First published 2018
Brangwain Spurge, an uptight elf historian, faces a terrifying mission. He must survive being launched across mountains into goblin lands, deliver a precious peace offering to their dark lord, and spy on a kingdom that has killed every elf visitor for over a century. His goblin host Werfel, an enthusiastic archivist, eagerly shows Brangwain around their realm. The two scholars should become friends, but double crosses and cultural misunderstandings spiral out of control. Their blunders trigger an international crisis that threatens both their lives and pushes their nations toward war. The story unfolds through two conflicting perspectives: Brangwain's secret reports back to elf leadership and Werfel's attempt at unbiased storytelling. These competing narratives reveal how the same events can be interpreted in radically different ways, exposing the gap between truth and the stories we tell ourselves.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, fantasy
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Goblin Lands
532 pages · Hardcover · Candlewick Press