Don Bredes lives in the hills of northern Vermont. He earned an MFA in Fiction from the University of California at Irvine and an AB in English Composition from Syracuse University. He has been a Wallace Stegner Fellow in fiction at Stanford University, and he has been awarded fellowships. His popular and controversial first novel, HARD FEELINGS (Atheneum, 1977), was an American Library Association Best Book in 1977 and a 20th Century-Fox film release in 1982.
A next generation cli-fi fantasy, Polly and the One and Only World,
by Don Bredes, introduces fifteen-year-old Polly Lightfoot and her
raven, Balthazar, both on a mission to transport an irreplaceable
grimoire through treacherous wastelands, government controlled
checkpoints, and hostile territories. Putting a futuristic spin on
past events, Polly's migration parallels themes from the Salem
Witch Trials, complete with heretics, religious zealots, and
witches and mages burnt at the stake. Pursued by the FTB (Faith and
Truth Board), Polly finds an ally, travelling companion, and
possibly more in Leon, who has some interesting skills of his own.
Constantly battling the nature of good versus evil, Polly and Leon
engage in refreshingly open debates about the state of the new
regime and the world around them, We're just specks, Leon. Tiny
specks in an ocean of space and time. Deep thinkers as well as
action and risk takers, Polly, Leon, and Balthazar lead the way in
a fight for freedom, individuality, and change that is just as
relevant today as it was years ago in Salem and certainly will be
in years to come. -- Pallas McCorquodale -- Foreword Reviews
Don Bredes writes superbly and creates compelling, believable
characters. -- Kirkus Reviews
The 'one and only world' referenced in the title is that of a
near-future United States magical, post-catastrophe, almost
familiar, yet chillingly changed. Polly has been sent to the
relative safety of her aunt and uncle in Florida to escape the
Christian Protectorate government's purge of her village in
Vermont. But safety is not possible for a hereditary witch in the
fundamentalist police state that America has become. The teen
manages to escape capture by the guard with the aid of her
familiar, Balthazar the crow. She sets off to find her family, but
discovers travel through the wilds of climate cataclysm and
institutionalized zealotry is not an easy course. With the help of
friends she meets along the way, particularly the freethinking
Leon, Polly struggles through betrayal, loss, and capture. With
captivating language that draws readers in, Bredes's writing will
inspire teens to revere current freedoms. Though the messages are
clear, they are sketched with a light hand, so as not to overwhelm
the story. The complexity of Polly and Leon as characters is
revealed as they experience danger and redemption on their journey.
Their relationship grows and develops as they do. Their
multidimensionality is wonderfully contrasted with Balthazar's
black-and-white view of the world, which often leads the sometimes
naive title character out of danger. A thrilling journey, full of
peril, exploit, friendship, and sorrow, this book is sure to find
readers. -- Genevieve Feldman -- School Library Journal
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