Reviews

And Put Away Childish Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Only show reviews with written explanations

jaina's review

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dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

willrefuge's review

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4.0

7.5 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/03/26/and-put-away-childish-things-by-adrian-tchaikovsky-review/

Felix “Harry” Bodie is a children’s TV presenter, one who’d do anything to make a his fame stick. Anything other than continue in his own line of work, that is.

Though his position isn’t exactly inherited, his tenuous claim to fame is. The grandchild of a famed children’s author, Harry is the sole heir to Underhill—a delightful world full of fun and adventure. While his grandmother conceived and wrote the books, Harry is just trying to escape from their shadow—or, alternatively, cast that shadow as far as he can, and rake in the riches it brings him.

Harry isn’t even his real name. It’s Felix. But Harry Bodie was more presentable, so that’s what he’s known by. Not to mention the only thing he’s known for. Everything Felix has ever done has ended in self-sabotage. In fact, he’s tried and failed to promote himself so often that his career as a TV presenter itself hangs in the balance.

Everything he has or is is Underhill, and he’s desperate to cling to it. But what would happen if Underhill was real? And what if they’re done waiting for the chosen heir to visit, and have come to take matters into their own hands?

—

”All life is a pyramid of corpses.”

—

So, this may or may not surprise you, but Underhill is real.

At least, there’s an awful lot of people that think it is. And are banking on the glory of delivering the long lost heir to his chosen place upon Underhill’s throne. Which means that Harry’s life is about to get a lot more interesting, for all the good it does him.

As a lead character, Harry Bodie is kind of a bore. He’s introspective, bitter, and greedy. Ambitious in all the ways that end up in him shooting himself in the foot—more of a comic villain than a would-be savior or protagonist. Still, he comes through well enough in a pinch, and it helps that Tchaikovsky really knows how to sell a novella.

This is the fifth consecutive year I’ve reviewed a Tchaikovsky novella courtesy of Rebellion/Solaris, and it’s been really hard to pick a winner or loser. A favorite, I mean. That’s because—while Tchaikovsky’s full-length novels have been hit-or-miss lately—his novellas have been entirely enjoyable. In fact, though I very much enjoyed my jaunt through the world of Underhill, it’s probably (at 7.5 out of 10) my least favorite of the bunch.

But that’s not because this isn’t a thoroughly entertaining read. It’s just because I found it a bit less polished than his other offerings.

Underhill is a dark and beautiful place in equal parts, but a little sparse of setting and a little rough around the edges. Tchaikovsky may excel at his post-apocalyptic worlds, but his fictional, hidden-in-the-wardrobe worlds need some work. The plot itself is good, though it gets a little muddied toward the end. It’s the characters that make this one good—even the aforementioned minor villain, Harry.

TL;DR

Though possibly his weakest of the Solaris novellas to date, And Put Away Childish Things is by no means bad. It’s just a behind-the-looking-glass kind of story, as opposed to a post-apocalyptic adventure. And while Tchaikovsky is objectively great at the latter, he may need some practice with the former. The setting especially left something to be desired. The plot is entertaining and story interesting, with more than enough twists and turns to keep you immersed through to the end. It’s the characters that make this tale a good one, and what a weird and interesting cast it is that Tchaikovsky has assembled. All in all, while not his best work, this novella is far, faaaar from his worst. Definitely recommended.