Once upon a time, I thought the trippiest YA novel I had ever read was Libba Bray's "Going Bovine". That book has just lost the crown to this one. Drawing on Russian history, Russian myth, and a fair number of archetypes, this wild adventure/allegory roars through a moment at the end of the Tsars' reign to tell a story which seems appropriate to children and yet is inexplicably dense. Maguire weaves in so many threads I often had to pause and backtrack. His prose is so dense I had to look up quite a number of words (me! that's rare) An omniscient narrative voice reminiscent of the ones in Zusak's "Book Thief" and DiCamillo's "The Tale of Despereaux" paints a vibrant picture of a dying nation, even as three children come together to put magic back into the world. There are other literary parallels. Peasant girl Elena and noblewoman Ekaterina have a Mark Twain moment while a prince hides -- not to find his princess but to escape from her. There are themes about monarchies, communism, belief, hope and global warming. There is a firebird, a dragon, and, of course, Baba Yaga! One could not have a tale of Russia without Baba Yaga. Here is where I had my one and only complaint. The crotchety old witch is a personal favorite but this particular rendition of the character makes her into a time-traveler of sorts. She rambles on constantly, using phrases and references of the modern era (at one point, she serves a child some Cheerios). I think it was meant as humor but became a distraction which pulled me out of the narrative. Nonetheless, this is a rich, remarkable story which satisfied and transported me. Highly recommended.
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