In Other Lands
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 | |
| Author | Sarah Rees Brennan |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult fantasy |
| Publisher | Big Mouth House |
Publication date | 15 August 2017 |
| Publication place | Ireland |
| ISBN | 978-1-6187-3120-3 |
| Followed by | Tears Waiting to Be Diamonds |
In Other Lands is a 2017 young adult fantasy novel by Sarah Rees Brennan. It was nominated for numerous awards and won the 2017 Bisexual Book Award for Teen/Young Adult Fiction.[1]
Before being published as In Other Lands, Brennan wrote the initial story, "The Turn of the Story" on her website and her LiveJournal account under the profile "sarahtales";[2] the story was based on the characters previously created in Brennan's short story “Wings in the Morning” in Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant’s anthology Monstrous Affections.[3]
In January of 2023, Brennan released a two-part short story sequel called "Tears Waiting to Be Diamonds" on The Sunday Morning Transport, set 10 years past the events of In Other Lands.[4][5]
Elliot Schafer, a 13 year old English boy, learns he can see across the Border (a wall that separates our world from a fantasy world). He decides to go to a military training school there after meeting Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle (also known as Serene,) a young elf girl who Elliot is immediately enamored with. Elliot also meets classmate Luke Sunborn, a boy from an affluent local family, and dislikes him. While at school, Elliot's prickly personality causes rifts between him and his classmates. When summer comes, Elliot returns home to his father (his mother abandoned the family shortly after Elliot was born.)
Elliot continues his schooling, becoming increasingly frustrated by the political processes that emphasize war over peace talks in conflicts. He starts writing treaties and participating in international negotiations. When he is 15, Elliot and Serene begin dating, but their relationship is short-lived. While on a summer trip with friends, Elliot realizes he is bisexual, and dates a man, Jase, for some time before realizing the relationship is unhealthy. Eventually, Elliot and Luke begin dating, and Elliot provides support to Luke (who is still reckoning with his newly-learned identity as half-harpy.)