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In Other Lands

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In Other Lands
AuthorSarah Rees Brennan
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult fantasy
PublisherBig Mouth House
Publication date
15 August 2017
Publication placeIreland
ISBN978-1-6187-3120-3
Followed byTears Waiting to Be Diamonds 

In Other Lands is a 2017 young adult fantasy novel by Sarah Rees Brennan. It was nominated for numerous awards and won the 2017 Bisexual Book Award for Teen/Young Adult Fiction.[1]

Before being published as In Other Lands, Brennan wrote the initial story, "The Turn of the Story" on her website and her LiveJournal account under the profile "sarahtales";[2] the story was based on the characters previously created in Brennan's short story “Wings in the Morning” in Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant’s anthology Monstrous Affections.[3]

In January of 2023, Brennan released a two-part short story sequel called "Tears Waiting to Be Diamonds" on The Sunday Morning Transport, set 10 years past the events of In Other Lands.[4][5]

Plot

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Elliot Schafer, a 13 year old English boy, learns he can see across the Border (a wall that separates our world from a fantasy world). He decides to go to a military training school there after meeting Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle (also known as Serene,) a young elf girl who Elliot is immediately enamored with. Elliot also meets classmate Luke Sunborn, a boy from an affluent local family, and dislikes him. While at school, Elliot's prickly personality causes rifts between him and his classmates. When summer comes, Elliot returns home to his father (his mother abandoned the family shortly after Elliot was born.)

Elliot continues his schooling, becoming increasingly frustrated by the political processes that emphasize war over peace talks in conflicts. He starts writing treaties and participating in international negotiations. When he is 15, Elliot and Serene begin dating, but their relationship is short-lived. While on a summer trip with friends, Elliot realizes he is bisexual, and dates a man, Jase, for some time before realizing the relationship is unhealthy. Eventually, Elliot and Luke begin dating, and Elliot provides support to Luke (who is still reckoning with his newly-learned identity as half-harpy.)

Reception

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In Other Lands was well received by critics, including starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews[6] and Publishers Weekly.[7] Kirkus referred to the novel as "stellar, if dense and lengthy,"[6] whereas Publishers Weekly called it "hilarious, irreverent, and multilayered."[7]

Booklist's Cindy Welch highlighted how "Brennan turns stereotypes upside down" and noted that "this is a school story for older youth, with freewheeling (but not explicit) sexuality, a dedicated pacifist as a main character, and slightly cynical humor that masks great heart."[8] Welch recommended pairing the novel with J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, Terry Pratchett's books, Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle, and William Goldman’s The Princess Bride.[8] Lee Mandelo, reviewing from the Tor.com magazine, described the novel as a "satisfying, thoughtful, and fun read".[9]

Awards and honors

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In Other Lands is a Junior Library Guild book.[10] In 2017, The New York Times included it on their list of the fall's best young adult fantasy novels.[11]

Awards for In Other Lands
Year Award Result Ref.
2017 Bisexual Book Award for Teen/Young Adult Fiction Winner [12]
Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction Nominee [13]
2018 European Science Fiction Society Award for Best Work of Fiction Finalist [14]
Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book Finalist [15]
World Science Fiction Society Award for Best Young Adult Book Finalist [16][17]
2019 ALA Rainbow List Selection [18]
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature Finalist [19]

References

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  1. ^ "2017 Bisexual Book Awards Winners". Locus Online. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  2. ^ Brennan, Sarah Rees (31 May 2013). "The Turn of the Story". LiveJournal. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  3. ^ Link, Kelly; Grant, Gavin J., eds. (9 September 2014). Monstrous affections: An anthology of beastly tales (1st ed.). Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN 978-0-7636-6473-2. OCLC 869904691.
  4. ^ Brennan, Sarah Rees (8 January 2023). "Tears Waiting to Be Diamonds: Part One". The Sunday Morning Transport. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  5. ^ Brennan, Sarah Rees (29 January 2023). "Tears Waiting to Be Diamonds: Part Two". The Sunday Morning Transport. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b "In Other Lands". Kirkus Reviews. 2 July 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b "In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan". Publishers Weekly. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  8. ^ a b Welch, Cindy (14 September 2017). "In Other Lands". Booklist. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  9. ^ Mandelo, Lee (17 August 2017). "I Never Fight: In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan". Tor.com. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  10. ^ "In Other Lands: A Novel by Sarah Rees Brennan". Junior Library Guild . Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Who's a Hero? Who's a Villain? It's Anyone's Guess in This Fall's Best Y.A. Fantasy". The New York Times. 9 November 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  12. ^ "2017 Bisexual Book Awards Winners". Locus Online. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  13. ^ "In Other Lands". Goodreads. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  14. ^ "2018 ESFS Awards Winners". Locus Online. 23 July 2018. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  15. ^ "2018 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Online. 23 June 2018. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  16. ^ "2018 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 15 March 2018. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  17. ^ "2018 Hugo and Campbell Awards Winners". Locus Online. 20 August 2018. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  18. ^ "The 2019 Rainbow Book List". Rainbow Book List. American Library Association. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  19. ^ "2019 Mythopoeic Awards Winners". Locus Online. 5 August 2019. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
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