A fast-paced story about love and loss, set in a fertile fantasy-land full of amazing characters, Goblin Secrets sparkles brilliantly in the imagination.
William Alexander studied theatre and folklore at Oberlin College and English at the University of Vermont. He currently lives, writes, and teaches in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His short stories have been published in many magazines and anthologies. Goblin Secrets is his first novel. Visit him at WillAlex.net or on Twitter @williealex.
It was hard to stop reading Goblin Secrets, and I didn't want the book to end! The author's imagination is both huge and original, taking us to a truly new place, rich with lively, vivid scenes, fascinating people, and marvelous inventions. He doesn't explain things, yet everything is clear. And he tells his fast-paced story in language that's a pleasure in itself -- subtle, tricky, funny, beautiful. More, please, Will Alexander!Goblin Secrets is a knockout. It's an original.William Alexander is a wonderful talent whose breadth of vision and sense of theatricality, sly wit, and wicked whimsy have charmed and enthralled me since I first set eyes on his work.There are books that make you feel good for having read them. Not virtuous or well-behaved, but good. More whole-hearted, more brave, more likely to look at a stranger and see the fine face beneath the mask of their unfamiliarity. Goblin Secrets, William Alexander's debut novel, is just such a book... It is also unusual, unsettling, and written with a very spirited grace. - Fantasy MattersAlexander has an intriguing central theme, in which masks and theater create actual magic, set in the magical, steampunk-inflected land of Zombay. - Publisher s WeeklyFunny, smart, and gorgeously written. When I grow up, I want to be Will.William Alexander organizes his atmospheric first novel into acts and scenes, rather than chapters, and he couches it in the beautifully elliptical language of the old fairy tales. - Washington PostRownie's search for his brother turns into an unlikely heroic quest . . . Highly textured, tightly woven and reassuringly seamless. Rownie's triumph is both gripping and tantalizing. - Kirkus Reviews, *STAR
Young Rownie is on a quest to find his actor brother, who disappeared from the town of Zombay, a place where acting is outlawed. His search finds him joining a troupe of goblin actors who teach him things about the world he will need in his journey. As a narrator, William Alexander turns in a solid performance. He reading is well paced. He lends drama to his young adult novel and ably creates distinctive character voices. However, his narration doesn't always capture the tone of the book. His voice is soft and slightly nasal and he sometimes overpronounces words-and this will prevent some listeners from getting lost in the fantasy. Ages 8-12. A Margaret K. McElderry hardcover. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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