“You know, anytime I want to wipe out the entire universe,” says 7-year-old Lucy in Somewhere Beyond the Sea, “I remember that humans made music and then I think that maybe, just maybe, you weirdos have something to offer after all.” This funny and thought-provoking sequel to TJ Klune’s bestselling 2020 fantasy novel, The House in the Cerulean Sea, continues the inspiring story of the mostly unflappable Arthur Parnassus, his sweetheart Linus Baker, and the extraordinary magical children in their care.
Lucy (short for “Lucifer”) is indeed the son of Satan and the incarnation of evil, but he’s also just a kid with adopted siblings and earthly parents who keep him in check while making sure he knows he is loved. Then there’s Chauncey, a sweet-natured “amorphous green blob” with tentacles for arms and eyes on stalks, whose dream in life is to be a hotel bellhop. Sal, the oldest at 15, is a shapeshifter and poet, whose best friend is Theodore, a wyvern who breathes fire and keeps a hoard of treasure (mostly buttons) under the sofa. Phee, a winged forest sprite, and Talia, a female bearded gnome with a pointy cap, tend to the trees and gardens with predictably enchanting results. And in this book, Klune introduces a new addition to the family: David, a 10-year-old yeti more than 5 feet tall with long white fur and claws. Linus, of course, is the good-hearted glue that holds them all together — Arthur in particular.
The family lives on a remote private island in a household full of mischief and mayhem, love and laughter, and honest answers to hard questions. The days are filled with school lessons, family meals, practical jokes, and child-directed (and only sometimes life-threatening) Saturday adventures. Klune imbues each character with such poignancy and humor that it’s a delight to eavesdrop on their conversations. All of the children have been viewed as monsters and abused by humans because of their magical powers, and Arthur’s personal mission is to provide them with the time and tools they need to heal and grow: “I will give the children what I never had: a place to be whoever they want to be, no matter what they can do or where they come from.”
The only known phoenix in the world, Arthur grew up as an orphan in the same house, under the control of a malicious master who imprisoned and tortured him, considering his magical side an “abomination.” For attempting to report his master’s mistreatment all those years ago, Arthur was locked in a cellar for six months: “For the first three days, I screamed. The week after, I burned. The week after that, I was beaten so thoroughly, I couldn’t breathe right for what felt like years. Like many who have suffered abuse, I was told it was my fault.” Now the Department in Charge of Magical Youth has summoned Arthur to the city — ostensibly to give testimony regarding his experiences as a child. Goaded into assuming his terrifying phoenix form at the hearing, Arthur is accused of attempting to radicalize the children and turn them into his own personal army. And when the government sends a hostile inspector to the island to scrutinize their every move, it will take all the family’s considerable resources — magical and otherwise — to protect themselves and their home.
In The House in the Cerulean Sea, Klune, who identifies as queer, created a warm and whimsical fairy tale that readers fell in love with. Somewhere Beyond the Sea provides another chapter in the story of this charming family founded on integrity and decency, while serving as a parable for the ethical treatment of all creatures, no matter their magical abilities, species, gender, skin color, sexual orientation, or any other attribute that could be used to discriminate against them. Fans will laugh and cry and root for their success as they fight for survival against injustice, prejudice, and greed. It’s only a fantasy story (albeit a wonderful one), but as Arthur says, “… even the smallest of things can change the world, if only one is brave enough to try.”
Tina Chambers has worked as a technical editor at an engineering firm and as an editorial assistant at Peachtree Publishers, where she worked on books by Erskine Caldwell, Will Campbell, and Ferrol Sams, to name a few. She lives in Chattanooga.
Tagged: 2024 Southern Festival of Books, Book Reviews, Children & YA, Fiction
