Twelve-year-old Glory Brown lives with her family at the magical Light Inn, a place of safety from the monsters who roam the twilight world of the Seam. She’d like nothing more than to train at the Parliamentarium school to become a spherinaut like her mother and explore the rest of the Outersphere, a region of space far from Earth. Her parents don’t think she’s ready, however, although she has moxie, the special magic that only kids have. The Outersphere is too dangerous, and would be even if Glory wasn’t “mazyheaded” like her mother—a term referring to a kind of neurodivergence that seems akin to ADHD, but the invented term may allow readers to view it without all of the baggage that sometimes clings to neurodivergence in the real world.
When a boy named Marcus shows up at the inn one day, on a mysterious mission, Glory decides to leave home and help him, in order to prove herself. But the forces that shape their worlds have secrets yet to be revealed, and the most dangerous enemies may in fact be human.
The book blends a science fiction setting with magic, curses, creatures, tools, and costuming that feel drawn from the fantasy genre, creating something compelling and original. Glory is a hero of cleverness and kindness, although she doesn’t shirk from action and excitement. A theme of social justice is woven lightly into the plot, both in the main timeframe and in the ways that Glory’s family members, who are Black, still have knowledge of racial injustices back on distant Earth. Glory’s neurodivergence is framed as a difference, not a deficit, and she has practices that help her when needed, like writing things down in her notebook so that she doesn’t forget.
The queerness in the book is minimal but clear. Marcus has two moms, whom he talks of briefly, although we never meet them. One secondary character is nonbinary (like author Alby C. Williams), but appears only at a few moments. During one of those moments, Glory reflects that she’s heard of people using “other [pronouns] besides the ones I already know,” but has never met someone who does; she makes a note so that she remembers how to address the person correctly.
The worldbuilding, rounded characters, and well-handled themes of this series starter make it a highly recommended title.
All of the characters are Black.
