And Put Away Childish Things

by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Overview

Harry Bodie’s been called into the delightful fantasy world of his grandmother’s beloved children’s books. It’s not delightful here at all.

All roads lead to Underhill, where it’s always winter, and never nice.

Harry Bodie has a famous grandmother, who wrote beloved children’s books set in the delightful world of Underhill. Harry himself is a failing kids’ TV presenter whose every attempt to advance his career ends in self-sabotage. His family history seems to be nothing but an impediment.

An impediment... or worse. What if Underhill is real? What if it has been waiting decades for a promised child to visit? What if it isn’t delightful at all? And what if its denizens have run out of patience and are taking matters into their own hands?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786188793
Publisher:	Solaris
Publication date:	03/28/2023
Series:	Terrible Worlds: Destinations , #3
Edition description:	Special Edition
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	173,340
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Adrian Tchaikovsky is the author of the acclaimed ten-book Shadows of the Apt series, the Echoes of the Fall series, and other novels, novellas and short stories including Children of Time (which won the Arthur C. Clarke award in 2016), and its sequel, Children of Ruin (which won the British Science Fiction Award in 2020). He lives in Leeds in the UK and his hobbies include entomology and board and role-playing games.

Editorial Reviews

01/23/2023

This fun, creepy tribute to the works of C.S. Lewis from Tchaikovsky (Children of Memory) finds children’s television presenter Felix “Harry” Bodie having a tough time. He can’t escape the shadow of his grandmother, Mary, author of the wildly popular children’s series Underhill, and he’s just learned that his great-grandmother lived out her days in an asylum, claiming to be the Queen of Fairyland. So when beings from the world of Underhill start intruding on his life, Harry worries that he is going similarly mad. Before long, however, Harry is kidnapped by the Underlings, a group of fanatics who believe Underhill is real and who plan a magic rite involving the blood of Underhill’s “heir,” Harry, to make a connection between worlds. Of course, there’s a wardrobe involved (though Underhill is “not the wardrobe one”) and, eventually, an actual other realm populated by strange, fraying versions of secondary characters from Mary Bodie’s books. Readers familiar with the Narnia books will find Easter eggs aplenty here as Tchaikovsky perfectly captures a “children’s stories gone wrong” vibe. This is for anyone who’s ever searched for a portal at the back of their closet. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Brilliant science fiction and far out world building" — James McAvoy on Children of Time

James McAvoy

"As funny as it is thought-provoking." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A richly original and humorous must-read for genre newbies and die-hard sci-fi fans alike.” — Starburst



"Tchaikovsky delivers a comical and riotous account." — SciFiNow

"The kind of story that hooks you, begging you to read one more chapter before bed, before work or in any spare moment you can find." — Aurealis

From the Publisher