★★★★☆ The Forest of a Thousand Eyes, by Frances Hardinge, Emily Gravett (Illustrator)
A reluctant explorer
The Forest of a Thousand Eyes
Frances Hardinge, Emily Gravett (Illustrator)
A reluctant explorer
Feather lives in a Wall in a Forest. The Forest is full of life, in a not-good way -- the life of the Forest wants to take over the world. The Wall was built to keep the Forest out. It failed. The Forest broke through the Wall, leaving it fragmented. Humans can live only within the wall. By that I don't mean "within the area enclosed by the Wall." Rather, they live precariously within the stones and fortifications that themselves constitute the substance of the Wall. They must venture out into the Forest to forage for food and supplies.
Feather is a teenage girl who lives in a small community in and on the Wall. Yesterday for the first time in her life, or in the memory of anyone she knows, she met a stranger -- a person who is not a member of the tiny community that lives in her fragment of wall. The stranger tricks Feather and betrays her, stealing her people's one spyglass, which gives them advance warning of incursions from the Forest.
Feather pursues the stranger. He is walking along the remnants of the Wall. To survive he must learn to get through the gaps where the Forest has encroached. Feather must learn to do the same. It is an enforced education that she never asked for and never wanted.
If you enjoy stories of explorers, this is a good one! It is also, I will mention, quite short -- about a two-hour read. Recommended.
The world in this story is intriguing, and the concept is one that seems very original and that I’ve never encountered before.
Sounds like an excellent book indeed! 💯