2022-05-04
In Marplot’s middle-grade fantasy epic, a group of teens befriends fantastical beings in trouble.
Thirteen-year-old Arty lives in the Belle Terre area of Long Island, New York. He's a science-minded student who loathes interruptions to his organized schedule. One misty Wednesday morning, he spies something outside in his family’s yard. With the help of his three dogs, Arty finds a Dwarf, with a long beard, muscular build, and an ax, who’s seems as if he’s stepped out of a fantasy novel. He doesn't speak English, but because he keeps saying the word “Thryst,” Arty refers to him by that name. Soon, Thryst locks eyes with the teen and supplies him with a vision of a mountainous realm and a Dwarf army. Arty’s best friend, the artistic Emma, is surprised that he’s been missing classes at Fontaine Middle School. She finds him at the local library doing research on mythical Dwarves; they soon find that their obnoxious classmate Ted is spying on them. Soon, Thryst’s ax begins “ringing,” and he vanishes, but later, in Arty’s bedroom, another magical being arrives: an unattractive, fairylike Spriggan whom Emma names “Sprugly.” Emma’s new acquaintance speaks some English and mentions a place called “New Island.” Adding to the intrigue is a man all dressed in brown who appears at the edge of Arty’s property. His name is Abcedarius Zyxvuts, and he knows exactly how Long Island figures into fairy history. Arty and Emma later team up with other kids, including fantasy-genre fan Cry Chesterton, to help out Thryst, who has a sad story of his own.Marplot communicates the excitement of being a young fantasy fan in this grand adventure. Chapters from Arty’s and Emma’s perspectives quickly establish a humorous tone, with Emma ribbing her somewhat square friend in lines such as “He’s not the ready-for-action type, unless it says ‘Action, Wednesday, 8 am,’ on a sticky note of the right color.” The structure makes rare chapters from others’ points of view feel even more clever: “I am Ted. You know what's great about me? I can get involved in any story whenever I want.” The prose often has a lyrical bounce to it, as well: “Ted, shining like a poet in Paris, forced a smile on Mary, with all the grace of a cafeteria spitball.” This may challenge some younger readers, but others will find it playful. Fine details bolster the fairy-tale atmosphere, such as German nanny Gretel—named after the character in “Hansel and Gretel”—who blurs the line between reality and fantasy. Marplot’s audience will need some patience, though, as Arty and his friends take their time using books, maps, and runes to discover their main antagonist, Gwyllion, the Old Woman of the Mountains. Also, some chapters, such as one from the perspective of the aforementioned Mary, who “can sense fairies,” lean on excessive exposition to define complex concepts. By the end, Arty learns the lesson that answering the question “why” is often “harder than math.”
An often sweet and joyful work that will reward patient readers.
