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Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods
A fantasy following a boy journeying away from the only home he’s ever known and into the magical realm of the dead in order to fulfill a bargain for his people.
Osmo Unknown hungers for the world beyond his small town. With the life that Littlebridge society has planned for him, the only taste Osmo will ever get are his visits to the edge of the Fourpenny Woods where his mother hunts. Until the unthinkable happens: his mother accidentally kills a Quidnunk, a fearsome and intelligent creature that lives deep in the forest.
None of this should have anything to do with poor Osmo, except that a strange treaty was once formed between the Quidnunx and the people of Littlebridge to ensure that neither group would harm the other. Now that a Quidnunk is dead, as the firstborn child of the hunter who killed her, Osmo must embark on a quest to find the Eightpenny Woods—the mysterious kingdom where all wild forest creatures go when they die—and make amends.
Accompanied by a very rude half-badger, half-wombat named Bonk and an antisocial pangolin girl called Never, it will take all of Osmo’s bravery and cleverness to survive the magic of the Eightpenny Woods to save his town…and make it out alive.
Osmo Unknown hungers for the world beyond his small town. With the life that Littlebridge society has planned for him, the only taste Osmo will ever get are his visits to the edge of the Fourpenny Woods where his mother hunts. Until the unthinkable happens: his mother accidentally kills a Quidnunk, a fearsome and intelligent creature that lives deep in the forest.
None of this should have anything to do with poor Osmo, except that a strange treaty was once formed between the Quidnunx and the people of Littlebridge to ensure that neither group would harm the other. Now that a Quidnunk is dead, as the firstborn child of the hunter who killed her, Osmo must embark on a quest to find the Eightpenny Woods—the mysterious kingdom where all wild forest creatures go when they die—and make amends.
Accompanied by a very rude half-badger, half-wombat named Bonk and an antisocial pangolin girl called Never, it will take all of Osmo’s bravery and cleverness to survive the magic of the Eightpenny Woods to save his town…and make it out alive.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published April 26, 2022
28 people are currently reading
3195 people want to read
About the author
Catherynne M. Valente
255 books7,775 followersCatherynne M. Valente was born on Cinco de Mayo, 1979 in Seattle, WA, but grew up in in the wheatgrass paradise of Northern California. She graduated from high school at age 15, going on to UC San Diego and Edinburgh University, receiving her B.A. in Classics with an emphasis in Ancient Greek Linguistics. She then drifted away from her M.A. program and into a long residence in the concrete and camphor wilds of Japan.
She currently lives in Maine with her partner, two dogs, and three cats, having drifted back to America and the mythic frontier of the Midwest.
She currently lives in Maine with her partner, two dogs, and three cats, having drifted back to America and the mythic frontier of the Midwest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
May 31, 2022
For any of you, who don't know yet, I'm an absolute Valente fangirl. Here's one example why.
In this newest book, we witness the matrimony of a valley and a forest. After a while, as happens often in a relationship, one side wants this while the other wants that. They also argue about the "children" a lot. Can't say I can fault the forest for its opinion.
Alas, eventually humans settle in the valley and a few hundred years later their hunters have killed almost everything that can be found in the forest. As they are growing more desperate for food, a foolish act leads to little Osmo having to be sold into marriage to a Queen. There is a slight hiccup to that though. *lol*
Thus, he meets creatures he thought were only inventions for colourful stories and goes on a perilious journey into and through the underworld, Persephone-style.
It's almost impossible to quantify any of Valente's stories, summarizing them usually is very tricky. There is just so much going on, so much to marvel at. Be it the enchanting writing style or the symbolism or the twist on well-known mythological elements or the endearing characters or the funny moments.
It's the same with this book.
There was tension, there was social commentary - but very subtly done - there was adventure, there was bravery, there was hilarity, there were lessons to be learned (no matter the reader's age).
And, as I've come to expect from this author, the writing in this was off the charts once again. It was absolutely gorgeous, rich, witty and strangely perfect for both young and old readers - I'm still convinced that the author is either a witch or has made a pact with some magical creature because this doesn't seem possible and yet she pulls it off again and again.
Talking animals (such as a certain, wonderfully grumpy badger or an involuntarily no-longer-solitary pangolin), a know-it-all boy, familiar mythological creatures that were just the right amount of different from how we know them already, and some flabbergasting worldbuilding have made this one of my new favorite books ever! Yes, this was even better than some of the Fairyland books and that is saying something!
A comment on the different editions: the audiobook is read by the author's partner, Heath Miller, who did a fantastic job. But, as is usual for stories that are important to me, I also got the hardcover and despite the illustrations in there only being black-and-white, it was very sweet and an appropriate amount of care went into the making of the book.
In this newest book, we witness the matrimony of a valley and a forest. After a while, as happens often in a relationship, one side wants this while the other wants that. They also argue about the "children" a lot. Can't say I can fault the forest for its opinion.
Alas, eventually humans settle in the valley and a few hundred years later their hunters have killed almost everything that can be found in the forest. As they are growing more desperate for food, a foolish act leads to little Osmo having to be sold into marriage to a Queen. There is a slight hiccup to that though. *lol*
Thus, he meets creatures he thought were only inventions for colourful stories and goes on a perilious journey into and through the underworld, Persephone-style.
It's almost impossible to quantify any of Valente's stories, summarizing them usually is very tricky. There is just so much going on, so much to marvel at. Be it the enchanting writing style or the symbolism or the twist on well-known mythological elements or the endearing characters or the funny moments.
It's the same with this book.
There was tension, there was social commentary - but very subtly done - there was adventure, there was bravery, there was hilarity, there were lessons to be learned (no matter the reader's age).
And, as I've come to expect from this author, the writing in this was off the charts once again. It was absolutely gorgeous, rich, witty and strangely perfect for both young and old readers - I'm still convinced that the author is either a witch or has made a pact with some magical creature because this doesn't seem possible and yet she pulls it off again and again.
Talking animals (such as a certain, wonderfully grumpy badger or an involuntarily no-longer-solitary pangolin), a know-it-all boy, familiar mythological creatures that were just the right amount of different from how we know them already, and some flabbergasting worldbuilding have made this one of my new favorite books ever! Yes, this was even better than some of the Fairyland books and that is saying something!
A comment on the different editions: the audiobook is read by the author's partner, Heath Miller, who did a fantastic job. But, as is usual for stories that are important to me, I also got the hardcover and despite the illustrations in there only being black-and-white, it was very sweet and an appropriate amount of care went into the making of the book.
May 31, 2022
Yes, Valente did it again. In quite the same vein as The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making with a very different story and worldbuilding, she still draws in so much mythology, such wonderful characters, and an adventure so beautiful and heartbreaking and so... CUTE that I'm honestly rather shocked.
I shouldn't be shocked. Truly. I've been a fan of Valente for so long that this should be second hat, this fanboying I do, but I'm still shocked.
It's a love story between a valley (where the humans live) and the forest (where the others live). The rules are simple, assuming you are taught them, and even if you aren't, the rules are still there. Is it fairyland? Yes, if you go by the mushrooms. But it's also Greek in the truly delightful Persephone tale.
And more, it's the characters, poor little Osmo, and his new, if unwilling, friends. It's the truly heartwarming/heartbreaking characters that I love the most. The writing, of course, is sooo damn good the way only Valente writes it, but the whole book is greater than the sum of its parts.
that is truly heartwarming/heartbreaking. I love them all. And my god... the twist... the book pulled off a wonderful kind of alchemy within itself and me. :)
Do I recommend?
Hell yes! :)
I shouldn't be shocked. Truly. I've been a fan of Valente for so long that this should be second hat, this fanboying I do, but I'm still shocked.
It's a love story between a valley (where the humans live) and the forest (where the others live). The rules are simple, assuming you are taught them, and even if you aren't, the rules are still there. Is it fairyland? Yes, if you go by the mushrooms. But it's also Greek in the truly delightful Persephone tale.
And more, it's the characters, poor little Osmo, and his new, if unwilling, friends. It's the truly heartwarming/heartbreaking characters that I love the most. The writing, of course, is sooo damn good the way only Valente writes it, but the whole book is greater than the sum of its parts.
that is truly heartwarming/heartbreaking. I love them all. And my god... the twist... the book pulled off a wonderful kind of alchemy within itself and me. :)
Do I recommend?
Hell yes! :)
August 2, 2022
DNF - 100 pages. Valente's children's books aren't doing it for me; this is the third I've tried, and the least tolerable of the bunch. They're a weird mix of coy, twee, and condescending; the book version of a manic pixie dream girl but marketed for children.
Valente seems acutely conscious throughout that she's writing a book for children and sets her considerable imagination to work making things whimsical. And so there is whimsy, whimsy at the cost of plot movement and gravity, danger, and characterization, as if children couldn't actually handle those things, so here, have some colorful mushroom houses and badger-wombat-skunk things instead.
There's a scene that should be profoundly somber - a life has been taken, and a life is required to pay for it - and you have a skadgebat joking, "I was only having a bit of fun. Of course humans exist. All the worst things really do insist on existing. Ugh! If it's something nice you'd like to have round for dinner? That's when you know it's a myth. Nawp. I just wanted to see if you would lie about the deep-down, vital-est, most essential facts of your whole idiot existence just to avoid paying the bill after you've feasted where you oughtn't."
I don't even disagree with its assessment of humans, but suddenly this scene - a major inflection point for our hero - is a farce, and a long-winded one. It actually reminds me, in the worst of ways, of Space Opera.
Possibly I would have found the narration condescending even as a child. The narrator says things like, "I suspect you will have guessed it by now, though. You've got just that sort of clever mind. You knew you'd come to something important because I took such a lot of time to tell you all about what it looked like and smelled like and sounded like."
This is as close as I've ever come to having my cheeks figuratively pinched and I. Do. Not. Like. It.
I grew up with Lloyd Alexander and Diana Wynne Jones, and I know from Frances Hardinge and Franny Billingsley and Neil Gaiman that middle grade fantasy can still be scary, wise, clever, and fun. Osmo the Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods is none of those things. I have no interest in the story and, at page 100, have had enough whimsy for at least the next month.
Valente seems acutely conscious throughout that she's writing a book for children and sets her considerable imagination to work making things whimsical. And so there is whimsy, whimsy at the cost of plot movement and gravity, danger, and characterization, as if children couldn't actually handle those things, so here, have some colorful mushroom houses and badger-wombat-skunk things instead.
There's a scene that should be profoundly somber - a life has been taken, and a life is required to pay for it - and you have a skadgebat joking, "I was only having a bit of fun. Of course humans exist. All the worst things really do insist on existing. Ugh! If it's something nice you'd like to have round for dinner? That's when you know it's a myth. Nawp. I just wanted to see if you would lie about the deep-down, vital-est, most essential facts of your whole idiot existence just to avoid paying the bill after you've feasted where you oughtn't."
I don't even disagree with its assessment of humans, but suddenly this scene - a major inflection point for our hero - is a farce, and a long-winded one. It actually reminds me, in the worst of ways, of Space Opera.
Possibly I would have found the narration condescending even as a child. The narrator says things like, "I suspect you will have guessed it by now, though. You've got just that sort of clever mind. You knew you'd come to something important because I took such a lot of time to tell you all about what it looked like and smelled like and sounded like."
This is as close as I've ever come to having my cheeks figuratively pinched and I. Do. Not. Like. It.
I grew up with Lloyd Alexander and Diana Wynne Jones, and I know from Frances Hardinge and Franny Billingsley and Neil Gaiman that middle grade fantasy can still be scary, wise, clever, and fun. Osmo the Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods is none of those things. I have no interest in the story and, at page 100, have had enough whimsy for at least the next month.
June 22, 2022
I have a feeling I'll enjoy this one even more on reread.
I love Catherynne M. Valente so much. Her works are whimsical and dense and imaginative and full of vibrant places and beautiful characters. OSMO is all of those things.
I will say that I found this one to have the same ingredients as THE FAIRYLAND SERIES, but with a plot that was a little more wandering and less defined. For that reason, I find that if FAIRYLAND was right on the edge of the whimsy you can withstand, this might be just over the edge? We are still getting from point A to point B in both, but there was something sort of nebulous about the journey in OSMO.
It also started a little slow. It took a while to start the journey and assemble the companions. It was about 40% of the way through that things really came together for me and that I also realized that I loved the characters.
I think the best way to describe this is "a young boy goes on a coming of age journey along with grumpiness and loneliness." And it was excellent.
April 15, 2022
trigger warning
The rules are simple: Do not eat what can talk. Do not kill one of theirs. Or there will be consequences.
It's been so long since the last breach that nobody even remembers the treaty, so when Osmo's mother accidentally kills a quidnunc, everyone is surprised when a mushroom sprouts to take him.
So many thoughts that need to be gathered. Let's start with the narration.
If you've read The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, you know what to expect. If not: The narrator breaks the fourth wall to address the reader directly, which makes it feel like you're sitting down, maybe around a fire, and somebody spins a yarn. It feels intimate. Promises are made and kept, but not in the way you'd expect it.
Mushrooms. This book is so cottagecore that it's not steampunk, it's mushroompunk. As in: You don't have technology, you have mushrooms, and if you ask nicely, they might work for you, for a bit. Need to cook? Mushrooms. Need to travel? Mushrooms.
And since you're in a forest, they're everywhere. Reminded me a bit of One Piece and the land above the clouds, where they have mussels and conches that can do stuff.
Wolpertinger. German word, meaning a creature of many parts. A taxidermist's joke, they are: Body of a hare, antlers of a deer, feet of ducks, and what else you can scrounge up. Only the animals in here have usually two natures. Osmo himself is introduced as a motter, part monkey part otter, because the thought of having a human in the forest is so weird.
Works perfect as a standalone, but the world has so much stories that could be told. A publisher
s dream.
All in all, one of the best books I've read so far this year, if not the best. Will have to buy my own copy because this arc will run out. And then I can have the pictures that have been missing in my edition.
Cat, I love you, as a friend.
The arc was provided by the publisher.
The rules are simple: Do not eat what can talk. Do not kill one of theirs. Or there will be consequences.
It's been so long since the last breach that nobody even remembers the treaty, so when Osmo's mother accidentally kills a quidnunc, everyone is surprised when a mushroom sprouts to take him.
So many thoughts that need to be gathered. Let's start with the narration.
If you've read The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, you know what to expect. If not: The narrator breaks the fourth wall to address the reader directly, which makes it feel like you're sitting down, maybe around a fire, and somebody spins a yarn. It feels intimate. Promises are made and kept, but not in the way you'd expect it.
Mushrooms. This book is so cottagecore that it's not steampunk, it's mushroompunk. As in: You don't have technology, you have mushrooms, and if you ask nicely, they might work for you, for a bit. Need to cook? Mushrooms. Need to travel? Mushrooms.
And since you're in a forest, they're everywhere. Reminded me a bit of One Piece and the land above the clouds, where they have mussels and conches that can do stuff.
Wolpertinger. German word, meaning a creature of many parts. A taxidermist's joke, they are: Body of a hare, antlers of a deer, feet of ducks, and what else you can scrounge up. Only the animals in here have usually two natures. Osmo himself is introduced as a motter, part monkey part otter, because the thought of having a human in the forest is so weird.
Works perfect as a standalone, but the world has so much stories that could be told. A publisher
s dream.
All in all, one of the best books I've read so far this year, if not the best. Will have to buy my own copy because this arc will run out. And then I can have the pictures that have been missing in my edition.
Cat, I love you, as a friend.
The arc was provided by the publisher.
Read
December 7, 2022I like a bit of mystification in children's books. I think it helps you avoid growing up to be the sort of person who comments "wtf did I just read" in Goodreads reviews. Something about the vague/unknowable/difficult-to-grasp in children's books can be quite salutary, I mean.
That being said, I don't think Valente gives the mystification quite enough payoff here. The point is to make the reader think that there are things in the world she doesn't quite understand yet, not that the writer has a tendency to blather.
But, Bonk the Cross was an absolute delight. His stripeyness! And the acknowledgements made me cry (this is not unprecedented for me, but still).
That being said, I don't think Valente gives the mystification quite enough payoff here. The point is to make the reader think that there are things in the world she doesn't quite understand yet, not that the writer has a tendency to blather.
But, Bonk the Cross was an absolute delight. His stripeyness! And the acknowledgements made me cry (this is not unprecedented for me, but still).
June 16, 2022
I hoped for a reading experience more like what I had with Valente’s ‘Fairyland’ series, but that was not to be. At least there is slightly less of the overused prose stylings Valente is so well known for and has drenched her recent novels in - much to my dismay - as that cutesy shit (it is a skill, but come on already!) gets tiring when there is no plot to balance it. This book is chock full of neat ideas and concepts and fantastical details but they get tiring eventually since they don't connect (it's alike an encyclopedia for fun), and I grew to dread every “and” that I came across since it usually meant another of the endless examples of whatever thing Valente was describing, in exhaustive detail, just so we remember how imaginative the entire enterprise is. We get it, ad nauseam. I don’t need or want a Dictionary of Differences, or whatever Valente might want to call it (she would surely have something more wow! to title such a book than this). I want a STORY. And one that isn’t constantly stopping to re-re-reiterate how amazingly different and magical and quite-possibly-real-not-fiction the ideas put forth in the story are for all its readers by listing another slew of things, colors, concepts, animals, creatures, etc. for me to slog through. Honestly, the book wore on me when almost right off we get this lameass YA insta-crush with Osmo and Ivy, the latter of this un-duo just humoring the former, the former being so weird - obviously! because our protagonist just has to be the stereotypical Child Who Doesn’t Belong, quiet, reads a lot, thinks, dresses a 'certain way', resists authority, pines for acceptance they don’t want but actually believe they need, etc. etc. etc. - that he doesn’t see he is being humored. Quite a lot of trope-y, and that’s not good. I could have done without the incessant dialogue, it just goes on and on, and while it has its funny and witty and smarty bits, eventually they get tiring - in the vein of “too much of a good thing” - and just give the impression the author is going to excessive lengths to prove their already-well-known chops for these things. The narrative was an awkward mix of Middle Grade fantasy/quest - which takes skill and craft to do well, as Valente has proven elsewhere - and YA/Adult morality fable, and I don't do YA silliness. Overall, it is too much to take on in the narrative, I think, and the unevenness hints at this genre-sprawl often. I am beginning to worry about Young Adults and Adults, who seem to need their ugly, honest truths couched in heavy-handed or cutesy metaphors for them to sink in and take root. I don’t mind metaphor and allegory, but as an intelligent adult I found a lot of this book to be frighteningly simplistic and a bit too either-or with the issues it incorporates. From a Middle Grade perspective, the story works reasonably well - who doesn’t like talking animals?!? - but the fantasy-fun of the worldbuilding and questing is too scattered, and then the story swerves into more complex things - seemingly to court the adult fan base of Valente, of which I am a member, mostly - and loses its fun and magical feel with the forced smartness and morality-pushing tone. I am reminded of Stephen King, who tirelessly and unnecessarily continues to beat his readers over the head with his anti-#45 rants. We get it, Steve, you hate what #45 stands for, and whether or not all your readers do too, we don’t need any more reminders. Really, we don’t. I think once a author has established their politics, like Valente obviously has, they need to find more imaginative or tangential or complex ways to utilize their stances, because I get bored with reading how Valente thinks, again, in the same way, in every book. I agree with Valente, but I don’t read fiction to agree or disagree with the author’s politics, I read fiction for stories. Always the stories. And this book has a rather cool idea that had potential to be truly magical but just gets lost in the, um, woods somewhere. I finished it because I just skimmed over the rat-a-tat-tat-repetitive dialogue and numerous lists of whatever quality or essence or feeling was being over-described, which pared the pages down more than I expected, or wanted, honestly. Valente has a great gift for language permutations, but I think she overuses that talent to the expense of developing the plot. Most of her fans love it, seemingly, and while I respect an artist at work, when they make it look too easy the shine starts to wear off. The icing goes on top of the cake, so to speak. It is entirely possible that I am too old and jaded and angry and sad and frustrated to enjoy the message here, but I would say that I am not. It just takes something truly special to break through, and this tale doesn’t quite do that for me. It is too much and not enough, and if that doesn’t make any sense to you then I can’t help by explaining it differently.
May 6, 2022
At this point I will read just about anything that Catherynne Valente writes -- she's a fantastically creative writer and I love almost all of her work. "Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods" is aimed at a younger audience, but still shows a phenomenal amount of imagination, loving and sly nods to classical mythology, and while it does explore weighty issues like death and gender expectations, it's still a lot of fun.
Osmo is bored of his life in the village of Littlebridge, and longs for an adventure somewhere else... anywhere else. But when his mother kills a Quidnuk, one of the mysterious creatures that lives in the Fourpenny Woods bordering his town, Osmo is demanded as a price and must go into the Woods and marry the ghost of the dead Quidnuk to balance things out. Accompanied by a grouchy skunk/badger/wombat hybrid named Bonk and an antisocial pangolin-girl named Nevermore, he embarks on a dangerous but wondrous journey to the Underworld, and uncovers some truths about himself and the past of his village along the way...
Valente has a knack for weaving elements of world mythologies -- both the most famous examples (like the myth of Persephone) and more obscure ones -- with all-new and fresh elements, creating something fantastic and wondrous. I've noticed that her language has evolved as time has gone on -- either that or she's streamlined some of her more ornate prose for a younger audience -- but the writing and tone of this book still manages to straddle that border between dark and enchanting very well, and gives it the feel of a folktale while still feeling new and accessible.
The characters can start off as a little abrasive -- Bonk insults everyone, Never is prickly, and even Osmo can come across as a bit of a know-it-all. But they're not so abrasive as to be completely unlikable, and even manage to be sympathetic. And as the book progresses each sees some wonderful development, until they feel like old friends by the end of the story.
This book also isn't afraid to tackle issues like death, society's expectations of boys and girls, and generational trauma, though never in such a way that it feels preachy. And honestly, some of these issues desperately need to be discussed, even in a fantasy novel.
"Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods" is another phenomenal work by Valente, and belongs up there with her best-known work The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. And while aimed at younger readers, it's still very much worth reading by all ages.
Osmo is bored of his life in the village of Littlebridge, and longs for an adventure somewhere else... anywhere else. But when his mother kills a Quidnuk, one of the mysterious creatures that lives in the Fourpenny Woods bordering his town, Osmo is demanded as a price and must go into the Woods and marry the ghost of the dead Quidnuk to balance things out. Accompanied by a grouchy skunk/badger/wombat hybrid named Bonk and an antisocial pangolin-girl named Nevermore, he embarks on a dangerous but wondrous journey to the Underworld, and uncovers some truths about himself and the past of his village along the way...
Valente has a knack for weaving elements of world mythologies -- both the most famous examples (like the myth of Persephone) and more obscure ones -- with all-new and fresh elements, creating something fantastic and wondrous. I've noticed that her language has evolved as time has gone on -- either that or she's streamlined some of her more ornate prose for a younger audience -- but the writing and tone of this book still manages to straddle that border between dark and enchanting very well, and gives it the feel of a folktale while still feeling new and accessible.
The characters can start off as a little abrasive -- Bonk insults everyone, Never is prickly, and even Osmo can come across as a bit of a know-it-all. But they're not so abrasive as to be completely unlikable, and even manage to be sympathetic. And as the book progresses each sees some wonderful development, until they feel like old friends by the end of the story.
This book also isn't afraid to tackle issues like death, society's expectations of boys and girls, and generational trauma, though never in such a way that it feels preachy. And honestly, some of these issues desperately need to be discussed, even in a fantasy novel.
"Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods" is another phenomenal work by Valente, and belongs up there with her best-known work The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. And while aimed at younger readers, it's still very much worth reading by all ages.
May 4, 2022
Valente does it again! Very much in the vein of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, and with more than a few references to Greek, Norse and Egyptian mythology, this book is an exploration of relationships with our families, friends and acquaintances, and how past hurts can change how we behave towards others. Some people become hard and expect others to become it too, other people get loud and rude, and sometimes, people make themselves small and follow all the rules even when it makes them unhappy.
It's also an interesting look at old grudges, held over generations, and how to break the cycle with mutual understanding. Valente does this with magic, gorgeous fantasy worlds and creatures, but the message is quite clear.
As usual, her writing is clever and beautiful, and her characters are distinct and full of life. If you've never read any of her works, the beginning reminded me vaguely of Gaiman's Stardust. Always looking forward to picking up her next book.
It's also an interesting look at old grudges, held over generations, and how to break the cycle with mutual understanding. Valente does this with magic, gorgeous fantasy worlds and creatures, but the message is quite clear.
As usual, her writing is clever and beautiful, and her characters are distinct and full of life. If you've never read any of her works, the beginning reminded me vaguely of Gaiman's Stardust. Always looking forward to picking up her next book.
September 19, 2023
Well that's five hours of my reading life I'm never getting back, most of which felt like a none-too-great drug trip. But then, I've never really "got" other books by Catherynne M. Valente that I've read. I think I'm not on the same wavelength.
30% in and yea gods what was the author smoking when she came up with this one.?
30% in and yea gods what was the author smoking when she came up with this one.?
May 31, 2024
I loved this book so much and it will haunt me for years. Definitely a pandemic book. I cried and laughed and enjoyed making up voices. Can't give good CNs bc I read it aloud over weeks with friends but there's definitely some autonomy stuff, and significant other potential triggers .
September 22, 2023
A little too young for me tbh, but someone who loves middle grade would probably think it's cute.
July 3, 2022
An astonishing middle grade filled with fantasy and journeys galore.
August 8, 2022
When your 12 year-old says, "mom, you gotta read this book!" You do it. Super imaginative world with vivid characters. Would be a great read aloud for families! Me and my kiddo had lots to talk about ❤
October 20, 2022
S/M Wild lands Interstate 999900 ???
Definitely has a The Santaroga Barrier vibe to it. So many other books too.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2022/comm...
Definitely has a The Santaroga Barrier vibe to it. So many other books too.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2022/comm...
March 27, 2022
One of those rare books that you want to tumble into entirely, head to tail, or tattoo yourself in honor of it so that it is always and forever a part of your very being. Valente plays with words and world building with a skill like Terry Pratchett (RIP) and can weave a mythic story that makes you hold your very breath as you read. For those who read it and really *get it,* this will be a book they come to again and again in either re-readings or as a formative building block of their core imagination. Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC, I'm off to pre-order a hardback & kindle copy so I always have a copy to hand.
March 9, 2022
This was a delight. The narration was welcome and did not overstay. The writing was superb. It was a long book but it never felt long because the reader was part of the journey and understood the importance of each step. One of the best books I have read in awhile.
June 29, 2022
Did I cry at that ending? Absolutely. Did I cry at a lot of other small things along the way? OMG yes
June 1, 2022
A love story with consequences, Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods is the tale of a young boy who finally gets the adventure he has been hoping for, but at a larger (and odder) cost than he may have expected.
Once again Valente proves that she is more than capable of creating characters with amazing depth. Osmo, Bonk, and Never are just the tip of the iceberg in this smorgasbord of peculiar individuals. I can easily see young readers (and young at heart readers) connecting with the quirks that Bonk and Never portray. I found myself cheering them along even as they pushed back against the world and each other.
If you have read Valente's Fairyland books, you won't be surprised to learn that Osmo Unknown is also filled with unexpected twists and turns, but you will be delighted by where those twists take you. Sometimes we all just need a slight step to the left to change our perspective.
I recommend this book to young readers who enjoy a fantastical tale that doesn't speak down to them. Or to more mature readers who like a bit of whimsy in their daring adventure reads.
Once again Valente proves that she is more than capable of creating characters with amazing depth. Osmo, Bonk, and Never are just the tip of the iceberg in this smorgasbord of peculiar individuals. I can easily see young readers (and young at heart readers) connecting with the quirks that Bonk and Never portray. I found myself cheering them along even as they pushed back against the world and each other.
If you have read Valente's Fairyland books, you won't be surprised to learn that Osmo Unknown is also filled with unexpected twists and turns, but you will be delighted by where those twists take you. Sometimes we all just need a slight step to the left to change our perspective.
I recommend this book to young readers who enjoy a fantastical tale that doesn't speak down to them. Or to more mature readers who like a bit of whimsy in their daring adventure reads.
September 20, 2023
2023 Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book finalist
Like many books published in 2022, this was written during the COVID lockdown and it shows. Valente has written a delightful fairy tale meant to soothe some of our anxieties. The book does much more than that, though, examining a number of topics such as our relationships with family and friends, dealing with difficult, tricky people, and facing challenges. The plot is a quest by 13-year-old Osmo Unknown where he meets an odd and eclectic assortment of beings in a wide variety of settings. The book is filled with humor, but never forgets the serious issues it's talking about. The book starts and ends quite strong, with perhaps a small lull towards the middle as Valente works to make sure all the pieces are in place for the conclusion. All in all, this is a fun story with a meaningful moral.
Like many books published in 2022, this was written during the COVID lockdown and it shows. Valente has written a delightful fairy tale meant to soothe some of our anxieties. The book does much more than that, though, examining a number of topics such as our relationships with family and friends, dealing with difficult, tricky people, and facing challenges. The plot is a quest by 13-year-old Osmo Unknown where he meets an odd and eclectic assortment of beings in a wide variety of settings. The book is filled with humor, but never forgets the serious issues it's talking about. The book starts and ends quite strong, with perhaps a small lull towards the middle as Valente works to make sure all the pieces are in place for the conclusion. All in all, this is a fun story with a meaningful moral.
January 11, 2025
It's hard not to compare to her Fairyland series as there are similar themes and which I enjoyed better, but this is still rather good.
At times Never wore on me, but ultimately I liked her and I read her as a several possible representations of various 'outsiders'/marginalized identities. However, Bonk was always fantastic. Double chess was brilliant.
I started this out in print, borrowed from the library, and as I was reading I thought, "this would be great as an audiobook." Turned out that my copy became overdue and I was able to switch to an audio format. The accent for Bonk was excellent, my brain had not done it justice, although I hadn't gotten to much of his character in print.
At times Never wore on me, but ultimately I liked her and I read her as a several possible representations of various 'outsiders'/marginalized identities. However, Bonk was always fantastic. Double chess was brilliant.
I started this out in print, borrowed from the library, and as I was reading I thought, "this would be great as an audiobook." Turned out that my copy became overdue and I was able to switch to an audio format. The accent for Bonk was excellent, my brain had not done it justice, although I hadn't gotten to much of his character in print.
January 11, 2024
I don't know exactly why I didn't love this. I liked it, I thought the idea was unique and the characters were fun. I even think I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys cute fantasy, I just didn't particularly love this for no good reason.
June 19, 2024
I don’t really want to talk about it. What’s completely true is I finished this book crying in a hotel lobby in New York City, and I can’t wait to give a copy away next week to a person I think might feel the same way about it.
May 11, 2022
An absolutely wonderful read. I was so ridiculously hyped for this book & it didn’t let me down!
Cat pitches it as “gender bent Persephone with big gender feels”.
Sadly this didn’t get a big push from the publisher
:(
Highly recommended!
A fantastic middle grade from the author of “The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making” AKA my favourite series of all time.
The narration, the writing, the characters… a must read for kids and adults alike!
The audiobook is narrated by Heath Miller and he did a smashing job - put his whole heart and soul into it.
The acknowledgements are 100% worth the read. My heart… <3
Cat pitches it as “gender bent Persephone with big gender feels”.
Sadly this didn’t get a big push from the publisher
:(
Highly recommended!
A fantastic middle grade from the author of “The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making” AKA my favourite series of all time.
The narration, the writing, the characters… a must read for kids and adults alike!
The audiobook is narrated by Heath Miller and he did a smashing job - put his whole heart and soul into it.
The acknowledgements are 100% worth the read. My heart… <3
September 7, 2022
4.5 stars. This was wise, and sweet, and witty, and hysterically funny. I'm not sure which I liked more: Valente's writing or her husband's narration! Heath Miller clearly was enjoying himself as he read.
This is a middle-grade book, but was quite enjoyable for an adult to read. It explored themes of belonging (or not), societal stratification, bullying, kindness, and got pretty deep at times. I did love the snarkiness of Bonk the Cross (the Skadgebat), and deeply identified with him! His insults were highly creative. I may take to calling annoying people "great muddy whales" or perhaps "boiled turnip". I also had great empathy for Never the Pangirlin, and her deep desire to just be left alone.
This is a middle-grade book, but was quite enjoyable for an adult to read. It explored themes of belonging (or not), societal stratification, bullying, kindness, and got pretty deep at times. I did love the snarkiness of Bonk the Cross (the Skadgebat), and deeply identified with him! His insults were highly creative. I may take to calling annoying people "great muddy whales" or perhaps "boiled turnip". I also had great empathy for Never the Pangirlin, and her deep desire to just be left alone.
January 25, 2023
Highly recommend. I don’t think an Acknowledgment section has ever made me cry before
October 1, 2023
I enjoyed this, a much-needed breath of fresh air. The turns of phrase and whimsy are lovely and the story uplifting.
September 22, 2022
Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods is a Middle Grade children's book, which deals - tenderly and with compassion - chiefly with the theme of generational trauma, drawing on the Persephone myth and Finnish folkloric influences.
This wonderful, moving novel does not lend itself to a standard synopsis-followed-by-stream-of-feedback review (or even my slightly random version thereof!); not that there isn't a lot to say, but that most of what I want to say (beyond "read it immediately!") is for the ears of those who've read it themselves. I would not wish to spoil the very intimate experience of reading this book by giving specific details away; suffice to say I would recommend it to anyone as a rich and meaningful story worth engaging deeply with. Indeed, it is a story for immersing in, reflecting on, and thence sharing as quickly and widely as may be! With its colourful bestiary of characters and enchanting world building I feel it would be a perfect school project or young person's book club pick. Its depth and its significance to the human experience merit repeat reading; children and adults alike will peel away layers of meaning on their return, for the author's use of foreshadowing and symbolism is masterful.
If I could compare Valente's narrative to something it would be the art of kintsugi; this is a story of the struggle to repair a broken world, and it does not pretend that such a feat is trivial or leaves no scars. The friendships are not "easy" either, but hard-won and all the fiercer for it. The author's wise whimsy - so alive in The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and The Glass Town Game - is recognisable here also, but balanced against the gravity of the crisis stimulus and all its complex root causes.
This book will probably hurt your feelings, but it will also validate them. A transitional, liberating, cathartic, interactive, empathetic, and heart-wrenchingly-hopeful story. I was aflood with tears toward the end (we're talking several chapters still to go) but felt so enriched by the experience.
Content Warnings
Selected Quotes
“And feeling someone else's feelings...' Never replied softly. 'It's still lonely, but it's so much bigger than lonely. It's not hitting five people or one with the trolley but flying it off the tracks into the stars and sparing them all.”
“Ancestors. Ghosts. Ghosts we're still married to even though we can't see so much as their shadows on the ground. We're no better than pieces on squares, in a game the past plays with the future.”
“How dare they speak so unkindly of stories? Stories never did anything to them! Stories are only here to love you and look after you and show you a good time… Stories don’t even ask anything in return but not to have grape juice spilled on them, and, every once in a while, to be thought of fondly, years and years after you shut their covers.”
This wonderful, moving novel does not lend itself to a standard synopsis-followed-by-stream-of-feedback review (or even my slightly random version thereof!); not that there isn't a lot to say, but that most of what I want to say (beyond "read it immediately!") is for the ears of those who've read it themselves. I would not wish to spoil the very intimate experience of reading this book by giving specific details away; suffice to say I would recommend it to anyone as a rich and meaningful story worth engaging deeply with. Indeed, it is a story for immersing in, reflecting on, and thence sharing as quickly and widely as may be! With its colourful bestiary of characters and enchanting world building I feel it would be a perfect school project or young person's book club pick. Its depth and its significance to the human experience merit repeat reading; children and adults alike will peel away layers of meaning on their return, for the author's use of foreshadowing and symbolism is masterful.
If I could compare Valente's narrative to something it would be the art of kintsugi; this is a story of the struggle to repair a broken world, and it does not pretend that such a feat is trivial or leaves no scars. The friendships are not "easy" either, but hard-won and all the fiercer for it. The author's wise whimsy - so alive in The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and The Glass Town Game - is recognisable here also, but balanced against the gravity of the crisis stimulus and all its complex root causes.
This book will probably hurt your feelings, but it will also validate them. A transitional, liberating, cathartic, interactive, empathetic, and heart-wrenchingly-hopeful story. I was aflood with tears toward the end (we're talking several chapters still to go) but felt so enriched by the experience.
Content Warnings
Selected Quotes
“And feeling someone else's feelings...' Never replied softly. 'It's still lonely, but it's so much bigger than lonely. It's not hitting five people or one with the trolley but flying it off the tracks into the stars and sparing them all.”
“Ancestors. Ghosts. Ghosts we're still married to even though we can't see so much as their shadows on the ground. We're no better than pieces on squares, in a game the past plays with the future.”
“How dare they speak so unkindly of stories? Stories never did anything to them! Stories are only here to love you and look after you and show you a good time… Stories don’t even ask anything in return but not to have grape juice spilled on them, and, every once in a while, to be thought of fondly, years and years after you shut their covers.”
August 13, 2023
This author tends to be a "marmite" author--you either love her or hate her. I've liked her, especially at shorter lengths--her novellas
Comfort Me With Apples
and
The Refrigerator Monologues
are worth checking out--but I bounced off the full-length work of hers I attempted, the gonzo, over-the-top
Space Opera.
The latter was a high-concept tale (Eurovision, the European singing contest, in space) that might have made for a compelling story if the author had toned down her paragraph-length sentences and thesaurus vomitus writing style. I know a lot of people liked it, but I couldn't get into it.
But this book surprised me by being what Space Opera could have been, to my mind, if the author had exercised some restraint. I chalk that up to its intended audience: this is a middle-grade fable/fantasy, with the titular Osmo Unknown an ordinary boy (even though he lives in a village that is slanted just a bit sideways from our reality) who gets thrown into some extraordinary adventures. Valente's lyrical, lush writing style is still in evidence, with considerably more digestibility:
The moon rode high in the sky. It shivered off its red haze and turned big and silver and flat as a bony kneecap. Its surprised, gap-mouthed face stared down at him as it moved through the stars.
There are whole other worlds that lie just outside Osmo's village of Littlebridge, and a history that goes back farther than he ever knew:
Once upon a time, in the beginning of the world, a certain peculiar Forest fell in love with a deep, craggy Valley.
This one sentence is the key to the entire book, and the author makes good on the promise of it. She reveals it slowly and steadily throughout the book, along with fantastical creatures (another main character is Bonk, a skunk/badger/wombat cross, or "skadgebat") and even more fantastical worlds. There are myths and monsters, paper seas and "pangirlins," and through it all Osmo has to navigate this impossible quest his mother inadvertently sent him on and make it back to his village. Along the way he untangles the treaty that threatens Littlebridge, reconciles the Forest and the Valley, learns about himself, and makes the friends he never had in Littlebridge.
The only reason I didn't rate this higher is that the author almost fell prey to her "space-opera" syndrome through the middle of the book: the pacing was off and there were a few too many fantastical worlds for Osmo and his companions to tumble through. But I hope the author can use this more straightforward and disciplined writing style for future books. I could have finished Space Opera, and definitely appreciated it more, if it had been written like this.
But this book surprised me by being what Space Opera could have been, to my mind, if the author had exercised some restraint. I chalk that up to its intended audience: this is a middle-grade fable/fantasy, with the titular Osmo Unknown an ordinary boy (even though he lives in a village that is slanted just a bit sideways from our reality) who gets thrown into some extraordinary adventures. Valente's lyrical, lush writing style is still in evidence, with considerably more digestibility:
The moon rode high in the sky. It shivered off its red haze and turned big and silver and flat as a bony kneecap. Its surprised, gap-mouthed face stared down at him as it moved through the stars.
There are whole other worlds that lie just outside Osmo's village of Littlebridge, and a history that goes back farther than he ever knew:
Once upon a time, in the beginning of the world, a certain peculiar Forest fell in love with a deep, craggy Valley.
This one sentence is the key to the entire book, and the author makes good on the promise of it. She reveals it slowly and steadily throughout the book, along with fantastical creatures (another main character is Bonk, a skunk/badger/wombat cross, or "skadgebat") and even more fantastical worlds. There are myths and monsters, paper seas and "pangirlins," and through it all Osmo has to navigate this impossible quest his mother inadvertently sent him on and make it back to his village. Along the way he untangles the treaty that threatens Littlebridge, reconciles the Forest and the Valley, learns about himself, and makes the friends he never had in Littlebridge.
The only reason I didn't rate this higher is that the author almost fell prey to her "space-opera" syndrome through the middle of the book: the pacing was off and there were a few too many fantastical worlds for Osmo and his companions to tumble through. But I hope the author can use this more straightforward and disciplined writing style for future books. I could have finished Space Opera, and definitely appreciated it more, if it had been written like this.
October 11, 2023
A story of legend and myth come to life in a fairy tale forest, where animals talk and mushrooms can do the most fantastical things. Dense and wordy, clever and witty, and, most of all, full of character and heart. It's a story about identity and division, ingrained fear and hatred. It's a quest to the land of the dead full of encounters with monsters and a myriad of strange creatures. It's a cross-cultural immersion experience. It is delightful.
One of Osmo's assigned companions is astoundingly cantankerous:
One of Osmo's assigned companions is astoundingly cantankerous:
"But no one listens to Bonk the Cross on account of how I am rude and they don't like me. But I enjoy being rude more than I enjoy company, so they can stuff it. You, young sir, are clearly part monkey and part otter, and while, yes, 'motters' are rare, they're hardly anything to throw a party about. Believe me! I am really and truly never ever wrong, ask anybody. If I am wrong, it's only that I'm wrong just now. Wait a bit, and you'll see I'm right in the end. And if I'm still wrong, you just haven't waited long enough, so give it another few years." . . .The other is a determined isolationist:
"Every day is a game, and as long as someone else is unhappier than me by close of business, Bonk the Cross wins!"
"Do you know," she said between hics, "pangolins don't even have any numbers other than one in our language! One is the best number. The only correct number. A pangolin does not count one, two, three, four, five, six, a hundred. A pangolin counts one, awkward, unpleasant, disturbing, dreadful, suffocating, completely intolerable. Guest is an extremely naughty word. Company is worse than that."For a taste. Valente is an inventive and wonderful storyteller.
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