Deeplight

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Deeplight
Deeplight cover.jpg
AuthorFrances Hardinge
LanguageEnglish
PublisherMacmillan Children's Books
Publication date
October 31, 2019
Pages416
ISBN978-1-509-83695-6

Deeplight is a young adult fantasy novel by Frances Hardinge, published October 31, 2019 by Macmillan Children's Books. It is her 9th novel.

Plot[]

In the fictional island region of the Myriad, the inhabitants worshipped and revered enormous sea creatures known as 'gods' that fed of human fear from a source below the sea called the undersea. 30 years before the events of the book, the gods all turned on each other and tore each other apart in a disaster known as the cataclysm, the remnants of their bodies now used as high durability material called 'godware' for various purposes. Our protagonist, Hark, lives on the island Lady's crave with his best friend Jelt. In an accident involving a stolen bathysphere, Jelt seemingly drowns but comes back alive when a submerged ball of godware reanimates his body and heals his wounds. They realize they can use the ball to heal people as a way to pay their debts. However, prolonged exposure to the ball affects your body in strange ways, and Hark is worried about its effect on his friend, who never leaves its presence. Discovering that the ball is actually the heart of a god, Hark tries to warn him but Jelt is already too far gone, having been molded by the heart into something barely resembling his friend. In a clash between the two, Hark steals the heart but is captured by the Leaguers, a group who wish to bring back the age of the gods. They transport the heart to the undersea to awaken their own god-construct, but the Jelt-thing appears and merges with the heart and the god-construct, empowered buy the fear in the undersea. In a final altercation, Hark reconcile that Jelt drowned in the bathysphere accident, being only kept alive since by the power of the god-heart. Hark crushes the heart, killing the Jelt-thing.

Reception[]

Deeplight has received positive reviews from The Guardian,[1] Readings,[2] Common Sense Media,[3] and Booklist,[4] including starred reviews from Kirkus[5] and Publishers Weekly.[6] The book also received the following accolades:

  • British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Artwork Nominee (2019)[7]
  • Lodestar Award Nominee (2020)[8]
  • American Library Association Best Fiction for Young Adults Top Ten (2021)[9]

References[]

  1. ^ Russell Williams, Imogen (2019-10-30). "Deeplight by Frances Hardinge review – a rich and strange island adventure". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2019-10-30. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  2. ^ Solomon, Dani (2019-10-22). "Deeplight by Frances Hardinge". Readings. Archived from the original on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  3. ^ Berry, Michael (2020-05-05). "Deeplight - Book Review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  4. ^ "Deeplight". Booklist. 2020-03-01. Archived from the original on 2021-09-16. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  5. ^ "Deeplight". Kirkus Reviews. 2020-01-07. Archived from the original on 2020-04-16. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  6. ^ "Children's Book Review: Deeplight by Frances Hardinge". Publishers Weekly. 2020-02-06. Archived from the original on 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  7. ^ "Deeplight". Goodreads. Retrieved 2021-09-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "2020 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  9. ^ "2021 Top Ten Best Fiction". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2021-01-14. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
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