THE MAGI OF MIRIAM

In Sweeney’s epic YA debut, an Alabama tween lands in a magical place where he clashes with agents of Darkness.

Twelve-year-old Jesse Walker doesn’t know what to make of the letter in his backpack. It’s in his mother’s handwriting, but she died two years earlier from a terminal illness. And the letter certainly sounds familiar, referencing the Land of Miriam, the same mysterious kingdom his mother talked about in her last days, “babbling on about magic and battles of good and evil and her brother, the king.” Though Jesse dismisses most of what she said, he soon understands there may have been some truth to it, starting with the “Thwacker” that shows up in his bedroom. This humanoid, fur-covered “beast,” named Barrington, is friendly and takes the boy to Miriam. As it happens, the kingdom is in serious danger: Sinister black-eyed beings called the Gors have kidnapped the teenage Princess Eonia, who’s the key to unlocking the Book of Good and Evil.(The princess is a magic-wielding Magus; the Gors are Magi who have succumbed to the Dark.) If the Gors unlock the book (which they’ll have to find first), the Agents of Light (the Magi) will no longer be able to keep Darkness at bay. Now that Jesse is in Miriam, he must rescue Princess Eonia from captivity. He quickly learns more about the magical kingdom, including things his mother never told him about. With help from Thwackers and a host of dragons—and by tapping into his own, not-quite-realized power—Jesse might be able to thwart the Dark’s diabolical plan.

Sweeney excels at worldbuilding. It’s disappointing there aren’t more Alabama-set scenes featuring such great characters as Jesse’s best friend, Irvin McMurtry, and the Walker family’s housekeeper, Sophia; Miriam, however, is a memorable locale, from the swampy remote island of “grueling heat” where Eonia is held captive to the serene, forested Tanglewood, where the Thwackers live. Barrington is just one of a number of colorful creatures, including winged horses with horned noses; big, wormlike crawlies that are as creepy as they sound; and kooboo, which resemble deer. Even dragons, a fantasy staple, manage to stand out in this novel: Some species are Dark agents, but others, who don’t necessarily fly or breathe fire, prove to be benevolent, courageous beings. An unmistakable religious theme grounds the narrative; the Gors’ unnaturally “mangled” features (like a vertical mouth or an ear that winds up on a chin) are manifestations of sin, and several characters on the side of Light believe in and pray to a god. The author maintains a steady momentum with periodic action sequences while mixing in a bit of mystery, particularly regarding both Jesse’s and Eonia’s importance to the Book of Good and Evil. The book sadly has only a few examples of Jackson’s artwork—the black-and-white illustrations are simple but detailed, especially one depicting Jesse and a couple of Thwackers standing at a tree hut in Tanglewood. The book easily works as a stand-alone novel, though a smashing denouement leaves the story open for possible sequels.

A divine and diverting fantasy with an enthralling world and cast.