Deeplight

Frances Hardinge

Book - 2020

The gods are dead. Decades ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. When 15-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of a terrifying deity, he risks everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, military scientists, and a secret fanatical cult so that he can use it to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But with the heart, Jelt gradually and eerily transforms. How long should Hark stay loyal to his friend when he's becoming a monster and what is Hark willing to sacrifice to save him?

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Subjects
Genres
Fantasy fiction
Published
New York : Amulet Books 2020.
Language
English
Main Author
Frances Hardinge (author)
Item Description
"Originally published in hardcover by Macmillan Publishers Limited, United Kingdom, in 2019" -- title page verso.
Physical Description
419 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN
9781419743207
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

The archipelago of Myriad was once ruled by fearsome sea monster--like gods, and their remains, dubbed godware, fuel a bustling salvage trade, legal and otherwise. Teenage Hark, an orphan and street kid, has no qualms about taking advantage of people's hunger for these divine scraps, selling them stories and fake godware whenever he can. In spite of this, Hark has always harbored a fascination for the old gods. When his bully of a best friend, Jelt, ropes him into a dangerous job with a smuggler's gang, it goes awry, landing Hark in indentured servitude to a slightly mad scientist, Dr. Vyne, at Sanctuary--a home for addled former priests. Hardinge (Skinful of Shadows, 2017) conjures an imaginative world shaped by monsters, corruptive faith, storytelling, fear, and friendship. She is unafraid to probe darkness, literal and figurative, as Hark confronts personal dilemmas and a toxic friendship, all while wrestling with the question of what to do when he comes into possession of the still-beating heart of a god. Chilling and provocative, this dark fantasy will appeal to thrill seekers and cerebral tweens.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

For centuries, denizens of the Myriad archipelago "served, feared, and adored" the magical, monsterlike gods that routinely rose from the Undersea and terrorized them. Then, 30 years before this book's beginning, the gods inexplicably slaughtered each other, leaving behind only fragments. A chunk of "godware" can now fetch a fortune, provided its lingering power is sufficiently strange. On the island of Lady's Crave, storyteller Hark, 14 and orphaned, survives by swindling godware-hunting prospects--until his dodgy best friend, Jelt, involves him in a dangerous heist. Hark gets caught and becomes indentured to Dr. Magdala Vyne, a godware expert who promises Hark a better life if he cuts ties with his past. Jelt won't let go, however, and bullies Hark into joining a perilous expedition during which Jelt nearly drowns. Hark finds a bit of pulsing godware that resurrects him, but the discovery proves more curse than blessing. Equal parts dazzling fantasy, swashbuckling adventure, and tender coming-of-age tale, this ambitious standalone from Hardinge (A Skinful of Shadows) cautions against xenophobia, zealotry, and greed while using boldly drawn characters to illustrate storytelling's power and fear's role in faith. Ages 12--up. (Apr.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review

Human fear has a terrible power, a wise old man tells protagonist Hark. It changes everything, distorts everything, maddens everything. It is the dark womb where monsters are born and thrive. This explicit (and politically edged) lesson drives the plot of Hardinges fantasy/horror/action novel, but as one might expect from the authors bounteous imagination (The Lie Tree, rev. 5/16; A Skinful of Shadows, rev. 1/18), its embedded in a tale of a strange realm. In Harks island world, the Undersea gods had destroyed one another decades ago. But while diving into the water to rescue his drowning friend, Jelt, Hark discovers the still-beating heart of one of the old deities. The heart keeps Jelt alivebut it also changes him, transforming his already domineering nature into something monstrous and murderous. Caught between Jelts demands and what hes learned of the gods, Hark must find a way to leave his old allegiances behind, even as he dodges multiple contests for powerrapacious smugglers, a religious sect aiming to resurrect the old gods, and a monastery of cast-aside monks. Rather cumbersome in plot, the story nevertheless provides a great many features of interest: the Underseas breathable water; sign language as a common parlance (since so many of the islands aquanauts are deaf). Deirdre F. Baker March/April 2020 p.82(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Monsters and mortals collide in this fantasy adventure that explores the hypnotic allure of fear, the adamant grip of the past, and the redeeming power of stories.For centuries, the islanders of the Myriad revered the murderous, terrifying gods who rose from the Undersea. Now, the gods are 30 years gone, and divers who dare to retrieve scraps of their magical remains can make a fortuneif they can get past the governor's men. Fourteen-year-old Hark is an orphan who ekes out a living by spinning tall tales to gullible prospects while dreaming of a brighter future. Hark's best friend, Jelt, has always been his fierce protector. But Jelt is also manipulative, abusive, and dangerous. Just as new possibilities open up for Hark, Jelt coerces him into another reckless scheme in which Jelt nearly drowns. Hark finds a mysterious pulsing relic and uses it to save Jelt, unleashing catastrophic consequences. Hardinge (A Skinful of Shadows, 2017, etc.) conjures up an atmospheric world peopled with sinister smugglers and a stubborn scientist, artful urchins and armed fanatics, ravenous gods and wretched priests. The unhurried opening soon escalates into cinematic action and a thrilling climax. The many pleasures of this tale include a range of extraordinary female characters and sensitive and respectful depictions of deaf people and hearing signers. Humans in this world vary in skin tone, but race has no significance; there are few physical descriptors for the main characters.Spellbinding. (Fantasy. 12-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.