Coracle, by MCA Hogarth
A middle-grade fantasy novel, Coracle is a delight to read. I love so many things about it. The premise is that a fallen angel, the Adversary, broke the world in the distant past. At that time, the Savior and her Companions prevented the world from being destroyed and stitched some parts of it back together. In the modern era, islands of land float in the Breath, which can be traversed by vessels, and some of which are connected by bridges. The main character, Marda, chooses to attend the Abbey, a school for Outremers, where youths of age 14-18 or so are trained to emulate the Savior’s Companions and take on different roles in small bands that patrol the broken world. The Outremers’ mission is to mend the world and to stop monsters, if necessary. Over the course of schooling, every Outremer gets either a patron saint or an angel, who will offer guidance to them, and a Godsib: a companion animal/mythical creature.
Religion is prominent throughout. Becoming an Outremer is a spiritual vocation (although the book takes pains to show that characters don’t feel like they’re compelled to do it, or that they’re even necessarily sure it’s what they’re supposed to do with their lives). The characters pray for guidance and attend services and seek to serve one another, God, and the world as a whole.
The narrative showcases a world of fantasy, with wonders to admire and linger upon. One of my favorite parts is that the conflicts of the setting are small-scale and character-appropriate. It’s about kids dealing with kid problems: making decisions about their future, making friends, hanging on to their friends, figuring out where they fit in: all the very real problems of life. I have such a hard time writing this sort of story myself -- my plots all too often spiral into catastrophes and world-saving. But I adore science fiction/fantasy slice-of-life, and Coracle is a wonderful example of it. It’s relaxing and refreshing, with plenty of meaty issues and problems to intrigue and engage the reader. It’s the first book in the series, but ends on a solid note -- no cliffhangers -- at the end of Marda’s first year. Easily a 9, and I very much look forward to the rest of the series.
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