ANOMALOUS ISLE

Youths from Earth and an otherworldly island share a grand but precarious adventure in Echelbarger’s YA SF/fantasy novel.

Somewhere on an unnamed planet is an island of people with “physical imperfections” who call themselves Anomalies. The inhabitants include formerly conjoined twins and a person with an “irregular nose,” among many others; many of them have come from Earth, where they were targets of “constant mockery and torment,” via a portal between worlds called the Tree Curtain. Some people periodically cross back to Earth to take part in a circus and carnival called the Grand Anomaly. Thirteen-year-old Dalisay also wants to visit Earth, but her guardian, Gomax, won’t allow it. Dalisay’s the only remaining island-born resident, and if she passes through the Tree Curtain, the island’s planet will allegedly be destroyed. “The legend is childish,” she declares, and she walks through the portal to witness the Grand Anomaly. Back on Earth, it’s the year 1956; Dalisay isn’t there for long, but when she returns to the island, a group of kids from a New Mexico orphanage follow her, including 14-year-oldJuanito Iglesia, 9-year-old amnesiac Marvin Carvin, and resident bullies Bret, Grace, and Todd. They ultimately have a run-in with a “rebellious” group of Anomalies, led by the coldhearted Lucas, who wants the acorn that’s required to open the portal, which is guarded by a man named Lemon. Lucas is also on the hunt for the Crimson Stick, which is said to make whoever possesses it physically attractive; for that, he’ll need to cross perilous terrain and steal the stick from the beasts that protect it. Lucas and his crew force some of the new arrivals to tag along, but others try to stop them, and everyone, it seems, is in danger.

Echelbarger wisely keeps this multi-planet story, which kicks off a series, relatively simple. Although the cast is extensive, the Earth setting doesn’t move beyond New Mexico, and the sites on the off-planet island have familiar traits (including jungles and mountains). Readers also don’t see much of the popular culture of 1956, aside from Juanito wanting to see the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The story moves at a steady pace that significantly picks up after the kids are stuck with Lucas and/or searching the island. The kids face such threats as quicksand, vicious creatures, and an unforgiving swamp, despite the fact that the narration describes the world as “utopian” early on. The book has an impressive range of characters; the orphanage administrator is straightforwardly awful, but Lucas is more layered, and some people get chances to redeem themselves. Similarly, some characters branch off into smaller groups (and subplots), including Marvin, who goes on his own mini-adventure. Thankfully, the author details the Anomalies’ physical features with respect. The work has a few unusual narrative elements; for example, some characters’ faces change slightly when they move from one world to the next. It has a touch of backstory, too: most notably, snippets from a past quest involving Dalisay’s late father and Gomax. Still, the novel feels like a self-contained story, with plenty of room for sequels.

Bright, relatable characters drive this entertaining, portal-based series opener.