Tag Archives: rules

Why You Need to Read: “Come Tumbling Down”

Wayward Children, #5: Come Tumbling Down

By: Seanan McGuire

Published: January 7, 2020

Genre: Fantasy/Horror

            “Everyone who comes here becomes a monster: you, me, your sister, everyone,” said Mary, voice low and fast and urgent. “The doors only open for the monsters in waiting. But you made the right choice when you left this castle, because you would have been the worst monster of them all if you had grown up in a vampire’s care.”

            “I know,” said Jack… (13: The Broken Crown).

            Responsibility is a trait which marks the coming of adulthood. The older we get, the more responsibility we get whether or not we want it. The concept of being responsible follows the practice of being reliable to others and being held accountable for your actions both good and bad. Even adults don’t always know who is reliable and who isn’t. Children and adolescents are given the benefit of the doubt due to their youth. However, once society deems the youth as “old enough to know better,” society expects the youth to follow the rules and obey the laws, or face the consequences. The Wayward Children series is about children and adolescents who traveled to other worlds for various reasons, and there are those who were kicked out of those worlds because they broke the rules. But, what happens when a traveler believes the rules shouldn’t apply to them? Fans of the series know of one example thanks to the past events in In An Absent Dream, but the author presents readers with an example occurring in the present in Come Tumbling Down.

            Readers catch up with the misfits at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children: Christopher, who traveled to Mariposa; Cora, a Drowned Girl; Kade, a hero of Fairyland and headmaster-in-training; and Sumi, who—thanks to the events in Beneath the Sugar Sky—is alive and her old self again. It seems like an ordinary day at school, until lightning strikes the basement and a Door appears, but none of the students recognize it as theirs. This is because the Door swings inward revealing a large girl carrying a smaller one in her arms. No one recognizes the first girl, but the other girl is one of the Wolcott twins, but which one? It turns out that it’s Jack, but she’s in Jill’s body. Jack didn’t give her consent for the body swap; not to mention, Jack and Jill aren’t identical twins anymore since Jill’s death and resurrection. Jill’s death was one of two punishments she was dealt as consequence for breaking the rules in the Moors. Jill either had to remain in her world, or return after dying where she can no longer become a vampire. The problem was Jill proved to be as ruthless in our world as she is in the Moors, forcing Jack to make a decision to save her sister from herself. Unfortunately, everything blows up in Jack’s face, and Jill and her Master have decided to wreak havoc on the Moors, prompting a war between mad scientist and vampire, and between identical twin sisters. Jack flees the Moors with her fiancé, Alexis, to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children so she can get help with getting her body back from Jill and save her Home. Throughout the story, readers learn more about Jack: what she’s been up to since returning to the Moors, and her future plans there with Dr. Bleak and Alexis. Jack is able to open herself up more to her former schoolmates than she was able to while staying at the school, which is a huge development for her character—and, as a (fictional) individual. Another character who develops in this story is Cora, but not in the “traditional” way. Cora—like the other students—hopes to return Home. However, it seems Cora has a deeper connection to the Drowned Worlds than everyone realizes, including Cora. 

            The plot in this story is sibling rivalry to extreme levels. Jack and Jill were kicked out of the Moors for Jill’s crimes (in Down Among the Sticks and Bones) and Jack made the decision to “change” Jill so both of them could return Home (in Every Heart A Doorway). Unfortunately for Jack, Jill views her twin’s actions as NOT “saving” her, but as “stealing eternity away from her.” Jill sees getting Jack’s body as a way to get everything she wants and damn the consequences. There are 2 main problems with this nonconsensual body swap. First, is that Jill and her Master believe they have found a loophole in the order of the Moors, but the rules in the Moors are strict and valid, and those in charge will NOT allow these transgressions to continue. Second, is Jack has OCD and she cannot cope with being in Jill’s body because of what the Master did to it; and, Jack has no intention of becoming a vampire, so she has to get her body back before the next full moon. There are 2 subplots in this story. The first is the concept of Death within some of these worlds. Just like in Confection, death isn’t permanent in the Moors. However, there are setbacks to being resurrected in the Moors—the body loses its function after each one—and time is of the essence. The second is the continued world-building of the Moors. We learn—through the other characters—how vast the world of the Moors is and about the Powers who run the Moors making sure ALL rules are followed. The subplots are necessary because they develop alongside the plot. Plus, everyone learns quickly how much trouble Jill is in for going against the order of the Moors. 

            The narrative follows a present sequence with moments of recounting the past (which is not the same as a flashback). It is presented in 3rd person omniscient from the points-of-view of Christopher, Cora and Jack. Readers learn how the Moors affect these characters who either reside in the Moors, or traveled to worlds similar to them—the Trenches and Mariposa. The streams-of-consciousness of the characters allow for the readers to experience Jack’s OCD, Cora’s attraction to the Drowned Worlds, and Christopher’s admiration and creepiness for the Moors make them all reliable narrators. 

            The style Seanan McGuire uses in Come Tumbling Down is a return to the concept of duality. However, unlike the idea of binary—which, was explored in Down Among the Sticks and Bones—the concept of oppositions is the focus. Identical twins find themselves on opposing sides of a challenge, which could evolve into a war, and their mentors are based on 2 of the most popular classic literary books and film characters: Frankenstein and Dracula. The allusions to both Vincent Price and the nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill, lets readers know there has to be a victor. The realization Jack admits about Jill make it obvious as to what must happen. The mood in the story is one of urgency. Everything in the Moors from the residents’ safety to Jack’s sanity is on the verge of being destroyed and Jack and her companions have 3 days to set things right. The tone in this story revolves around the outcome based on the urgency to answer the challenge. Jack and Jill are on opposing sides and the victor will determine the outcome of the balance within the Moors. There is more at stake than a stolen body, but one side doesn’t seem to care as long as they get what they want. Rovina Cai’s illustrations provide the extra context to the story as required. 

            The appeal for Come Tumbling Down have been positive. Fans of the Wayward Children series enjoyed this latest installment in the series as they travel with the students on another quest—remember, it’s against the rules to go on quests. And, while this portal-quest fantasy novella is a great addition to the fantasy canon, fans of horror will enjoy this book, too. The next book in the series, Across the Green Grass Fields, will bring readers back to the past.

            Come Tumbling Down is a fun story which balances adventure and rule-breaking as the characters and the readers return to the Moors. While it seems like this is the end of Jack and Jill’s story (for now?), I have an inkling we could return to the Moors. It might not be anytime soon, but readers will be satisfied with the ending, until the next adventure.

My Rating: Enjoy It (4.5 out of 5)!

Why You Need to Read: “In An Absent Dream”

Wayward Children, #4: In An Absent Dream

By: Seanan McGuire

Published: January 8, 2019

Genre: Fantasy

            This, then, was Katherine Victoria Lundy: pretty and patient and practical. Not lonely, because she had never really considered any way of being other than alone. Not gregarious, nor sullen, but somewhere in the middle, happy to speak when spoken to, happy also to carry on in silence, keeping her thoughts tucked quietly away. She was ordinary. She was remarkable, (1: A Very Ordinary Garden). 

            We’ve all asked the question: ‘How did ‘x’ come to be in existence?’ In our world, we have history lessons and oral tradition to teach us about historic moments and events, and changes in technology. In other worlds—in works of fiction—the audience receives the history as the narration continues explaining the scenario, the characters’ backstories, and—in the case of speculative fiction—how the world came to be. Throughout the Wayward Children series, readers have learned about the various worlds the travelers visited, and how Eleanor West’s Home For Wayward Children is a haven for these travelers. It makes you wonder how those who returned to our world readjusted in society before these schools existed. In An Absent Dream, the fourth book in the series, provides one infamous case.

            The protagonist in this story is Lundy, whom we met in Every Heart A Doorway. Everyone already knows how her life ends, but we’re given a look into her life—both with her family and in the Goblin Market. Katherine Victoria Lundy is the middle child in her family’s household. She is 6-years-old at the beginning of the story. She has an older brother, Daniel, who is 6 years her senior; and, her mother is pregnant with her 3rd child, which will be Lundy’s younger sister, Diana. However, Lundy isn’t Lundy yet, she is Katherine; it’s her birthday, and none of Katherine’s classmates are celebrating with her. The reason for this is because Katherine’s father is the principal at the school, which goes unnoticed by both parents. For another 2 years, Katherine is a model student, which isolates her even more. One day, 8-year-old Katherine is walking home from school when she finds a Door with the words: BE SURE. Well, Katherine is sure and she enters the world of the Goblin Market. There, Katherine meets “the Archivist,” who explains the rules and the ways of the Goblin Market; and, “Moon,” a girl around Katherine’s age who is a resident at the Goblin Market, who has trouble following the rules. The first thing Katherine learns there is NOT to use her actual name, but either an attribute or a family name. Thus, Katherine chooses to go by her last name, Lundy; and, Lundy is told she is not the 1st visitor to go by that name. Throughout her “trips” to the Goblin Market, Lundy grows into the person she was denied to be in her world (the story starts in 1962). Meanwhile, Lundy’s family cannot understand why she would choose to be anywhere else but with them, especially Lundy’s father. So, what does Lundy’s family do to her? They find ways to keep her from leaving them, even succumbing to enact guilt. This move begins a rift in Lundy as she tries to figure out a way to find “fair value” before the curfew.   

            The plot is a look back into Lundy’s early life—who can be viewed as a “tragic” character—and her childhood and her time in the Goblin Market. This is an intriguing view into how a child survives in “another world” with minimal adult guidance, which could be one of the actual dilemmas Lundy had to deal with as well, while remaining divided on which Home was her real one. The sad thing is Lundy was thriving in the Goblin Market for reasons her family was too blind to notice. There are 2 subplots and they are essential to the plot (and, the entire series). The first subplot regards the concept and the importance of the rules in each world. Throughout the series, readers learn which students haven’t returned Home due to the rules they broke, but there wasn’t too much context in their stories—except for Kade. Lundy is the first character who has to admit her choices to break the rules led to her permanent punishment (unlike Jill). The second subplot presents how and why schools like Eleanor West’s—remember, there are several others throughout our world—became the much-needed havens and fellowships travelers, especially children, never knew they needed. Lundy knew of 2 other travelers: Moon, who was already a permanent citizen of the Goblin Market; and, Franklin Lundy, Lundy’s father, who does everything in his power to stop his daughter from returning to the Goblin Market. Neither friend nor parent can give the guidance Lundy needs so badly. It makes you wonder what could have been if a school existed during Lundy’s childhood. It is obvious both subplots are necessary for the plot to develop throughout the story.

            The narrative in this story is told from Lundy’s point-of-view, but in 3rd person omniscient. This is because there are moments when the P.O.V. shifts away from Lundy—usually to her father—in order to fill in the smaller details of the story. The sequence is broken down into the events leading up to Lundy’s “trips” to the Goblin Market, particularly her first 3 visits. Each visit leads Lundy to staying at the Goblin Market for longer periods of time. However, it is the visits before the curfew, which receives the most attention. Lundy’s “trips” become more frequent, but for shorter visits, almost like they match Lundy’s hesitation instead of her heart. The narrative is a look back at the past, so it is NOT a flashback. This means most of the narration is told from Lundy’s stream-of-consciousness. And, because the narration leads to the end readers know is coming, Lundy is a reliable narrator.

            The style Seanan McGuire uses in In An Absent Dream is an intriguing one. The concept of the Goblin Market comes from the narrative poem of the same name by Christina Rossetti. The poem is about 2 sisters who meet goblins by the river encouraging all to “Come buy, come buy.” The synopsis of the poem is: one sister eats the fruit, while the other one does not. As time passes, the sister who ate the fruit begins to age unnaturally. This causes the other sister to go and buy some of the fruit to save her. The sister resists the temptation to eat the fruit, which saves her sister’s life. It is obvious the author took this children’s poem and retold it with the same dilemmas and the same morals. Seanan McGuire’s retelling of Goblin Market is easier to comprehend, but is just as much of a cautionary tale as the original poem. The mood in this story is the discord one’s desires can lead to within the individual, which is brought on by those closest to them. Once again, the illustrations done by Rovina Cai bring out the beauty in a world very few people know exist. 

            The appeal for In An Absent Dream have been positive. Not only was it nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novella in 2020, but also it is one of the highest rated books in the Wayward Children series by readers on Goodreads and on other social media and (book) retail websites. This novella is an excellent addition to both the book series and the fantasy canon. I should mention that anyone who did enjoy this book because of the world of the Goblin Market should read both Goblin Market by Christina Rosetti and The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner. The latter is a historical fantasy novel with allusions to Goblin Market. After reading those, fans can move on to the next book in the series, Come Tumbling Down. 

            In An Absent Dream is a story so beautiful and tragic readers will be torn between wanting it to be real and wanting it to be a dream. This is my favorite book in the series next to Every Heart A Doorway. There are several reasons for this: the believable characters, the beauty of the Goblin Market, the split between family and where you belong, and the heart-wrenching end everyone knows is coming but doesn’t want it to happen. Not to mention, the reason and the importance of schools like Eleanor West’s for travelers in similar scenarios. Now, readers have a complete understanding of what these children really need: the desire to choose without any guilt. 

My Rating: MUST READ IT NOW (5 out of 5)!!!