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Soonchild
"Hoban is the best sort of genius." Patrick Ness, The Guardian Somewhere in the Arctic Circle, Sixteen-Face John, a shaman, learns that his first child, a soonchild, cannot hear the World Songs from her mother's womb. The World Songs are what inspire all newborns to come out into the world, and John must find them for her. But how? The answer takes him through many lifetimes and many shape-shifts, as well as encounters with beasts, demons and a mysterious benevolent owl spirit, Ukpika, who is linked to John's past...
144 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
9 people are currently reading
336 people want to read
About the author
Russell Hoban
184 books413 followersRussell Conwell Hoban was an American expatriate writer. His works span many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magical realism, poetry, and children's books. He lived in London, England, from 1969 until his death. (Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
August 2, 2018
So many people really like this book and perhaps it didn't help my copy being in black and white ( many reviews mention a change of colour as the story progresses which sounds like a nice idea ) but I found this story confusing.
Soonchild is an unborn child who is due to be born but is suspected to be reluctant to arrive. The father who is an Inuit shaman, is described as lazy, scared of many things, likes to eat pizza and drink coke. He goes on a journey of discovery to aid the birth of his child. Here the story lost me, I see that perhaps this was inspired by Inuit mythology but given his food preferences I take it that it's modern day so I can only assume this part is a dream or an analogy or as he is a shaman perhaps this part is meant to be drug induced? I struggled to keep interested in the story.
Alexis Deacon's illustrations are wonderful, would have loved to see them in colour.
Soonchild is an unborn child who is due to be born but is suspected to be reluctant to arrive. The father who is an Inuit shaman, is described as lazy, scared of many things, likes to eat pizza and drink coke. He goes on a journey of discovery to aid the birth of his child. Here the story lost me, I see that perhaps this was inspired by Inuit mythology but given his food preferences I take it that it's modern day so I can only assume this part is a dream or an analogy or as he is a shaman perhaps this part is meant to be drug induced? I struggled to keep interested in the story.
Alexis Deacon's illustrations are wonderful, would have loved to see them in colour.
February 14, 2018
I am adding this book to my DNF shelf.
I really tried to like it but I just could not get past the names and the writing style.
The idea intrigued me but it was hard to get into the actual book. Even though it is a short book, every page felt like a hill I had to climb. It took the same level of effort for me to read this as it does my textbooks. That is not a good thing.
I may try again at a later date but for not it is a DNF.
I really tried to like it but I just could not get past the names and the writing style.
The idea intrigued me but it was hard to get into the actual book. Even though it is a short book, every page felt like a hill I had to climb. It took the same level of effort for me to read this as it does my textbooks. That is not a good thing.
I may try again at a later date but for not it is a DNF.
November 8, 2017
In all honesty, I struggled with the book. There are some things I love; the names that give hints about that person's personality; the short, snappy 'chapters'; the blend of the modern and spiritual world. There are lots of things to really love about this. The problem is, I just couldn't get into it. It felt clunky to read and I really had to force myself to keep going. I can understand some people really loving it but it just wasn't for me. Despite that, I had a few laughs, worried over the fate of John, and appreciated some of the excellent wordplay. A tricky one to put a star rating to.
May 16, 2021
Unless a writer deliberately squirrels away a book for posthumous publication like Christie did, do authors ever know their final book is going to be their final book? Because Soonchild really does feel like Hoban trying to weave all the ideas his books have thrown into one world into a sort of definitive statement. It’s a book that plays with myth and myth building and it seems fitting that he explores his most frequent themes through this medium. It’s dense and strange and frequently incredibly beautiful. It also reminds you that even at his weirdest, Hoban is an incredibly funny writer. And Deacon doesn’t so much match Hoban’s text but almost feels like a commentary on it. It’s spectacular and beautiful and strange and the whole volume must rank as one of the best final flourishes in literary history. It’s extraordinary
October 5, 2012
From the Publisher:
Somewhere in te Artic Circle, Sixteen-Face John, a shaman, learns that his first child, a soonchild, cannot hear the World Songs from her mother's womb. The World Songs are what inspire all newborns to come out into the world, and John must find them for her. But how? The answer takes him through many lifetimes and many shape-shifts, as well as encounters with beasts, demons and a mysterious benevolent owl spirit, Ukpika, who is linked to John's past...
My Thoughts:
In Soonchild, Russell Hoban has given us contemporary myth-making at its best. Based in part on Inuit mythology and in part on Hoban's incredible imagination, then perfectly complimented with the wonderful illustrations of Alexis Deacon, it is a concoction not to be missed - if you like myth-making that will take you on a journey away from time and space as you know them.
Sixteen-Face John is a shaman in the far north where it's "so cold that your nose hairs get still and your eyeballs get brittle and your face hurts and your hands will freeze if you leave them uncovered for too long."
Sixteen-Face John may have been a shaman, but he is afraid of everything and if he couldn't face his fear with one face, well, he had 15 others to choose from. Sixteen-Face John is married to No Problem, who is pregnant with their Soonchild (so called because it is soon to be born and be a child.) But Soonchild tells her father that she does not hear the World Songs in her mother's womb and so is unwilling to be born. Now, Sixteen-Face John must go on a journey to bring these songs back to her.
On his journey, Sixteen-Face John will become No-Face John, Three Times Dead John, he will shape-shift, and meet an idluitok, a bad-person gull who feeds the Master Song containing the all the World Songs to Yiwok the World Swallower, who wants to destroy the world by swallowing everything in it. But in the end, John, and the reader, sees the importance of our connection to our past, present and future.
Sound confusing? It actually isn't. Soonchild does require a little suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader, but that is true of all storytelling, isn't it? And you feel somehow renewed when you have finish it.
I found Soonchild to be funny, strange, beautiful, weird and satisfying all at the same time - sort of like the different aspects of the World Songs. And Sixteen-Face John, afraid of everything, must face the biggest most fearful thing of all - Yiwok the World Swallower - showing us that courage is really about being afraid but doing what is right regardless.
Interestingly, the pages change color each time the story moves forward. As you read, you might was to pay attention to why that is a part of the story. And do dwell on the excellent charcoal and pencil illustrations that add so much to the whole story.
I loved Soonchild but it probably isn't for everyone. It is supposed to be a YA book, but some critics have questioned that. I think that, like all good myths, it will appeal to YA readers as well as adults. It is most unfortunate the Russell Hoban passed away shortly after he finished this and one other book in 2011. Hoban was an American expat who had lived in London since 1969.
This book is recommended for readers 14+
This book was obtained from the publisher.
Somewhere in te Artic Circle, Sixteen-Face John, a shaman, learns that his first child, a soonchild, cannot hear the World Songs from her mother's womb. The World Songs are what inspire all newborns to come out into the world, and John must find them for her. But how? The answer takes him through many lifetimes and many shape-shifts, as well as encounters with beasts, demons and a mysterious benevolent owl spirit, Ukpika, who is linked to John's past...
My Thoughts:
In Soonchild, Russell Hoban has given us contemporary myth-making at its best. Based in part on Inuit mythology and in part on Hoban's incredible imagination, then perfectly complimented with the wonderful illustrations of Alexis Deacon, it is a concoction not to be missed - if you like myth-making that will take you on a journey away from time and space as you know them.
Sixteen-Face John is a shaman in the far north where it's "so cold that your nose hairs get still and your eyeballs get brittle and your face hurts and your hands will freeze if you leave them uncovered for too long."
Sixteen-Face John may have been a shaman, but he is afraid of everything and if he couldn't face his fear with one face, well, he had 15 others to choose from. Sixteen-Face John is married to No Problem, who is pregnant with their Soonchild (so called because it is soon to be born and be a child.) But Soonchild tells her father that she does not hear the World Songs in her mother's womb and so is unwilling to be born. Now, Sixteen-Face John must go on a journey to bring these songs back to her.
On his journey, Sixteen-Face John will become No-Face John, Three Times Dead John, he will shape-shift, and meet an idluitok, a bad-person gull who feeds the Master Song containing the all the World Songs to Yiwok the World Swallower, who wants to destroy the world by swallowing everything in it. But in the end, John, and the reader, sees the importance of our connection to our past, present and future.
Sound confusing? It actually isn't. Soonchild does require a little suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader, but that is true of all storytelling, isn't it? And you feel somehow renewed when you have finish it.
I found Soonchild to be funny, strange, beautiful, weird and satisfying all at the same time - sort of like the different aspects of the World Songs. And Sixteen-Face John, afraid of everything, must face the biggest most fearful thing of all - Yiwok the World Swallower - showing us that courage is really about being afraid but doing what is right regardless.
Interestingly, the pages change color each time the story moves forward. As you read, you might was to pay attention to why that is a part of the story. And do dwell on the excellent charcoal and pencil illustrations that add so much to the whole story.
I loved Soonchild but it probably isn't for everyone. It is supposed to be a YA book, but some critics have questioned that. I think that, like all good myths, it will appeal to YA readers as well as adults. It is most unfortunate the Russell Hoban passed away shortly after he finished this and one other book in 2011. Hoban was an American expat who had lived in London since 1969.
This book is recommended for readers 14+
This book was obtained from the publisher.
August 26, 2013
Just finished this book, and loved it. Started off dark, as my daughter, put it -- I read the first few paragraphs to her -- but it is after all set in the far North. It's a mythical story of a shaman named John who must embark on a journey to get the world-songs for his soon-be-born daughter, Soonchild, who apparently is unwilling to come out of her mother's womb.
Hoban is an engaging, imaginative writer and this book, published post-humously tackles some of the terrain he explored in Moment Under the Moment. Like his other children's book -- The Mouse and His Child -- this story operates at several levels at once, and this layered metaphoric quality is what makes it appealing.
An aside ... in my last package of review books for PaperTigers, there were a few books about Inuit culture and Inuit mythology. In Hoban's book, he refers to a BBC documentary called The Kingdom of the Ice Bear, and I was wondering if perhaps the British imagination had been caught by this realm of stories which feature giants, and tricksters, and a host of interesting animal spirits. Of course, what Hoban is doing with this material is quite unusually filtered thru his particular voice and sensibility.
Hoban is an engaging, imaginative writer and this book, published post-humously tackles some of the terrain he explored in Moment Under the Moment. Like his other children's book -- The Mouse and His Child -- this story operates at several levels at once, and this layered metaphoric quality is what makes it appealing.
An aside ... in my last package of review books for PaperTigers, there were a few books about Inuit culture and Inuit mythology. In Hoban's book, he refers to a BBC documentary called The Kingdom of the Ice Bear, and I was wondering if perhaps the British imagination had been caught by this realm of stories which feature giants, and tricksters, and a host of interesting animal spirits. Of course, what Hoban is doing with this material is quite unusually filtered thru his particular voice and sensibility.
June 29, 2012
get it. read it. it's lovely. and not a little wise.
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February 24, 2023Ancient and golden innocence
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July 6, 2013Looking at the cover with its pattern of swirling wolves, I wondered why this book was listed as a 14+ in the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize longlist for 2012. Some younger children might like it--on one level it's a traditional hero-quest narrative, where the hero must reluctantly risk his life and even lose his life in a struggle with cosmic forces, and many of those tales are considered suitable for younger children. But the hero, Sixteen-Face John, is an out-of-shape shaman in a very contemporary North. Yes, he carves figures out of bone, and his wife scrapes hides to make boots, but he also drinks Coke, drives a ski-doo, and watches baseball on TV. The illustrations by Alexis Deacon really make the book special. The opening pages are on blue paper, as John learns what he has to do so that Soonchild, who can't hear the songs of the world, can be born. When he dies the first time, swallowed by Yarluk the killer whale, three wordless 2-page spreads on white show what happens. When he recognizes the ghost wolves as part of him, the pages turn sepia, and the final confrontation with the demon who is swallowing the world is on black, followed by grey shading back to blue as he completes the journey. So there is much here for older children and for adults as well.
October 27, 2019
i liked this. felt like a dream the whole way through; dream speed, dream logic. and of course, i enjoyed all the animals and spirits, and a mythology i'm unfamiliar with. there were some incredibly beautiful passages, lyrical and magical.
i would have given an extra star, but for the americanisms and modernisms. the mentions of coca cola and television and some of the ways of talking pulled me out of the dream a little. i understand why it's in there, but it made me sad.
also, i only got to read a copy that was an uncorrected book proof, and reading other reviews i realise i missed out on the coloured pages and whatever was intended by that.
i would have given an extra star, but for the americanisms and modernisms. the mentions of coca cola and television and some of the ways of talking pulled me out of the dream a little. i understand why it's in there, but it made me sad.
also, i only got to read a copy that was an uncorrected book proof, and reading other reviews i realise i missed out on the coloured pages and whatever was intended by that.
October 18, 2015
This is a swirling, deep story. It's the illustrations, though, which really make this book pretty special - they work with the text perfectly. The actual pages of the book even change colour to match the flow of the story. Other reviewers have commented that they don't like mentions of the modern world juxtaposing with the traditional Inuit elements, but they're an integral part of the story, and it's a beautiful look at how traditions change and adapt around the times in which people live.
May 10, 2012
I liked the blue pages, the white pages were a bit too spacey and the brownish pages were annoyingly nonsensical.
The blue pages are great though. Russell Hobans characters are very realistic and I like the strong female characters like the protaganists wife and daughter.
I guess it's kindof about the fear of bringing a child into this shit world aye?
The blue pages are great though. Russell Hobans characters are very realistic and I like the strong female characters like the protaganists wife and daughter.
I guess it's kindof about the fear of bringing a child into this shit world aye?
October 1, 2013
I love Hoban. This, his last, vastly ambitious fable does not disappoint but is not going to be my favorite. The illustrations are extraordinary. Haunting, exquisite, and resonating. The fable resonates as well, on more than one level. I found it utterly engrossing but I think it's a book that will reward rereading.
June 11, 2012
I wanted to rate this book higher, it is a beautiful package, and deals with big themes, preserving our world, it's spirits, it's children, but it was just a bit slow and rambling for me. For many that will be it's joy.
June 15, 2013
A mysterious dream-read of a book, somewhere between allegory and vision. it was made more poignant for me knowing that Russ wrote this when he was near to death, and that I was reading it with a soonchild of my own in my thoughts, but I can see why it's left so many bemused.
September 4, 2017
Strange book. I have heard really good reviews for this book, but was confused by it. A mythology story mixed with modern life, not sure if it was trying to show how modern life can cloud what is around us.
May 10, 2016
This book was so intriguing that when I finished, I started over and read it again.
December 4, 2017
Though I did finish the book, it was a struggle to stay interested. The writing style could be a struggle for younger readers.
The illustrations are wonderful and support the storyline.
The illustrations are wonderful and support the storyline.
February 19, 2018
Absolutely bizarre on so many levels, but so wise and makes such sense on many others. 'Soonchild' follows a man called John, who is blinded by fear and has become complacent towards his spiritual responsibilities after enjoying the ease of modern life. John has ignored the spirits, and in doing this has risked them being forgotten and fading out of existence. This is all to the detriment to his soonchild, who needs to hear the songs of the world in order to wish to be born. We follow John's journeys of redemption and amendment, finding himself, restoring his spiritual compass and ultimately trying to recover the World Songs.
I absolutely loved this book. All logic is suspended in a crazy and absurd adventure. Hoban's writing is powerful, melodic and hillarious. Although much of the story is off the planet, it still carries many themes that are quite applicable to real life (despite this being a fantasy/myth)- with the idea of losing yourself and slipping into a repetitive rut being something several will have encountered.
Commercialism is a theme that was quite a minor element to this story, used ironically and comedically in this context, yet I found it to be particularly poignant. We really are overwhelmed by the branding that we take so casually into our lives. Hoban is very witty in this.
The whole story could be buzzing with book talk, there so many elements to discuss and debate. In particular, the 'north'. This is an interesting setting and, I think, a concept in itself that could even be good for Philosophy for Children.
This said, I question whether I would really be able to use this story within Primary School. I think this story is geared a little above year six, with some quite challenging elements to understanding, which is a shame because I feel that this story holds so much. But you never know whether some extremely able year six's might be able to give it a go.
To add to this excellent story, Alexis Deacon's illustrations are superbly mythological, sometimes a little disturbing and others just beautiful. I feel that Deacon and Hoban were thinking on a parallel level- they each compliment each other magnificently.
I highly recommend this book!!
I absolutely loved this book. All logic is suspended in a crazy and absurd adventure. Hoban's writing is powerful, melodic and hillarious. Although much of the story is off the planet, it still carries many themes that are quite applicable to real life (despite this being a fantasy/myth)- with the idea of losing yourself and slipping into a repetitive rut being something several will have encountered.
Commercialism is a theme that was quite a minor element to this story, used ironically and comedically in this context, yet I found it to be particularly poignant. We really are overwhelmed by the branding that we take so casually into our lives. Hoban is very witty in this.
The whole story could be buzzing with book talk, there so many elements to discuss and debate. In particular, the 'north'. This is an interesting setting and, I think, a concept in itself that could even be good for Philosophy for Children.
This said, I question whether I would really be able to use this story within Primary School. I think this story is geared a little above year six, with some quite challenging elements to understanding, which is a shame because I feel that this story holds so much. But you never know whether some extremely able year six's might be able to give it a go.
To add to this excellent story, Alexis Deacon's illustrations are superbly mythological, sometimes a little disturbing and others just beautiful. I feel that Deacon and Hoban were thinking on a parallel level- they each compliment each other magnificently.
I highly recommend this book!!
September 22, 2024
Hoban always write thoughtfully even when he’s being silly. His sense of humour and wordplay always reminds me of the Spike Milligan stories I had as a kid, but there is usually something spiritual going on in the background - albeit never anything which beats you over the head with a moral.
This book maybe gives some slight racist vibes with its representation of the “Eskimos”, but I decided to get over myself re: that and just enjoy it.
I’ve only read this, Kleinzeit and Riddley Walker but it seems like Hoban is very preoccupied with writing stories about stories and playing games with names and language, and if you don’t find that kind of playful meta theme enjoyable then you won’t like this, or those other books.
This book maybe gives some slight racist vibes with its representation of the “Eskimos”, but I decided to get over myself re: that and just enjoy it.
I’ve only read this, Kleinzeit and Riddley Walker but it seems like Hoban is very preoccupied with writing stories about stories and playing games with names and language, and if you don’t find that kind of playful meta theme enjoyable then you won’t like this, or those other books.
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July 15, 2024DNFed a third of the way through. Too meandering and philosophical/navel-gazing.
The author's note at the beginning: "The North in my mind is partly the one from my childhood [in Pennsylvania], when I used to send away for Canadian Railway maps and delight in the blue expanse of Hudson Bay. This North has since joined up with the one in the BBC's 'Kingdom of the Ice Bear ' where I met the barnacle-geese children."
K....so you made up a story structured around Inuit shamanism but without consulting any Inuit sources? Or even having lived in that area of the continent?
The illustrations are really cool though.
The author's note at the beginning: "The North in my mind is partly the one from my childhood [in Pennsylvania], when I used to send away for Canadian Railway maps and delight in the blue expanse of Hudson Bay. This North has since joined up with the one in the BBC's 'Kingdom of the Ice Bear ' where I met the barnacle-geese children."
K....so you made up a story structured around Inuit shamanism but without consulting any Inuit sources? Or even having lived in that area of the continent?
The illustrations are really cool though.
December 5, 2017
Dreamlike atmosphere and simple but fun writing style tell the surreal, fairytale-like story of ancient vs modern/tradition vs change (but not in a preachy way) about a lapsed shaman who has fallen into a pattern of pizza, cola, and TV, who finds out that his unborn child can't hear the World Songs that coax children to emerge into the world; so he dusts off his rusty shaman skills and goes on a quest into the spirit world to retrieve the lost Songs so his baby can be born.
February 10, 2020
Cultural appropriation at its best. „Eskimos“ really??? I‘m not cool with that.
I feel Hoban tries to spin an Inuit fairy tale while having absolutely no clue of indigenous representation and story telling. This is not okay in my book.
I feel Hoban tries to spin an Inuit fairy tale while having absolutely no clue of indigenous representation and story telling. This is not okay in my book.
December 5, 2017
A bizarre read but lovely quirky quotes on how to get on with live
April 19, 2018
I love everything about this book.
February 13, 2022
I've had a lot of time to think about why I liked this book...
But I can't come to a sane conclusion.
So well done.
4 stars
But I can't come to a sane conclusion.
So well done.
4 stars
July 22, 2022
Wow! What a strange and remarkable little-big story!
June 6, 2023
4.5 or 4.75
August 13, 2023
Very folktale-ish. Forgettable.
December 9, 2023
Such an inventive voice and wonderfully twisty story with hilarious dialogue. I found myself swooning over the illustrations. I need to find more by both Hoban and Deacon!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews