by Mark Smith
First published 1994
Varo and Brostek stand ready to become men. Their village prepares to celebrate the ritual that will mark their passage from boyhood. Then the Knifemen of Bari arrive. The attack destroys everything Varo and Brostek have known. Their homes burn. Their families die. The two friends find themselves cast out into a world that has suddenly become hostile and strange. They must learn to survive without the protection of their community. The bonds between them will be tested as they face dangers they never imagined. What began as a day of joy has become the start of a journey that will transform them in ways their coming-of-age ceremony never could. Varo and Brostek must discover what it truly means to become men when everything familiar has been stripped away.
Genres: fiction, adventure, coming-of-age, fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Bari
330 pages · Paperback · Warner Books