The Shadow War
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
Inglourious Basterds meets Stranger Things in this dark and thrilling tale of power, shadow, and revenge set during World War II.
World War II is raging, and five teens are looking to make a mark. Daniel and Rebeka seek revenge against the Nazis who slaughtered their family; Simone is determined to fight back against the oppressors who ruined her life and corrupted her girlfriend; Phillip aims to prove that he's better than his worst mistakes; and Liam is searching for a way to control the portal to the shadow world he's uncovered, and the monsters that live within it--before the Nazi regime can do the same. When the five meet, and begrudgingly team up, in the forests of Germany, none of them knows what their future might hold.
As they race against time, war, and enemies from both this world and another, Liam, Daniel, Rebeka, Phillip, and Simone know that all they can count on is their own determination and will to survive. With their world turned upside down, and the shadow realm looming ominously large--and threateningly close--the course of history and the very fate of humanity rest in their hands. Still, the most important question remains: Will they be able to save it?
Praise for The Shadow War:
"Nonstop action, consistent worldbuilding, and a large cast of sympathetic characters, all of them marginalized in some way, create an engaging story." --Kirkus Reviews
"An action-packed historical novel with a science fiction twist, Smith has crafted a novel where Stranger Things meets Nazi hunting. A solid purchase for YA shelves and any reader who wants to fight Nazis." --School Library Journal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This queer historical fantasy from Smith (A Darkly Beating Heart) chronicles five marginalized teenagers' efforts to undermine the Third Reich in 1942. While attending Princeton, gay theoretical physics protégé Liam Doyle discovers a parallel universe containing destructive dark energy that he can extract in short bursts. A medieval manuscript contains instructions for a portal that would facilitate a large-scale harvest; regrettably, Heinrich Himmler has the book, necessitating its retrieval before the Nazis can capitalize. Once in Germany, Liam joins forces with Jewish siblings Rebeka and Daniel Eisenberg, who are killing SS officers to avenge their family's murder; Black electrical engineering student Phillip Jones, who is encrypting resistance radio communications on behalf of the U.S. Army; and Algerian-born Muslim Simone Khalef, whom the Free French have tasked with protecting Phillip. Gay and straight romances bloom as the quintet battles Nazis, shadow-world monsters, and their own inner demons. Smith's prose skews purple, her worldbuilding lacks clarity, and the pace occasionally plods despite abundant violence and apocalyptic stakes. Regardless, the tale's vividly sketched, authentically flawed ensemble cast will reel in readers and hold them rapt. Ages 14–up.
