Deeplight

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That is our fault – the fault of the priests. It is a fantasy we sold to the people of the Myriad so that everyone’s oppression would be more bearable. We let everyone tell themselves that they were watched over by gods rather than terrorized by monsters.” But this is not only the story about the Gods. It is also a story of much more mundane evils. People can create monstrosities most evil with the everyday actions, evils so repulsive precisely because of their ordinariness. The gods are freaking COOL. I mean, forget everything that you know about gods. These guys are basically all tyrannical monsters that once lived in the ocean devouring seafarers and ships and submarines and basically the floor was lava only the floor was an ocean full of these guys. They're gone now but their legacy is ingrained in the inhabitants of the Myriad and there are still some priests with memories of the time they terrorised humanity with their godliness. I loved the stories and was right by Hark's side when he was pestering people for more information. It was really fascinating to learn about these dark deities. It got dark enough to actually give me nightmares. That was unexpected. This is not a cheery story, my friends. However, 14-year-old Hark has more to fear from people than from the sea. Hark and Jelt have been friends, close as brothers, working together to survive on the islands. Jelt however keeps demanding more and more from Hark, and to see Hark slowly become more certain of himself and his unhealthy bond with Jelt is very admirable and brave.

The marine magic, lore and setting kept alternately reminding me of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea, Rivers Solomon's The Deep, and strongest of all Robin Hobb's Liveships. All of which have in their part helped keep one encouraged to dwell into these fantastical realms for the occasional catch. This now included. Deeplight was without a doubt one of my favourite books of 2019. This is the kind of book that made me fall in love with fantasy in the first place: magical, unforeseeable, one of a kind, entirely addictive. My own invention," explained Dr. Vyne with surprising warmth, turning a large wheel to lower the sub into the water. I call her the Screaming Butterfly. She's a prototype." What happens when the teachers and families of deaf children are given intensive support and training? I've got to hand it to Hardinge. When she decides to do some worldbuilding, she dives deep. And in this case, I mean that literally.Deeplight is another fantastic work of fantasy with a helping of body horror by the talented Frances Hardinge. This time the setting is a nation made up of a scattering of islands in a sea that used to be home to gods; beautiful, terrible, and hypnotic, yet ultimately destructive. Now the old gods are gone, but not forgotten. When Frances Hardinge writes fantasy, it is a true fantasy indeed, in the most sincere meaning of the word - a crazy flight of imagination, an inventiveness of the strangest kind. I’ve always said Francis Hardinge’s imagination is unrivaled, and Deeplight was another dark delight. This time, we are transported to the Myriad archipelago, home to a people who worshiped a pantheon of terrifying, monster-like gods that would rise every so often from the Undersea and wreak havoc on the islands. But just three decades before, something strange happened. The gods turned on each other, and no one knows why.

Russell Williams, Imogen (30 October 2019). "Deeplight by Frances Hardinge review – a rich and strange island adventure". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019 . Retrieved 18 September 2021. The absolute highlight for me, however, was the journey that Hark takes, over just a few months, from child to adult. He learns some hard lessons about what friendship really means and just how far it should and should not take you. In some ways, the explicit way in which Hardinge presents these lessons, not to mention the age of the main characters, had me (like many it seems) assuming that this was a middle-grade book that was also suitable for adults. On further thought and discussion with others, I've changed my mind. Hark's relationship with Jelt is far from simple: they grew up together and were forced to rely on each other to survive, and yet, now that circumstances have changed, this dependence has become dysfunctional. The nuances of this situation, and the true difficulty of escaping it, would fly high over an 11-year-olds head, and probably a 16-year-olds too. This is my first Hardinge’s book and definetly will not be the last one, the story is so unique and the the characters are fun and loveable, the worldbuilding is incredible.. it’s all around everything I love in fantasy book even tho there is no romance here (I think this one is categorized as children / middle grade genre book) You will find out who you are when your choices test you. In the end, we are what we do and what we allow to be done.’ This is one of the best YA novels I’ve read in a long time, and will most likely secure a place in my top ten books of the year, and here’s why:Berry, Michael (5 May 2020). "Deeplight - Book Review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021 . Retrieved 18 September 2021. Reviewed by Ella (17), who is profoundly deaf and wears cochlear implants. Ella helped author Frances Hardinge write about deafness in Deeplight. But not everyone is glad to be free from the brutal rule, or rather terror, of the Gods. “He had always lived in a godless world, and yet… everyone he knew had grown up with a lurking pride in their island’s ‘patron’ god. Their remembered might was yours, somehow. Even their horrific nature had a majesty that you could borrow. You got into drunken arguments with folks from other islands about whose god could have beaten the other in a straight fight.” After all, people tend to look for their identity, their pride, the entire meaning of life in the strangest places. The stories have tremendous power over us, shaping our desires and wants and directing our lives down paths that may be strange and dangerous. “I had hoped that younger generations would grow up without our craven god-fever, but I still see traces of it everywhere – even in you. There is an eagerness, a poisonous nostalgia. No, throughout the Myriad, people would fall on to their faces and give in to their ancient superstitious terror.” The Costa-winning children’s writer Frances Hardinge is known for the fascinating strangeness of her settings: The Lie Tree’s stifling Victorian society conceals a plant nourished by deceit, and A Face Like Glass takes place in an underworld where wines can extract memories and perfumes enforce trust. Whether they are wholly invented or rippled glass visions of familiar history, however, her worlds are navigated by characters who stay human to the marrow – flawed, cowardly, doubtful, determined, unprincipled and brave. This remains true of her latest novel, Deeplight. The world is recovering after sea gods destroyed it several decades past and the remnants eke out a hard survival among the waters and the islands. I was fascinated to discover this world and get embroiled in some rather dangerous situations that turn out badly (as stories always do), but I was even more interested in the cool twists that came about soon after a certain heart showed up.

Deeplight". Booklist. 1 March 2020. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021 . Retrieved 17 September 2021. But it's also about the power of storytelling: the stories we tell to and about ourselves, our friends, and even our gods - and how we respond when the stories are challenged. And boy, is every story Hark has ever told or believed about to go down. A lot less terrifying is how Hardinge made deaf-culture an essential part of this fantasy world. In the Myriad, losing one's hearing because of diving expeditions is quite common, and people who are "sea-kissed" are even highly respected for braving the sea. Therefore, everyone here speaks sign language and is very inclusive; this is the kind of representation I want to see more off!

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Hardinge fleshes out fully a cast of characters for whom the bonds of family and friendship are a source of both strength and devastation, laid bare and tested to their limit. I have so much love for this book that I cannot express it properly and I urge you to read it. It's beautiful inside and out. And also as usual, while not embracing grimdark or lingering over violence, Hardinge refuses to sugarcoat messy, morally ambivalent reality and the way that growing up helps you to see just how messy things are. The ocean features heavily (obviously) but the sea-creatures are limited in favour of all the weird and wonderful things that also reside in this strange double ocean. Maybe you should just read the book to figure out what I mean about that - I am not equipped to explain it other than to tell you it is equal parts strange and awesome.