Unique worldbuilding and surprisingly deep (no pun intended) philosophy on life choices. Being a stand-alone and set underwater are two huge pluses for me.

I’m always blown away by the unique creative worlds this authors writes. Starting this one was like stepping into a movie and watching it all unfold. In this world, the lost gods have sunk to the bottom of the sea and only the priests can survive going down in the depths to retire godware relics. Our main character is pressured to take a daring risk by his best friend but when something goes wrong he makes a quick decision to save his friend and bring up something that should have been left at the bottom of the sea. This story is about friendship, loyalty, cycles of abuse, and finding yourself. Also, I appreciated the representation in having a character who was deaf and used sign language.

DNF at 35%.

The world this is set in seems interesting, but the plot takes ages to get going, and I couldn't read yet another scene of the protagonists's friend abusing him, each worse than the scene before.

Fascinating, detailed and extremely well realised fantasy setting on an extensive archipelago. The recent history of massive undersea god-monsters which had slaughtered each other was a compelling idea. I was especially delighted by the idea of creating physical or biological technology out of the body parts of dead gods! The contrast between science and religion was nuanced, and the depiction of what happens to priests after their gods have died was great. The mixed respect for and abuse of a substantial hearing-impaired subculture created by diving accidents was conceptually interesting and sensitively depicted. The complexities of the two central protagonists attempting to determine their own identity and escape from the (perhaps) well-meaning (but otherwise toxic) expectations of their family/friendship groups were very well handled and provide an excellent model for YA readers engaging with these matters in their own lives.

This was actually a much deeper story than I expected, about surviving toxic relationships, friendships and sailing. I absolutely loved it and the cover is absolutely beautiful 😍

Lovely story about sailing, identity, friendships, and surviving toxic friendships. And the chthonian monsters that live in the deep.

This is a book I am accessing via Netgalley for the Hugo nomination packet. Due to this, I will not be reviewing this book via Netgalley at this time.

4.5 stars

This may be the most original fantasy novel I've read so far this year! I genuinely can't believe this is billed as a children's book when it's so rich and layered and honestly deeply interrogative of personal and political relationships and choices. It's so much more thoughtful and nuanced than at least 75% of the adult and YA fantasy I've ever read in my lifetime, with terrific deaf representation, too. I'm genuinely shocked not to have heard of it before the Lodestar slate for the Hugos came out!

Our protagonist Hark is an orphan on Lady's Crave, one of the islands that make up the Myriad Archipelago. The Myriad used to worship terrifying monsters from the deep who guarded each island or cluster of same, until several decades ago when the gods began to tear each other apart. Nowadays, there's a thriving trade in godware, the relics of the dead sea monsters that possess unusual and often coveted properties. Hark is a scavenger and his best friend in the world is Jelt, who's looked out for him since they were little. As Jelt grows older and harder, however, their relationship begins to sour.

When Jelt guilts Hark into a reckless undertaking that gets Hark arrested, Hark is at first upset, then grateful for the fact that his sentence requires him to stay away from his former associates or face an even worse punishment. But Jelt shows up again with the promise of one last score, and Hark is unable to resist his friend's bullying tactics. Things go dreadfully awry, setting Hark on a terrible path: either choose to save his friend or to save Myriad.

The blurb calls Deeplight a cross between 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and Frankenstein, and while those influences are obvious in this novel, it's so much more. The toxic friendship between Hark and Jelt opens Hark up for some real soul-searching, even before he begins to understand as more than instinct the power of and need for storytelling as witness. The truth about the sea monsters, birth to demise, was also really well done, as was the dissection of the usage of fear and the hard choices that had to be taken in order to protect Myriad. Frances Hardinge doesn't paint in broad, heroic brushstrokes, but carefully takes into account the ramifications -- the cold equations, if you will -- our characters must accept as being an inescapable part of their work and good intentions. It is both deeply moral and deeply nuanced, and just about one of the smartest, most original things I've read all year.

Also, it's only the second book I've read that uses the word "goddery" which is a term/concept I very much love (the first was Roger Levy's <a href="http://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2018/05/12/the-rig-by-roger-levy/">The Rig</a>.) I definitely need to read more of Ms Hardinge. If there's one thing I'm grateful to the Hugos this year for more than any other, it's for introducing me to her exceptional work.

A famous childrens’ book author (I want to say it was A.A. Milne, but I can’t find the quote now to verify that) said that you can’t write down to children. That is, a book intended for young readers may have a simpler plot structure or be less explicit in discussing certain themes, but it shouldn’t be condescending. Kids and young adults may not have as much experience of the world, but that doesn’t mean they’re stupid or oblivious. Frances Hardinge has taken this advice to heart in her latest young adult novel, Deeplight.

This is most obvious in the way Hardinge portrays the relationship between the main character, Hark, and his best friend Jelt. They both grew up as orphans and quite literally relied on one another to survive. Those experiences have forged a bond as close as any blood relation. But at the same time, their relationship is toxic. Jelt repeatedly pressures Hark into taking on jobs that he’s not comfortable with on account of their danger, guilt-trips him whenever he objects to one of Jelt’s plans, and becomes resentful if Hark obtains something he lacks. It takes Hark most of the book to consciously acknowledge this. When he does, it’s cathartic but also sad, because it means losing a friendship that truly was meaningful to him. The complexity of this central relationship is something I hadn’t expected to encounter in a YA novel.

All of this is presented against the background of a fascinating, original setting. Hark’s home is a sprawling island chain called the Myriad. Its people once placated a collection of distinctly Lovecraftian gods who dwelled in an abyssal ocean level known as the Undersea. Thirty years before the start of the book, those gods turned on each other, literally tearing each other to pieces. The inhabitants of the Myriad have largely adjusted to the new, god-less world, but the developments of the novel threaten to turn their lives upside down again. Most of the action takes place on Hark’s home island of Lady’s Crave and the nearby Nest, but it’s clear that there’s a lot more out there, and I hope we get to see more of the Myriad in future books.

The characterization of Selphin is another strength of Deeplight. The teenaged daughter of a renowned smuggler, she gets entangled in Hark and Jelt’s latest adventure. She’s also deaf, the result of burst eardrums from an underwater accident. There are a number of people in the Myriad with a similar condition, and they’ve developed a form of sign language. I loved the way Hardinge shows Selphin’s emotions through her sign language. At one point, her signs are described as “angry stabs of motion;” at another, we’re told that she “threw up her hands, then hit the heels of her palms against her forehead in frustration.” It’s also nice to see that while Selphin’s disability obviously has a large impact on her life, it isn’t her only defining characteristic. She’s clever, brave, stubborn, and fiercely loyal, and all these traits are just as important as her deafness.

I don’t read YA often and had never heard of Hardinge before receiving a copy of Deeplight through NetGalley as part of the Hugo Awards voters’ packet. I enjoyed it enough that I’m looking forward to seeking out more of Hardinge’s work.

I read this book for the Hugo/Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book.

Deeplight is another enjoyable book from Francis Hardinge. The book was a little slow to get going, spending more time than I felt was necessary establishing the toxic relationship between the main characters, Hark and Jelt. The second half of the book was superb.

Hardinge has a wonderful ability to "show not tell", especially when it comes to character development. Even minor characters are fully realized. Deeplight was no exception..

I gave this to my 10 year old son to read and he loved it! I read it as well and I loved it too. Even though the story was loosely based on Frankenstein, the story felt fresh and original.

Deeplight is a 2019 young adult fantasy novel by acclaimed YA author Frances Hardinge, whose 2017 novel "A Skinful of Shadows" was one of the first nominees for the Lodestar (Hugo) Award for best SF/F YA Novel. Deeplight is one of this year's nominees for that same award and I really liked A Skinful of Shadows, so I was really happy to see the full novel contained in this year's Hugo Packet. Like that novel - and I suspect like a lot of Hardinge's work - this one really straddles the line between middle grade and YA, with the novel featuring zero sexual content or even romance whatsoever, but still containing more violence and grim situations than I guess you'd expect in Middle-Grade, although just barely.

And well, Deeplight is fine, but it's not up to the level of A Skinful of Shadows and it never really breaks out into the levels of really great that i hope for in award nominated works. The story features as its central protagonist a teenage boy, whose major struggle is realizing when he's being taken advantage of by a "friend" and finding it in himself to assert his own ideas, as he gets shoved between powerful forces throughout. It's also a story of pirates, of undersea gods and monsters, of mad science and priests - all good stuff that could've in my opinion made a really good story, but I just didn't like the protagonist enough to actually feel it got there; a feeling made more apparent by a secondary character being far more interesting than the main hero.

I'm glad I didn't DNF this so I could properly review it, and it's not a terrible nomination for this award, but there's a lot of YA from last year I'd recommend above this one.

-------------------------------------------------Plot Summary----------------------------------------------

The Myriad, an archipelago of islands apart from the major continents in the world was once home to the Gods, beings of great power in the Undersea who would tear apart any outsiders who came to close to their homes....and would demand sacrifices from the island residents in return. But decades ago, the Cataclysm occurred, and the gods destroyed themselves, leaving only fragments of their power on the waves.

Hark has never seen gods, and as an orphan boy in the Myriad grew up only hearing the stories...and telling them to strangers to con them out of money to survive. But when his friend Jelt comes to Hark with a job for a pirate gang, Hark finds himself guilted into going along with Jelt's plan. After all, Jelt saved his life once, and if Hark doesn't help, what trouble will Jelt get into?

But the job leads to disaster and Hark finds himself in a strange place he never imagined, under the custody of people way too interested in the power of Gods' past. And then Jelt returns and Hark winds up finding a powerful piece of a god, with terrifying power which will force Hark to make hard decisions for his own life, and that of everyone in the Myriad.....

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Deeplight is a YA Fantasy novel with a setting that contains a lot of things that seem designed to appeal to me and I suspect many fantasy readers: You have a set of islands featuring underwater gods, who were deadly deadly monsters of mystery before they mysteriously died! You have mad scientists studying the remains of said gods, and a cult determined to resurrect them to defend the islands against outsiders! You have a crew of basically pirates who take it as a badge of honor for someone to be sea-kissed: stricken deaf by the sea! That last part includes a really nice piece of the setting - how the islanders all learn various versions of sign language because being sea-kissed is so common, and parts that show how being stricken deaf as such can be a big handicap even in a place it's seen as a mark of honor.

Into this setting comes our hero, Hark. Most of the story - we'll get to the small other part later - is told from Hark's third person perspective, and this story is really his story, even as it impacts many many other people. Hark is one of an the islands' orphans, surviving due to mutual collaboration, and is an excellent storyteller, especially at enrapturing folks with such stories - even if they may not be wholly true. He's not the greatest at direct deception, but storytelling he is gifted at - among many other things: Hark may not be educated but he's reasonably smart in terms of figuring things out and pulling things off that seem impractical or almost impossible, and in realizing when such tasks are actually impossible.



The problem for Hark is that while he's gifted in many ways is that he's utterly unable to assert himself or say "No" when it comes to many people - people in power, or people he considers as friends. The latter mainly revolves around Jelt, who the reader will immediately recognize as a reckless fool of a friend who doesn't really care about what happens to Hark and is constantly taking advantage of Hark - who considers Jelt his best friend who once saved his life. Hark even recognizes how Jelt abuses the nature of their friendship, but keeps finding himself unable to speak up in his own defense, and keeps finding himself getting into trouble as a result, trouble that becomes bigger and bigger as Hark and Jelt discover an object of true power, wanted by many many beings. It's Hark's character development of growing a spine - not an utterly stiff one, and not the bravest one, but just enough of one to look his friends or powerful people in the eye and say what they do not want to hear - that forms the core of this book. And it's done well enough, but the reader will seriously be yelling at Hark for way too long about how he's being taken advantage of, which makes it kind of frustrating to read and well....I'm kind of tired of this trope at the moment.

The problem with this book though is that while Hark is a bit tiresome in how long it takes him to develop, there exists a secondary main character who is just far far more interesting. That character is Selphin, whom the story's perspective shifts to on a few occasions - really randomly at first, and more often as the story gets near its end Selphin is the daughter of a pirate boss, and after a disaster at sea, wound up not only Sea-Kissed, but actually afraid of going into the waters. That irritates her mother, who sees that fear as not something for Selphin to deal with on her own, but an illness to be fixed no matter the means despite Selphin not wanting to have her mind possibly altered in any way. And while Selphin fights her mother on this - about the sanctity of her own mind, her fears, and choices - she's also fiercely loyal to her mother and to the family/crew that she's grown up with. So yeah she's got her own arc somewhat, and she's a brave pirate who will do whatever it takes for those she cares about, even if that means facing her darkest fears, even if those others might not understand why she's on the surface betraying their orders. I get that Hark's emotional journey of standing up for himself, with Selphin perhaps a bit as a subconscious model of doing that to help, is the core of this book, but by the midpoint I just wished we'd switched entirely to Selphin's perspective because she's just far more interesting and less frustrating to read.

All that adds to a plot that takes all the aspects of the setting and works in a wild ride, with some ideas clearly driven from real life - particularly about the ideas of stories, regardless of their veracity, carrying as much political power as facts and of moving on from the past. I just wish I liked the main protagonist as much as the secondary one, which is what keeps this from being a book I really enjoyed.

They say that the Undersea was the dwelling place of the gods. They say many things of the Myriad, and all of them are true. The gods were as real as the coastlines and currents and as merciless as the winds and whirlpools.

No one knows who or what the gods were, the giant creatures who lived in the sea and then, mysteriously, all died. But everyone knows that a piece of a dead god can make your fortune. Hark is still a child himself, all of 14 years old, but he knows it, too. That’s why he’s in the crowd when a submarine brings back parts of the Hidden Lady, the god that used to live in the waters around the archipelago on which he lives. His friend, Jelt, knows it too, and he has plans that call for Hark to do some hazardous things to make them both rich. Hark pays the price for Jelt’s foolishness, sold into indentured servitude.

Hark is lucky that he has a golden tongue. That gets him purchased by Dr. Vyne, a woman who has need of a good liar. She is a scientist who works with the Sanctuary, home to broken priests who used to lead worship for the now-dead gods, “a haven for those priests who could no longer look after themselves, a retreat from the cruel, incomprehensible, godless world.” Most of Hark’s work involves caring for the old priests, many of whom bear Marks: mutations caused by their exposure to the gods, deep in the Undersea. But Dr. Vyne also has other plans for him, starting with some real schooling, and Hark is delighted to find that this means he’ll be taught to read and write.

But Jelt isn’t willing to give up his hold on Hark, who continues to think of Jelt as his best friend, someone he can’t possibly abandon no matter how dangerous and stupid his plans for the two of them. Things go completely awry when Jelt and Hark stumble across an important piece of a dead god and discover its strange properties. And Hark has to make some decisions about who he wants to be.

The weirdness of Deeplight (2019) — perhaps that should be Weirdness, because this book belongs firmly in the tradition of the New Weird — is toned down more than I’d like, but it’s definitely there. There are strange things to see and learn, many of them in the ocean, where a fair bit of the action in this novel takes place. Deeplight is age-appropriate, despite its resemblance to tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, not too frightening for younger readers, and not too tame for adult readers. It’s a tricky balance to strike, but Frances Hardinge manages it nicely.

There is no doubt that this book is intended to teach a few lessons about making choices, but the world it describes is not any more black and white than ours is — and Hardinge mostly avoids preachiness. There are always trade-offs, and Hark has to learn to make difficult decisions about friendship, his future, and when risks are worth taking.

Deeplight has been nominated for the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, which is awarded at Worldcon along with the Hugos. It won’t get my vote, though; I would have enjoyed Deeplight a lot more if it had delved into Weirdness more deeply. Writing for a young adult audience probably kept Hardinge from creating a more brooding and horrific atmosphere. That makes sense: one would hardly give Laird Barron’s work to a 12-year-old, for instance. This book would be a good first step into the New Weird for an imaginative young adult without causing nightmares. The experienced and older admirer of the subgenre, however, will be a bit disappointed in reading about a world that has so much Weird promise, but does not fulfill it.

3-1/2 stars rounded up to 4. Originally published at http://www.fantasyliterature.com/reviews/deeplight/.

Hardinge’s world building is absolutely spectacular. Hark and Jelt are buddies, both orphans, know how to take care of themselves and scavenging a living from the beaches, docks and gullible tourists on their island home. Jelt is older, more ruthless, and Hark recognizes he is a master manipulator, but Jelt is as close to family as Hark has, so when he interrupts Hark’s scamming of a tourist for a job that can’t wait, Hark plays along. And so begins an epic adventure involving undersea salvage, a fierce deaf girl, a daughter of a gang leader, ruthless gods, an ambitious scientist, secretive priests, religious zealots and the future of the island chain Hark calls home.
Escapism at its finest!!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

This was one of those books that had the most contemptible character and tense setting, but you were compelled by it regardless.

Hark is the kind of main character you want to see, even if you're constantly questioning his life choices. Jelt is the character you love to hate, but that you usually see as a villain from page 1 and not our main's friend.

This felt like Percy Jackson meets Pirates of the Caribbean. It was rich and vivid and thoroughly enjoyable to read.

I have yet to find one of her novels lacking in substance. Sometimes they are a little slow-going to start, but they are intriguing enough to keep you reading to see what they are all about. I promise they are worth the commitment.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review.

"Fear is the dark womb where monsters are born and thrive."

This book was not what I was expecting, and it ended up being so much more than I anticipated. Frances Hardinge created such a vivid, unique world. I would put Deeplight on the younger end of YA, but that doesn't diminish the story.

Myriad is an archipelago that was once ruled by ruthless sea monster-gods. Each island had a namesake god that in some ways protected them, while also terrorizing them. The gods lived in the Undersea, a hypnotizing area in the depths, where they fed on humanities fears. One day a Cataclysm occurred and all the gods died, leaving behind nothing but stories, and pieces of themselves. This story follows Hark, a young orphan and con man, and his "friend" Jelt. Jelt is honestly a jerk, and horrible friend, who bullies and controls Hark. Jelt ropes Hark into a job for Rigg, a local pirate/scavenger/gang leader, and Hark gets caught and indentured to Dr. Vyne and the Sanctuary. There Hark befriends Quest, an old priest of the old gods.

I really enjoyed the characters. Hark grows quite a bit throughout the story. Quest is a great wise, older character, who also maintains a lot of mystery. The story does take a couple chapters to build up and really get going. I initially went into this expecting mainly a story about crazy, ruthless gods, but what this really was was a story about friendship, pirates, finding yourself, and how we carry stories. This ended up reading like a subtle love letter to story telling. I ended up enjoying Deeplight more than I expected to. The world and characters are so well developed it's hard not to lose yourself in it.

Another extraordinary fantasy story for YA readers. Unlike anything I have ever read before. Gods, monsters, pirates, myths , legends..feisty girls, steam punk type machines. . this story has it all. Amazing imaginative descriptions of worlds both above and below the sea. Frances Hardinge always tests the imagination and doesn’t spare the reader.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but overall and enjoyable read. The main character Hark is likeable. The story like keeps you gripped throughout. I just wanted to know more as I went along. Its an interesting idea about the life and demise of sea gods .

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this to review through NetGalley.

Story (5/5): This is a very Lovecraftian take to a fantasy story and is appropriate for middle grade and older. Hark is talked into yet another one of his friend Jelt’s crazy schemes when things go horribly wrong. As a result Jelt is grievously injured and Hark finds the still beating heart of an eldritch god. Though the heart seems to heal Jelt, it starts doing other things to people as well. Meanwhile Hark is drawn into a separate mystery involving the military scientist he’s been indentured to.

Characters (5/5): I really loved all the characters in here. All of them were complex, engaging, and interesting. Hark has to make some tough decisions throughout and his blind loyalty is a curse he can’t seem to get away from. The side characters are just as well done; they are all intriguing with deep histories and a lot of depth.

Setting (5/5): The world building here is creative and amazing. This is a fantastic world built around islands that have only recently come out from under the rule of vast oceanic gods. It was so rich in history and just very well done.

Writing Style (5/5): This was engaging and easy to read. The writing is beautifully done; I never had trouble picturing the settings or the characters. Hardinge is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. I have also read “A Face Like Glass” and loved that just as much as this book.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this. I loved the dark Lovecraftian tone to it and how well the whole thing was executed. This is an amazing story full of wonderful characters, an intriguing world, and just wonderful storytelling. Highly recommended to those looking for a fantasy that is engaging, unique, and thoughtful.