to being friends with him for Serene’s sake … until his feelings for Luke start changing too.
One of the best parts of In Other Lands is undoubtedly the representation of the elf society. The elf society is a matriarchal one and showcases “reverse sexism”: it’s a society where the males stay at home, care for children, and must be virgins by the time marriage come around, while the female elves are warriors, protectors and encouraged to engage in sexual relations before marriage … and even during. While at the beginning of the book, this kind of reverse sexism is quite funny, but as the novel develops, you begin to see Brennan’s reasons for including this society: pointing out how ridiculous a sexist society is, which makes you think about our own patriarchal world. Brennan shows how gender roles and stereotypes are not only horrible, but ridiculous too – and she does so in a clever, humorous way that will get you thinking. But, more importantly as this novel is catered to teens, it will get teenagers thinking.
“I am not winning any arguments because I know how to hurt someone. How does that prove that you’re right? How does being stronger or more vicious prove anything, except that all this talk about honor is stupid? Where’s the honor in being better at hurting somebody? Telling me I have to do this is insulting, as if I can’t win any other way. As if I can’t win in a better way.”
In Other Lands is the best book I’ve read all of 2018 (and I’ve read 94 books!). The plot was fun and entertaining, but as Elliot grows up, it becomes darker as he moves towards adulthood. Sarah Rees Brennan’s writing perfectly complemented the tone of the book, and Elliot as the MC. I will reread this book again and again, and I highly recommend you do too!
September 13, 2019
“Two harpies, one stone,” he added, and then saw the way Serene was looking at him. “A diplomatic stone! A diplomatic stone.”
Quirky, hilarious main characters are lost treasures to the reading world, and no one’ll ever be able to convince me otherwise. Elliot Schafer is the funniest main character I’ve stumbled across without a doubt, and now I’ve realized just how much I needed someone as funny as him to read about.
In Other Lands was such a perfect book. The characters were absolutely lovely, each one delightful in their own sense. The plot was definitely revolving more closely to the characters if anything, though I for one really can’t get enough of character driven stories.
One of the best things about this book is the way Sarah Rees Brennan analyzes relationships through the main character. I feel as if I learned so much about how people in the real world deal with relationships, versus ways that they could and probably should be handled.
With me still being fairly young, In Other Lands really taught me that a first crush, first kiss, first love or first intimacy can make people feel obligated to want to sustain a relationship. Even when things are obviously not working out. Some people don’t have the right intentions, others aren’t invested enough, some try too hard to make things work out when they know things are falling apart.
The analyzing and representation of bisexuality in Elliot, the main character, was also done in such a way that makes it wonderful to experience. Elliot is character that has never once questioned sexuality or why he’s attracted to both sexes. It’s really refreshing for me to read about a character like him, who is so sure about who he is and what his goals are in life.
Female empowerment is also a very prominent subject, as one of Elliot’s best friends, Serene, makes sure to constantly bring up the topic of female superiority. Sarah Rees Brennan cleverly twists elven history so that the women are superior to men in their culture. When Serene interacts with human boys such as Elliot and Luke, she is often confused by the way humans are used to having men go to war and fight battles. I found this to be a really interesting take on things, a really unique way of demonstrating female empowerment.
The fantasy element is one of the most pure and fun I’ve been immersed into, by far. Nearly every mythical creature that comes to mind is stuffed into this book. Elliot, Luke and Serene come face to face with multiple fantasy races along the course of the story, their way of dealing with situations and problems was arguably one of the most hilarious things I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about.
“I don’t know why you would suggest the possibility of me being in trouble,” said Elliot. “Because I am a retiring and bookish individual, and I don’t like being in trouble, in danger, or in proximity to weapons. You will never find me in trouble. You will find me in the library. If you can remember where that is.”
Overall, this was a surprisingly delightful read, and I’m really shocked that not many have discovered this gem of a novel. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who needs a lighter fantasy to read. The characters and message this book delivers will not disappoint.
Quirky, hilarious main characters are lost treasures to the reading world, and no one’ll ever be able to convince me otherwise. Elliot Schafer is the funniest main character I’ve stumbled across without a doubt, and now I’ve realized just how much I needed someone as funny as him to read about.
In Other Lands was such a perfect book. The characters were absolutely lovely, each one delightful in their own sense. The plot was definitely revolving more closely to the characters if anything, though I for one really can’t get enough of character driven stories.
One of the best things about this book is the way Sarah Rees Brennan analyzes relationships through the main character. I feel as if I learned so much about how people in the real world deal with relationships, versus ways that they could and probably should be handled.
With me still being fairly young, In Other Lands really taught me that a first crush, first kiss, first love or first intimacy can make people feel obligated to want to sustain a relationship. Even when things are obviously not working out. Some people don’t have the right intentions, others aren’t invested enough, some try too hard to make things work out when they know things are falling apart.
The analyzing and representation of bisexuality in Elliot, the main character, was also done in such a way that makes it wonderful to experience. Elliot is character that has never once questioned sexuality or why he’s attracted to both sexes. It’s really refreshing for me to read about a character like him, who is so sure about who he is and what his goals are in life.
Female empowerment is also a very prominent subject, as one of Elliot’s best friends, Serene, makes sure to constantly bring up the topic of female superiority. Sarah Rees Brennan cleverly twists elven history so that the women are superior to men in their culture. When Serene interacts with human boys such as Elliot and Luke, she is often confused by the way humans are used to having men go to war and fight battles. I found this to be a really interesting take on things, a really unique way of demonstrating female empowerment.
The fantasy element is one of the most pure and fun I’ve been immersed into, by far. Nearly every mythical creature that comes to mind is stuffed into this book. Elliot, Luke and Serene come face to face with multiple fantasy races along the course of the story, their way of dealing with situations and problems was arguably one of the most hilarious things I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about.
“I don’t know why you would suggest the possibility of me being in trouble,” said Elliot. “Because I am a retiring and bookish individual, and I don’t like being in trouble, in danger, or in proximity to weapons. You will never find me in trouble. You will find me in the library. If you can remember where that is.”
Overall, this was a surprisingly delightful read, and I’m really shocked that not many have discovered this gem of a novel. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who needs a lighter fantasy to read. The characters and message this book delivers will not disappoint.
January 21, 2024
rep: bi mc, gay li
GREAT FUN but also, why on earth is it this long?? at least 1/3 could've been cut & no actual plot would be missing
anyway it's actually really hard to take this book seriously when u realise that elliot is literally just [redacted] [redacted] & luke is [redacted] [redacted] (well, her interpretation of those characters, down to the idiosyncrasies we all rmbr from her earlier fandom stuff) and this whole thing is lowkey a ** ***'** * ***** **** au.....
GREAT FUN but also, why on earth is it this long?? at least 1/3 could've been cut & no actual plot would be missing
anyway it's actually really hard to take this book seriously when u realise that elliot is literally just [redacted] [redacted] & luke is [redacted] [redacted] (well, her interpretation of those characters, down to the idiosyncrasies we all rmbr from her earlier fandom stuff) and this whole thing is lowkey a ** ***'** * ***** **** au.....
August 25, 2017
my heart is so full of feelings I want to claw my face off because I don't know how to deal with it. this book is so, so good.
April 11, 2022
This book broke my heart a little bit. In typical Sarah Rees Brennan fashion, it is by turns hilarious, absurd, breathtakingly romantic, and bitterly, bitterly sad. Our young hero, Elliott, has the worst parents since a Diana Wynne Jones novel, and basically no people skills whatsoever. He's not the sort of kid you'd expect to wind up in magic land, or to be the main character of a fantasy novel, and his struggles to figure out himself and his relationships and his place in the world are so real: sometimes you facepalm at his lack of clue, and sometimes you want to give the poor kid a big hug, even if he would probably hate that.
I'm starting to babble, because it's hard to describe how this book affected me. I loved it, and I devoured it in no time flat, but it's a raw and often painful read. The best way that I can put it, is that it's a very strong book, or potent, like strong coffee or liquor. I am grown now (and unlike Elliot I have awesome parents), with wonderful, beloved friends and a family of my own, but I still remember being that friendless, lonely kid, desperate for even a drop of love or approval, and in places this novel cuts to the bone.
Which is to say, Brennan has written a masterpiece. A hilarious, strange, and brutally real masterpiece. With, you know, elves and mermaids and stuff. 😁
ETA: The most common complaint in the negative reviews I have read seems to be that this book is a coming-of-age tale dressed up in fantasy clothing, and that's absolutely true. If you are looking for your typical action-fantasy yarn, where the brave hero learns to kick ass and beat up demons/evil wizards/dragons/ogres/whatever, well, this is not that book. There are, however, plenty of instances of that book out there already, and the world probably doesn't need another one. That the "exciting" action-y bits happen off-stage, as it were, is part of the actual point of the novel; it is not a bug, but a feature. If that fails to appeal to you, I would gently suggest that this book isn't for you. I don't think it's for everyone. I do know it's for me.
Also, the illustrations are great.
I'm starting to babble, because it's hard to describe how this book affected me. I loved it, and I devoured it in no time flat, but it's a raw and often painful read. The best way that I can put it, is that it's a very strong book, or potent, like strong coffee or liquor. I am grown now (and unlike Elliot I have awesome parents), with wonderful, beloved friends and a family of my own, but I still remember being that friendless, lonely kid, desperate for even a drop of love or approval, and in places this novel cuts to the bone.
Which is to say, Brennan has written a masterpiece. A hilarious, strange, and brutally real masterpiece. With, you know, elves and mermaids and stuff. 😁
ETA: The most common complaint in the negative reviews I have read seems to be that this book is a coming-of-age tale dressed up in fantasy clothing, and that's absolutely true. If you are looking for your typical action-fantasy yarn, where the brave hero learns to kick ass and beat up demons/evil wizards/dragons/ogres/whatever, well, this is not that book. There are, however, plenty of instances of that book out there already, and the world probably doesn't need another one. That the "exciting" action-y bits happen off-stage, as it were, is part of the actual point of the novel; it is not a bug, but a feature. If that fails to appeal to you, I would gently suggest that this book isn't for you. I don't think it's for everyone. I do know it's for me.
Also, the illustrations are great.
November 14, 2019
"You know, you're kind of a dramatic person, Elliot," she said mildly.
"I am not! How dare you!"
"It's not a bad thing," Myra said, "but when a boy calls a girl the nightlight of his soul, other people might be forgiven for thinking he's being intentionally over the top."
Elliot Schafer, irritable resident of Earth, finds himself in a quasi-Medieval magic school. People are talking about warrior-training (UGH, says Elliot) and all of it looks a lot like child endangerment. BUT, there are elves. Specifically, there is Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, the Border Guard's first elven recruit, and Elliot falls in love at first sight. So he decides to stay despite the presence of musclehead types like that really annoying Luke Sunborn person.
Let me be clear. This is not an epic journey through the otherlands or a massive worldbuilding adventure with quests goals. This is a very personal, very emotional journey of HOW DO YOU DO RELATIONSHIPS starring Elliot Schafer, who is to conversations what machine guns are to knife-fights. Every other word out of his mouth is an insult and I am continuously amazed that people don't try to strangle him more than they actually do. Elliot is... SPIKY. He is so spiky. He is a hedgehog in human form. I love him so much that I sometimes stare at the ceiling and have feelings about Elliot trying to make sense of relationships. It's very teenage, and I usually hate that, but there's so much WANT and NEED and NEVERTHELESS YOU ARE MY FRIENDS that I am touched rather than annoyed.
The other two spokes of the trio are just as dear to me. Luke is a sweetheart of a Disney Princess who is nevertheless bound by the thought processes of his world and his life, and Serene is the most hilarious method of calling out the patriarchy that I have ever encountered. Her sincere confusion about all the sensitive human men killing people in the face and not doing manly things like embroidery never ceases to be a delight, and I'm continuously thrilled by the fact that Serene is the elven version of the too-cool-for-you Bad Boy with a Heart of Gold. Gender roles get lined up and shot at a lot, and I'm always a fan of that.
This collected and remastered version of the original The Turn of the Story features a few extra filler scenes, as well as Elliot-PoV version of Wings in the Morning, so you have new reading material even if you have the entirety of The Turn of the Story saved into your laptop like I do.
"I am not! How dare you!"
"It's not a bad thing," Myra said, "but when a boy calls a girl the nightlight of his soul, other people might be forgiven for thinking he's being intentionally over the top."
Elliot Schafer, irritable resident of Earth, finds himself in a quasi-Medieval magic school. People are talking about warrior-training (UGH, says Elliot) and all of it looks a lot like child endangerment. BUT, there are elves. Specifically, there is Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, the Border Guard's first elven recruit, and Elliot falls in love at first sight. So he decides to stay despite the presence of musclehead types like that really annoying Luke Sunborn person.
Let me be clear. This is not an epic journey through the otherlands or a massive worldbuilding adventure with quests goals. This is a very personal, very emotional journey of HOW DO YOU DO RELATIONSHIPS starring Elliot Schafer, who is to conversations what machine guns are to knife-fights. Every other word out of his mouth is an insult and I am continuously amazed that people don't try to strangle him more than they actually do. Elliot is... SPIKY. He is so spiky. He is a hedgehog in human form. I love him so much that I sometimes stare at the ceiling and have feelings about Elliot trying to make sense of relationships. It's very teenage, and I usually hate that, but there's so much WANT and NEED and NEVERTHELESS YOU ARE MY FRIENDS that I am touched rather than annoyed.
The other two spokes of the trio are just as dear to me. Luke is a sweetheart of a Disney Princess who is nevertheless bound by the thought processes of his world and his life, and Serene is the most hilarious method of calling out the patriarchy that I have ever encountered. Her sincere confusion about all the sensitive human men killing people in the face and not doing manly things like embroidery never ceases to be a delight, and I'm continuously thrilled by the fact that Serene is the elven version of the too-cool-for-you Bad Boy with a Heart of Gold. Gender roles get lined up and shot at a lot, and I'm always a fan of that.
This collected and remastered version of the original The Turn of the Story features a few extra filler scenes, as well as Elliot-PoV version of Wings in the Morning, so you have new reading material even if you have the entirety of The Turn of the Story saved into your laptop like I do.
May 6, 2024
This was such a joy of a reading experience. This (upper) YA stand alone fantasy story both celebrates and subverts the Magic school trope (think Harry Potter and Percy Jackson) and is a bright and fun reading experience.
This world felt so effortlessly lush and expansive. The amount of world building that was squeezed into this book was so impressive. I think that this is because of its somewhat unique story structure; Instead of chapters, this story had parts, with each part covering a year of their lives from 13 to 17 years old.
I loved Serene, with her matriarchy elven society and flipped gender roles and expectations. And I loved Luke with the struggles that come with the pressures of being a golden child from a legacy family and his complex identity. But most of all I loved Elliot.
Elliot is one of those characters who worms their way into your heart (although I can appreciate not everyone would love him). Truly the poster boy for a bisexual disaster. He’s clever, witty and has a smart mouth that gets him in trouble (I have a character weakness and this type is it). I thought it was such a unique experience to get to see a character grow through their various relationships over the years the way that this book has done. It was also heart breaking to see how the terrible relationship Elliot had with his parents impacted his sense of self worth and trust and came to impact him and his relationships over the years as he grows up. I am so glad he got his happy ending cause he deserves everything in the world. Also I loved the friends to lovers in this. It was so wonderful.
This is one of those books that I feel a bit of grief to be leaving and would happily live in this world for many more books. Highly recommend for people looking for a fantasy stand alone.
This world felt so effortlessly lush and expansive. The amount of world building that was squeezed into this book was so impressive. I think that this is because of its somewhat unique story structure; Instead of chapters, this story had parts, with each part covering a year of their lives from 13 to 17 years old.
I loved Serene, with her matriarchy elven society and flipped gender roles and expectations. And I loved Luke with the struggles that come with the pressures of being a golden child from a legacy family and his complex identity. But most of all I loved Elliot.
Elliot is one of those characters who worms their way into your heart (although I can appreciate not everyone would love him). Truly the poster boy for a bisexual disaster. He’s clever, witty and has a smart mouth that gets him in trouble (I have a character weakness and this type is it). I thought it was such a unique experience to get to see a character grow through their various relationships over the years the way that this book has done. It was also heart breaking to see how the terrible relationship Elliot had with his parents impacted his sense of self worth and trust and came to impact him and his relationships over the years as he grows up. I am so glad he got his happy ending cause he deserves everything in the world. Also I loved the friends to lovers in this. It was so wonderful.
This is one of those books that I feel a bit of grief to be leaving and would happily live in this world for many more books. Highly recommend for people looking for a fantasy stand alone.
August 1, 2019
This book sang the song of my people and that song is one of the disaster bisexuals. It's delightful, endearing, witty and hurted but in a good way. I would lay down by life for Elliot and co. I highlighted so many parts of this books to quote, it's impossible to chose my favourite.
"I don’t need you to explain to me the concept of a magical land filled with fantastic creatures that only certain special children can enter. I am acquainted with the last several centuries of popular culture."
“Two harpies, one stone,” he added, and then saw the way Serene was looking at him. “A diplomatic stone! A diplomatic stone.”
“Excuse me, sweetheart,” said Elliot. “Darling? A moment of your time? Sugarplum? Sugargrape? Sugarassortedfruitsandvegetables?”
Luke did not even turn his head.
“HEY, LOSER!” said Elliot.
June 24, 2024
Powell's Summer Bingo #4: Funny
𓂃⊹ 4.5 stars 𓂃⊹
unbelievably real, hilarious, and endearing!!! almost 600 pages of love. definitely more character driven and a little repetitive at times but boy this book is so charming.
𓂃⊹ 4.5 stars 𓂃⊹
unbelievably real, hilarious, and endearing!!! almost 600 pages of love. definitely more character driven and a little repetitive at times but boy this book is so charming.
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