Once & Future (Once & Future Series #1)

by A. R. Capetta, Cory McCarthy

Overview

King Arthur as you've never seen her! This bold, sizzling YA novel reimagines the Once and Future King as a teenage girl determined to save the universe from an evil curse.
 
My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.
 
I've been chased my whole life. As a fugitive refugee in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I've always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur. Now I'm done hiding.
 
When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind. No pressure.
 
* "All hail this worthier-than-ever, fresh, and affirming reincarnation of the legendary king and her round table of knights which dazzles with heroic flair, humor, and suspense." —Kirkus, starred review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316449274
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	03/26/2019
Series:	Once & Future Series , #1
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	281,999
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)
Lexile:	HL740L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Cory McCarthy (they/he) and A. R. Capetta (all pronouns) are the acclaimed bestselling authors of books for young people. Highlights include: the coauthored Once & Future, an ALA Rainbow List selection and finalist for the New England Book Award; A. R.’s queer genre titles Echo After Echo, The Lost Coast, and The Brilliant Death duology; Cory’s cinematic novels Breaking Sky, Now a Major Motion Picture, and You Were Here. The coauthors met while earning MFAs at Vermont College of Fine Arts, and soon after fell in love. During the release party for Once & Future at their local indie bookstore, they became engaged and were married shortly thereafter. They are riotously happy.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/21/2019

Set in the future, this inclusive, refreshing take on the Arthurian mythos by Capetta (The Brilliant Death) and McCarthy (Now a Major Motion Picture) stars an impulsive teen female incarnation of Arthur who faces a heartless intergalactic commercial monopoly. While escaping the Mercer Company’s flagship, Ketchan-born Ari, 17, and Kay, her adoptive elder brother, crash on Old Earth, where Ari draws an ancient sword from a tree. With that act, she awakens backward-aging Merlin—now a teen—from his crystal cave and gives him his 42nd chance to vanquish Morgana and mentor Arthur’s efforts to unite humanity. Ari takes little interest in the Arthurian cycle until it collides with her personal quest to rescue her imprisoned mothers from Mercer. On Lionel, a medieval recreation planet and sole holdout against the corporation, others, including Queen Gwen, join the team, leading to a political betrothal that turns into something much more. This and other nonlethal stratagems and romances among people of various gender identities and ethnicities drive the plot, alongside desperate battle scenes and a well-rounded round table. A marvelous mythology remix for teens who enjoy action-packed speculative fiction and genderqueer romance. Ages 13–up. Agents: (for Capetta) Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties; (for McCarthy) Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Once & Future:

* "All hail this worthier-than-ever, fresh, and affirming reincarnation of the legendary king and her round table of knights which dazzles with heroic flair, humor, and suspense."—Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW

* "A marvelous mythology remix for teens who enjoy action-packed speculative fiction and genderqueer romance."—Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

*"This epic space adventure... is a must-have."—School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

"Fun and fearless, this story romps right across the galaxy and into your heart."—Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of Illuminae

"The inclusive, genderbent King Arthur retelling your bookshelf has been missing. ... An adventure of epic scale, including on-page representation and celebration of people of many different sexualities, races, and gender identities."—B&N Teen Blog

"Like White's The One and Future King, this manages to be exciting, earnest, and funny... Unique twists and a message of unity through diversity result in a meaningful, utterly fun read."—Booklist

"Pointedly funny and deftly topical, an effortless Arthurian update with heart in all the right places."—#1 New York Times Bestselling Author E.K. Johnston

"Once & Future is an utterly delightful romp, full of witty voice, imaginative adventures, and deeply lovable characters. It kept me up into the wee hours of the morning. I couldn't put it down!"——Katherine Locke, author of The Girl with the Red Balloon (2018 Sydney Taylor Honor Book)

"An effortlessly fun, breathtakingly epic quest, featuring a queer immigrant teen pulling Excalibur and fighting to save the galaxy. There is nothing else in YA that can quite compare to Once & Future, which makes it a unique and majestic reading experience. It's the holy grail of inclusiveness!"—Rachel Strolle, Glenside Public Library

"Once & Future is a sizzling, bold exploration of gender, power, and revolution. Its dynamic and diverse cast will inspire and delight readers. I loved every second!"—Jessica Khoury, author of The Forbidden Wish

"A rip-roaring, no-holds-barred, gloriously queer reinvention of Arthurian legend."—Malinda Lo, author of Ash and A Line in the Dark

From the Publisher

★ 02/01/2019

Gr 9 Up–An interstellar science fiction/fantasy adventure story that offers readers a futuristic plot-driven King Arthur retelling. Ari Helix is a fugitive refugee who is on the run in Mercer controlled territory and crashlands on Old Earth. She is thrust out of hiding when she pulls the Sword Excalibur out of its old resting place in a willow tree and becomes the 42nd reincarnation of King Arthur. Ari teams up with a diverse cast of friends, including the backwards-aging teenage Merlin the Wizard and Queen Guinevere, as well as her stepbrother Kay and her adoptive mothers. Together they start a revolution to free the galaxy from the evil Mercer corporation's tyrannical rule. This epic space adventure features a teen character who must complete all three stages of a cycle: train Arthur, defeat the greatest evil in the universe, and unite all of mankind, in order to break the curse that brings the Arthur legend alive throughout time. A stimulating retelling that is adapted from T.H. White's The Once and Future King. Recommended to fans of Avalon High by Meg Cabot and Damar by Robin McKinley. VERDICT Capetta and McCarthy take the British legend and lore of King Arthur in a retelling that is a must-have for young adult collections.—Angelina Bair, Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, OH

School Library Journal

★ 2018-12-09

A girl with a sword and an impulse problem embarks on a perilous quest to save her family and free the galaxy from the clutches of a power-hungry corporation.

When Ari, an on-the-run refugee from planet Ketch, pulls Excalibur from a tree on Old Earth, she sets a centuries-old cycle into motion. By claiming the sword, she unknowingly attracts the enchantress Morgana and awakens the backward-aging magician Merlin, both of whom are doomed to an eternity of reliving the same story of King Arthur's rise and fall. Honest to the core and averse to pageantry, Ari rejects her destiny as "the one true king" until she discovers her connection to the Arthur cycle may help her raise a resistance against the Mercer Company, who imprisoned her mothers and are threatening everyone Ari loves. In this intergalactic reimagining of Arthurian legend, a racially diverse queer and trans ensemble of characters leads the battle against the tyranny of capitalism. Capetta (The Brilliant Death, 2018, etc.) and McCarthy (Now a Major Motion Picture, 2018, etc.) develop complex conflicts on multiple fronts, including a passionate, whirlwind romance between Ari and her Gweneviere. The women in the story grow together through their challenges with one another and learn from their differences.

All hail this worthier-than-ever, fresh, and affirming reincarnation of the legendary king and her round table of knights which dazzles with heroic flair, humor, and suspense. (Science Fiction/Fantasy. 14-adult)

Kirkus Reviews