Note: Extracted from older Friday’s Interesting Links Post

Dragonfly by Frederic S. Durbin is a modern fairytale adventure written by an author I met at World Fantasy. I picked up the book out of curiosity and in support. There are no regrets. If I had to classify this book, I’d say it’s a little like Nightmare Before Christmas crossed with Narnia, and a good dose of unique elements.

A young girl is drawn into a world of vampires, werewolves, and monsters from other dimensions when she ignores the warning of her uncle and a mysterious character named Mothkin. Rather than condemning her for following Mothkin when he goes to prevent the break-in between the two worlds, Mothkin’s attitude is more that if she was there, she was supposed to be.

Bridget Anne, or Dragonfly as her uncle dubbed her, is amazed to discover the end of the laundry chute in no way resembles her uncles basement, but that amazement turns to terror and then a quiet courage as she learns that this place is full of creatures whose only goal is to turn her world into a massive feeding ground, from emotional vampires who thrive on fear to creatures that use human bodies as hosts for their spirits, this is not a nice place. And whatever her purpose in being there, it does not prevent Dragonfly from capture or loss. She has to grow through the experiences, and move beyond both terror and despair, before she can find her way to the end of the story.

Written in an aware first person narrative, the question of this book is not if she will survive but rather if she will succeed, and who among her allies will make it through as well. The writing is evocative, description reminiscent of Tolkien with elaborate details that still manage to craft a sense of place that seeps into your bones. It’s not a pretty, everything’s perfect in the end, Disney tale, but for every grim moment, something comes from it. The novel was in no way an easy read, it wasn’t popcorn to be crunched in a few short bites, but the journey was worth every bit of the time it took.