Publishers Weekly
★ 09/29/2014
Ryan (the Forest of Hands and Teeth series) teams up with her husband, short fiction author Davis, to launch a series that sees an intrepid girl from Earth teaming up with a colorful cast as they attempt to prevent the end of everything. Trapped aboard a ship sailing the Pirate Stream, a waterway that meanders between myriad worlds, 12-year-old Marrill must help her new friends find the scattered pieces of the Bintheyr Map to Everywhere if she has any hope of getting home. Unfortunately, an ancient, insane wizard also seeks the Map; if he gets it first, he could destroy all of creation. Marrill’s new best friend is Fin, a master thief and orphan who’s literally forgettable, a useful ability for a thief, but one that can make for a lonely existence (Marrill is one of only a few people who recognize him from minute to minute). Fast-paced and imaginative, this adventure combines action with whimsy, injecting emotion and pathos into an otherwise lighthearted romp. It’s a strong start for what promises to be a highly enjoyable series. Ages 8–12. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
A 2014 Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book
A 2014 Booklist Editors' Choice
A 2014 Chicago Public Library Best Book
* "Ryan and Davis' swashbuckling quest features fantastic world building, gnarly creatures, and a villain who is both spooky and formidable.... The unique details, expert plotting, charming characters, and comic interludes combine in a tantalizing read."—Booklist, starred review
* "Wholly original.... This is an ambitious undertaking, and strong readers who enjoy adventure fiction and fantasy will inhale the first book in what has the potential to be an extraordinary series."—School Library Journal, starred review
* "Vividly cast.... Multifaceted characters, high stakes, imaginative magic, and hints of hidden twists and complexities to come."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Fast-paced and imaginative, this adventure combines action with whimsy, injecting emotion and pathos into an otherwise lighthearted romp. It's a strong start for what promises to be a highly enjoyable series."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2014-07-22
Two displaced young adventurers sail streams of raw magic from world to world in this vividly cast series opener. Convergent plotlines bring together Marrill, who impulsively climbs aboard the four-master that floats into view atop a shimmering mirage in an Arizona parking lot, and Fin, another world's scruffy orphan/thief who literally passes "out of sight, out of mind" with everyone he meets. Nearly everyone, that is: To his shock, Marrill actually remembers him when he's not in view. Joining a notably diverse crew aboard the Enterprising Kraken, a ship able to sail the transformative waters of the multiverse-spanning Pirate Stream thanks to a hull made from "dullwood," the two set out to gather the long-separated parts of a fabled map to Everywhere. The quest becomes a frantic dash thanks to hot pursuit by Serth, a mad wizard who constantly weeps black tears and seeks the map to fulfill a vision of universal apocalypse. Fin's oddball ability serves him well in tight spots, but it also becomes an amusing running gag. Filling out the cast with sobbing pirates, briskly efficient "pirats" (or "bilge mice") and like fancies, the authors send their intrepid searchers hither and thither, to a desperate climactic struggle…that is only a beginning. Multifaceted characters, high stakes, imaginative magic, and hints of hidden twists and complexities to come add up to a memorable start to a projected four-volume voyage. (numerous illustrations, not seen) (Fantasy. 10-13)
