NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • A SYDNEY TAYLOR NOTABLE BOOK
Perfect for readers of Neil Gaiman and Philip Pullman, a sweeping historical fantasy that follows two teens on a journey through the Far Country, a Jewish land of spirits and demons.
For the Jews of Eastern Europe, demons are everywhere: dancing on the rooftops in the darkness of midnight, congregating in the trees, harrowing the dead, even reaching out to try and steal away the living.
But the demons have a land of their own: a Far Country peopled with the souls of the transient dead, governed by demonic dukes, barons, and earls. When the Angel of Death comes strolling through the little shtetl of Tupik one night, two young people will be sent spinning off on a journey through the Far Country. There they will make pacts with ancient demons, declare war on Death himself, and maybe-- just maybe--find a way to make it back alive.
Drawing inspiration from the Jewish folk tradition, The Way Back is a dark adventure sure to captivate readers of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book and Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust.
It is unusual to encounter a book that is both brilliant and difficult to read. Well-written and unique and so intricately woven that the reader must pay precise attention to every word but is well richer for the experience once all is said and done. While this book took a lot of effort to read, it was definitely worth that effort. A unique glimpse of Jewish tradition and lore, a culture rarely encountered (at least by me) in speculative fiction. I do not know how much is of the author's creation and how much originates from existing mythos, but it was fascinating. I highly recommend this book to anyone not looking for just a casual read.
Reading updates
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28 December, 2020:
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28 December, 2020:
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