Strangeling
Children of the Broken Dawn Book 1
by Kira Hagen
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Pub Date Jun 28 2022 | Archive Date Aug 28 2022
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Description
2049: The elves returned from the stars to save Earth... and broke everything.
The United States... aren't. Rural Minnesota is a redcap-infested wasteland. The Twin Cities are occupied by fabulous aliens. Waves of wild magic have wrecked most of the world's high technology. People mutate into beings out of myth and legend, becoming strangelings, and are killed or imprisoned lest the Hunger drive them to rampage.
And there's no more Wi-Fi.
Aisling lives under an illusion, hiding her half-elven features and trying to finish grad school. She and her friends have been navigating the magic apocalypse through hand-me-down pop-culture geekdom, using "knowledge" gained from old comics and DVDs. On weekends, they hunt monsters or runs strangelings down the Underhill Railroad using their band, the Lumber Punks, as cover.
But a strangeling labor brigade patrols the border between their Runners and freedom, and their Captain Hart blames Aisling for his Change. He's rapidly losing control of the fae monster inside him, and intends to catch her if it's the last thing he does.
Meanwhile, catfishmen are attacking the city formerly known as Minneapolis, and fighting them has Connor late for his drag show. His magic might be broken, but on stage or in battle, he's going to shine.
Space opera and mythology dance the forbidden polka in a geek-filled wasteland. A dystopian future grows from roots in Celtic and Norse mythology. And the most hilarious hot mess of a bisexual love triangle in epic dystopian urban science fantasy begins!
For fans of Shadowrun, Ilona Andrews, Sarah J Maas, and general geekdom, with definite writing influences from Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams.
Advance Praise
Angela Chervenak: ARC reviewer
""5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, engaging, funny, and richly complex
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2022
Verified Purchase
I love to be swept up into a story. Books are a way to move through a new world or at least to see the one that we are in from a new perspective, and this book definitely accomplishes that. In this book, we are transported to a post-apocalyptic fantasy world filled with elves and other creatures from mythology and yet we get to travel with characters that feel deeply familiar. They see the absurdity in the great tragedies of their lives and form deep bonds with one another. So, this book somehow manages to make the post-apocalypse… fun. Yeah, things are bad, but you still have your friends and can cut a wry joke. The author’s descriptions of magic are breathtaking and they transported me into the magic of the trees between worlds. And mostly, I love this book because it is a story that is well told. The story is fun, funny at times, engaging, and sometimes a bit heartbreaking in ways that I think we can all understand in the modern world. I absolutely recommend giving this book a read; you won’t regret it.""
Tiffiny - ARC reviewer
Instantly Engaging mythological SciFi dystopian fantasy Mix
Really clever take on a couple of different genres.
Don't want to give too much away but if you like Celtic myth, sci fi dystopian fantasy all mixed together, you will enjoy this book.
Characters you root for and so much scope for lots more to come.
I will definitely be buying the next book and all the ones after that
TalNewRoc
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fusion of Fantasy and SciFi
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book is an excellent combination of my two favorite genres: fantasy and scifi. I absolutely LOVED it and can't wait for volume two. I wish cryo-sleep facilities existed to ease my wait for the next volume!
One person found this helpful
Norman Barrett Wiik
5.0 out of 5 stars A fun, fast-paced adventure with compelling characters in a multi-layered setting.
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2022
Hagen deftly weaves a complex tapestry of a near-future Earth drawn from myth and science fiction influences, with an ample helping of local color. As a Twin Cities native familiar with the landscape in which much of the story takes place, I enjoyed the numerous geographic and cultural references and can testify to their accuracy. This expertly built world serves as the setting for a tale filled with intense action, dreamlike interludes, and memorable characters that make a lasting impression. ""Strangeling"" will keep readers engaged from start to finish and leave them eagerly awaiting the next installment.
Average rating from 33 members
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