Under The Smokestrewn Sky (Up-And-Under Quartet Vol. 4) by A. Deborah Baker (book review).
Coming to the end of a sequence of books can either give a sense of satisfaction of a well-rounded conclusion or leave the reader frustrated at having to part with characters who have become friends. This is particularly so when the books are aimed at the younger reader.
‘Under The Smokestrewn Sky’ is the concluding fourth volume of a delightful series, ‘Up-And-Under Quartet’. The first volume, ‘Over The Woodward Wall’ saw two very different children, Avery and Zib, finding a wall barring their way to school. Naturally, they climbed over it to find themselves in the strange world of the Up-and-Under. A large owl tells them that the only way home is to go to the Impossible City and ask the Queen of Wands to send them back where they belong. To get there, they have to follow the Improbable Road. This has a mind of its own and, if is upset, will disappear. At one point, when they were crossing the Saltwise Sea, it dumped them into the water where they were swallowed by a large fish.
Along the way, they have acquired unusual friends. Niamh is a drowned girl, literally, dripping water continuously. The Crow Girl can disperse into a flock of crows. In the third volume, ‘Into The Windwracked Wilds’, they are able to retrieve her name, Soleil, by finding her heart which was taken by the Queen of Swords. Jack is this Queen’s son and joins them as he wants to escape the cruelties of his mother. On their travels, they have heard the disturbing rumour that the Queen of Wands has disappeared. Without her help, Avery and Zib will not be able to return home. There is also the problem that if she is not found, the other monarchs will go to war for the privilege of being in control in the Impossible City.
At the start of ‘Under The Smoke-Strewn Sky’, the Improbable Road takes the five children into a land of fire. As they walk, Avery and Zib are told more about the world they have strayed onto. Then disaster strikes as Zib falls from the road onto the ground it is passing over. She falls unconscious and it is not certain if she is alive or dead. Avery knows that without Zib, he will never go home so Jack carries her as they travel on to look for answers to all their problems.
This is a delightful story of children having the kind of adventure most dream of but can only imagine. The story-telling draws in the reader, whatever their age and there is more to discover on re-visiting the books.
- Deborah Baker is a pseudonym for Seannan McGuire.
Pauline Morgan
August 2023
(pub: TotDotCom, New York, 2023. 208 page hardback. Price: $21.99 (US), £28.99 (CAN). ISBN: 978-1-250-84847-5. UK release in November 2023)
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