What do you think?
Rate this book
Un/Fair
It's difficult enough to live in the neighborhood "freakazoid" house. It's even more difficult when you're autistic and neither your family nor best friend really understands you. So when Ryan November wakes up on his eleventh birthday with the unexpected ability to see the future, he braces himself for trouble. But even his newfound power doesn't anticipate that the fair folk--undines, salamanders, gnomes, and sylphs--want him dead, dead, dead. Ryan races to defend himself and his family against unrelenting danger from the fairy realm so he can uncover the truth about his family history--and himself. Except as Ryan's power grows, the more enticing the fairy realm becomes, forcing him to choose between order and chaos, power and family. And for an autistic boy, such choices are never cut and dry.
Steven Harper/Piziks is the author of multiple fantasy and science fiction novels written for adults, notably the Clockwork Empire and Silent Empire series for Roc as Steven Harper and movie novelizations and tie ins for Pocket Books as Steven Piziks (IDENTITY, THE EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING, GHOST WHISPERER: THE PLAUGE ROOM). He's also the father of an autistic son.
Steven Harper/Piziks is the author of multiple fantasy and science fiction novels written for adults, notably the Clockwork Empire and Silent Empire series for Roc as Steven Harper and movie novelizations and tie ins for Pocket Books as Steven Piziks (IDENTITY, THE EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING, GHOST WHISPERER: THE PLAUGE ROOM). He's also the father of an autistic son.
300 pages, ebook
First published September 6, 2016
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Steven Harper
57 books121 followersA pseudonym of Steven Piziks
Steven Harper Piziks was born with a name that no one can reliably spell or pronounce, so he often writes under the pen name Steven Harper. He lives in Michigan with his family. When not at the keyboard, he plays the folk harp, fiddles with video games, and pretends he doesn’t talk to the household cats. In the past, he’s held jobs as a reporter, theater producer, secretary, and substitute teacher. He maintains that the most interesting thing about him is that he writes books.
Steven is the creator of The Silent Empire series, the Clockwork Empire steampunk series, and the Books of Blood and Iron series for Roc Books. All four Silent Empire novels were finalists for the Spectrum Award, a first!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 15, 2016
I received this book for free from Chapter by Chapter in exchange for an honest review.
This was such an exciting children's/middle grade read! It was very creative and I think that it will definitely hold the attention of younger readers. I intend on reading this to my kids at bedtime!
If you've read the synopsis, you will know that the main character is an eleven year old boy with autism. Ryan's world is put right out there for you right from the first page. I love the diversity! And I love how the author spun the autism into the story giving it a fantastical origin. You really felt the main character's struggles with autism, and the struggles of those that love him while they deal with him having autism. We also get a small glimpse at social status in Ryan's best friend, Alison. She comes from a poor family, her family doesn't really pay much attention to her, and her father drank himself to death. So the book does encompass many stigmas.
The fantasy elements of the book were convincing and imaginative. The plot plays out quite nicely, and in such a way that I think young readers will be able to follow things without issues. There are details, but not so much as to overwhelm younger readers.
The characters were especially likable. I really enjoyed this book because the children in the book act like children. In many books, if something horrible happens the kids whip themselves into action immediately knowing what grown up thing needs to be done. When Ryan's parents and aunts disappear and there is impending danger to him and Alison, he doesn't know what to do. He is frightened and has to work through it, which is way more realistic. This IS a fantasy, but set in modern day. A typical eleven year old would be totally lost in the same situations that Ryan was in. I loved the way that the author handled this.
Overall, this book was fantastic! I have no doubt that young readers will love it, and I think that adult readers would enjoy it as well. I certainly did!
More reviews on my blog: The Alchemy of Ink
This was such an exciting children's/middle grade read! It was very creative and I think that it will definitely hold the attention of younger readers. I intend on reading this to my kids at bedtime!
If you've read the synopsis, you will know that the main character is an eleven year old boy with autism. Ryan's world is put right out there for you right from the first page. I love the diversity! And I love how the author spun the autism into the story giving it a fantastical origin. You really felt the main character's struggles with autism, and the struggles of those that love him while they deal with him having autism. We also get a small glimpse at social status in Ryan's best friend, Alison. She comes from a poor family, her family doesn't really pay much attention to her, and her father drank himself to death. So the book does encompass many stigmas.
The fantasy elements of the book were convincing and imaginative. The plot plays out quite nicely, and in such a way that I think young readers will be able to follow things without issues. There are details, but not so much as to overwhelm younger readers.
The characters were especially likable. I really enjoyed this book because the children in the book act like children. In many books, if something horrible happens the kids whip themselves into action immediately knowing what grown up thing needs to be done. When Ryan's parents and aunts disappear and there is impending danger to him and Alison, he doesn't know what to do. He is frightened and has to work through it, which is way more realistic. This IS a fantasy, but set in modern day. A typical eleven year old would be totally lost in the same situations that Ryan was in. I loved the way that the author handled this.
Overall, this book was fantastic! I have no doubt that young readers will love it, and I think that adult readers would enjoy it as well. I certainly did!
More reviews on my blog: The Alchemy of Ink
September 13, 2016
This review first appeared on my blog, Christy's Cozy Corners. I received a copy free for an honest review which I've given.
I loved this book so much more than I thought I would. un/FAIR is a middle grade book, and sometimes middle grade books end up being some of my favorite books. The ones that are just magical and filled with great characters just stick with you. This is one of those!
Ryan is an autistic boy who lives with his dad, his mom, and his 2 aunts (they’re his mom’s triplet sisters). When Ryan wakes up on his birthday, he can see the future! His only friend happens to be a girl who shares his birthday. Since Ryan is autistic, he likes order, so when things get chaotic, he doesn’t do well at all. Imagine waking up and being able to see the future…that’s not too ordered is it?!
Things get really crazy when the fair folk get involved. I don’t want to give away any of the surprises in this book, so I’ll just tell you that if you love fantastical books, you will love this story. The characters are very well thought out, and the action is so exciting! The interaction among the characters is also very endearing. The descriptive language makes the story come to life.
un/FAIR is a heartwarming and exciting book that your middle grade reader will love! I highly recommend you read it with them. You’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of it while spending some quality time with your child.
I loved this book so much more than I thought I would. un/FAIR is a middle grade book, and sometimes middle grade books end up being some of my favorite books. The ones that are just magical and filled with great characters just stick with you. This is one of those!
Ryan is an autistic boy who lives with his dad, his mom, and his 2 aunts (they’re his mom’s triplet sisters). When Ryan wakes up on his birthday, he can see the future! His only friend happens to be a girl who shares his birthday. Since Ryan is autistic, he likes order, so when things get chaotic, he doesn’t do well at all. Imagine waking up and being able to see the future…that’s not too ordered is it?!
Things get really crazy when the fair folk get involved. I don’t want to give away any of the surprises in this book, so I’ll just tell you that if you love fantastical books, you will love this story. The characters are very well thought out, and the action is so exciting! The interaction among the characters is also very endearing. The descriptive language makes the story come to life.
un/FAIR is a heartwarming and exciting book that your middle grade reader will love! I highly recommend you read it with them. You’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of it while spending some quality time with your child.
September 16, 2016
Read my full review for this title at: http://sofewbooks.blogspot.com/2016/0....
This is a very fun and enjoyable fantasy book! I don’t tend to be a big fan of middle grade fiction, but this was a notable exception. The fantasy elements of the story were very well developed without being overly complicated. The characters were, by and large, very fun and quite believable.
I loved that the story was seen through the eyes of a main character with autism. The thing that I disliked the most about this book, like almost all middle grade and young adult books, was how much Ryan and Alison hide from or neglected to tell his parents. Nonetheless, I found the story delightful and would completely recommend it for middle grade readers on up.
I received an electronic copy of this book free from Month9Books in exchange for an honest review.
This is a very fun and enjoyable fantasy book! I don’t tend to be a big fan of middle grade fiction, but this was a notable exception. The fantasy elements of the story were very well developed without being overly complicated. The characters were, by and large, very fun and quite believable.
I loved that the story was seen through the eyes of a main character with autism. The thing that I disliked the most about this book, like almost all middle grade and young adult books, was how much Ryan and Alison hide from or neglected to tell his parents. Nonetheless, I found the story delightful and would completely recommend it for middle grade readers on up.
I received an electronic copy of this book free from Month9Books in exchange for an honest review.
September 23, 2016
I received Un/Fair from LibraryThing in return for an honest review.
Today is Ryan November's and his only friend Allison's birthday. It turns out full of surprises and danger.
Sylphs, Red Cap Trolls, and fiery Salamanders are out to get him.
I liked this book. It was cute and full of twists. Some expected and some not so much. Great read for the 5th or 6th grader.
Today is Ryan November's and his only friend Allison's birthday. It turns out full of surprises and danger.
Sylphs, Red Cap Trolls, and fiery Salamanders are out to get him.
I liked this book. It was cute and full of twists. Some expected and some not so much. Great read for the 5th or 6th grader.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews