Customer Reviews

Changeling (Firebird Fantasy)

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4 star:		(5)
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Changeling (2006) is a standalone fantasy novel. This fairytale is set in New York Between, a version of New York City with the same landscape and slightly variant buildings. It also has a very different populace, including almost every kind of mythical creature and even literary characters.

In this novel, Neff is a changeling. She was Kid-napped as a child from New York Outside by agents of the Bureau of Changeling Affairs. In her place, these agents left a fairy creature that looked like her, but who had a very different personality. Don't tell anyone, but their name is Jennifer Goldhirsch.

Now Neff lives in Central Park Central with Astris, a giant white rat who is her fairy godmother. Neff is the only mortal changeling within Central Park and has the protection of the Green Lady, Genius of the park. If you are not aware of the term, a Genius is the spirit of a famous place and is very powerful.

When the time comes for spring cleaning, Neff has to tidy her room. Yet Astris doesn't have the time to fetch the Blockhouse brownie. So Neff convinces Astris to let her go instead. She is finally big enough to have her own solo adventure.

Neff knows that it is foolish (and dangerous) to go off the marked path in the North Woods. Yet she turns off the path to follow a previously unnoticed trail. The trail gets steadily worst and finally vanishes at a swampy green pool.

A voice seems to come from the pool and sounds like sharp teeth and hunger. It questions whether she is tender and delicious. Neff immediately responds with the proper words, claiming the protection of the Green Lady. Sounding very hungry, a second voice complains about this protection.

The first voice belongs to Peg Powler, a bogeywoman. The second voice belongs to Blueberry, a demon. Both are part of the Wild Hunt and would eat her if it wasn't for the Green Lady's protection.

Peg tells Neff about the Solstice Dance on Midsummer Eve. Neff loves to dance and is very curious about the festivities. But Peg also tells her that Astris has lost other mortal changelings to accidents. Neff vehemently objects to her statements, but she wonders about the truth of these claims.

In this story, Neff attends the Solstice Dance and finds herself in deep trouble. The Green Lady removes her protection and the Wild Hunt closes in on her. Yet Neff is snatched away by a tengu.

Eventually, Neff escapes to the Metropolitan Museum. But the Green Lady comes after her and Neff has to negotiate an alternative to the Wild Hunt. She goes on a quest for three significant objects with which she can buy her return to the park.

This story introduces Neff to her fairy changeling from New York Outside. The tengu has also abducted the Outsider and they meet in the closet where both are being held. Her copy is subject to typical fairy faults, such as having violent fits of temper, but she also knows a lot about computers. Neff names her Changeling.

On the quest, Changeling sometimes is rather a bother, but other times she produces small miracles of computer science. They never do become real friends, but learn to get along despite their many differences. Besides, Neff has promised to protect Changeling from harm and would give her life to safeguard the Outsider.

Highly recommended to Sherman fans and to anyone else who enjoys tales of magic realms, smart girls and unusual adventures.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I read this immediately after Valiant by Holly Black and enjoyed it immensely because they have similar themes and settings, but very different heroines. Changeling is more for the jr high/ MS crowd and Valiant for HS types. Both are urban fantasy taking place in New York City. To the other reviewer who wondered if you needed to live in NYC to understand Changeling, I'd say no more than one needs to live in Newford to read Charled de Lint's books.

Neef is a mortal changeling, raised in New York Between with a talking rat fairy godmother and a pooka fairy godfather. Neef gives them the slip and attends a Solstice fairy dance, so the Green Lady of Central Park withdraws her protection. Neef must go on a quest to get three magical items from three other Genuii of New York Between. Neef is helped on her quest by her counterpoint, the one the fairies left when they took her. She calls her Changeling, but their name is Jennifer Goldhirsch and she has Asperger's. She doesn't like to be touched, tends to freak out, is a very literal thinker. I hope Delia Sherman writes another of these; it would be real treat to see Neef in Jennifer's world. I have read all of Delia Sherman's books -- this is a real keeper!

As one who has read a lot about autism, Asperger's and changeling stories, is a special education teacher and parent of an autistic child I *appreciated* Sherman's frank discussion of Jennifer's difficulties. Autism and Asperger's were only named in the 1940's, but parents and others have been trying to come up with reasons for it for thousands of years. The changeling story was one of the explanations; a perfect looking baby, who around the age of 3 is no longer able to hold gaze, is slow to walk and or talk, or has speech and seems to loose it.

When you find yourself a New York resident living and worked right smack dab in the center of this magnificently overblown city, you being to lose your perspective. Sure, I was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but living in Manhattan is like drinking from the water of Lethe. I forget little things, like the fact that the world does not, in fact, revolve around NYC. So when I pick up something like "Changeling", I find myself in a difficult situation. The book is a heckuva lot of fun, but I have to remember that all the places in it are New York-based. My responsibility as a reviewer, then, is to determine how well "Changeling" will relate to a kid living in Alaska or Hawaii. Will non-New Yorker children enjoy this book? Well, quite frankly I can't see how they wouldn't. I mean, it's not the deepest piece of fiction you'll ever peruse, but it certain does owe a certain amount of allegiance to the form and function of fairy tales and quests. Plus it's fun. Did I mention that its fun?

We've all read plenty of stories from the point of view of Changelings in the past. Sometimes, as I'm sure you all know, a human baby will be exchanged for its fairy Changeling double. The Changeling will grow up as a human, never quite knowing why it's different from its fellows. Well Neef isn't a Changeling, but a child stolen by the fairies at quite a young age. Since then she has grown up in Central Park as the official Central Park Changeling. Her world exists apart from the world we live in, where all sorts of supernatural beings interact. As a human, Neef is naturally curious and when her curiosity upsets the Green Lady of Central Park (the ruling Genius) she comes in direct contact with the Changeling that once replaced her. Now Neef and Changeling are bound on an impossible quest to get the both of them home as fast as humanly, or rather magically, possible.

There's no denying that the book has a distinctly Manhattan (not Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, or Bronx) feel. The Green Lady of Central Park, for example, could have sounded like your standard Midsumer Night's Dream fairy queen. Instead, she's far more prone to say things like, "Okay, kid, here's the scoop." And then there are little details, like the fact that even otherworldly spirits would kill to see "Wicked" on Broadway, if they could. I appreciated too the fact that Sherman wasn't afraid to play with some old NYC standards. For example, the author had the wherewithal to notice that Kay Thompson's, "Eloise", is a good example of pure unvarnished evil. In this book she rules the Plaza Hotel and is the "official Patroness of Spoiled Brats everywhere." Also, though I'm sure it'll stick in the craw of some, for better or for worse George M. Cohan is now a vampire (and that goes double for Lynn Fontanne).

I did have a bit of a problem with the book equating Asperger's Syndrome with Changlings. It seemed a risky correlation for Ms. Sherman to make. She's never blatant about it, of course, but a quick examination of Changeling's personality (she says that when she was younger she needed a therapist to help her develop social skills) coupled with the note in the book's Acknowledgment section that reads that someone, "gave me an invaluable education on Asperger's Syndrome", was enough to put my hair on end. We don't really want to equate Asperger's with someone being physically from another world, do we?

So how does the book hold together as a whole? It's very nice. For anyone who enjoys a good series of impossible quests, this book may be right up their alley. The character of Neef is willful without ever becoming annoying or unsympathetic. I was a little surprised at the ending, personally, but it's entirely possible that Ms. Sherman is setting this book up to be the first in a series, if it does well. The types of fairies found here also have the same feel as those you'll see in Eoin Colfer's, "Artemis Fowl", so fans of one may enjoy the other. And Sherman is kind enough to provide us with an elaborate glossary of the supernatural beings that crop up in this book.

And now, a personal kvetch. Early in the book we learn that, "Important New York places - Wall Street, Broadway, Grand Central Station, the New York Public Library, the Village - have Geniuses." Very cool. And just at the beginning of Neef's quest it is suggested that she visit the library to get some useful information. I, an employee of such a system, was briefly delighted. Then Neef doesn't go, and we never get a glimpse of an otherworldly library system. Alas. The mentions of the library (there are two) suggest to me that there may have been a scene there in an early "Changeling" draft and that they were cut out so as to keep the narrative flowing smoothly. And while I celebrate the hopping speed of the book itself . . . bummer.

All in all, a pleasant little creation that deserves a look-see. Both Tamora Pierce and Holly Black were kind enough to give blurbs for the final book, so if you know of anyone who enjoys titles by either of them, you may wish to consider handing this little number over as well. A New York book that doesn't require that you live here to appreciate it. And in spite of the all too obvious lack of librarians, a great read.

Our elfin brother Anadae recommended this book to us...
dear lovers of faerie fantasy,
... and we were not disappointed. This is the story of Neef, a mortal child that has been stolen and raised by the Faerie kind in modern New York Between (the faery part of New York existing just a sideways glance away from normal New York, if New York can be called normal), who unknowingly breaks the rules of the realm and must set out on a quest to regain her place in Faerie. It is similar to Charles De Lint's stories, however the action here takes place in New York Between and not in the mundane world of men and women, where most of his tales are centered. However, if you enjoy De Lint's works, you'll surely love this fairy tale as well. We did.
kyela,
the silver elves

This is another title I came to late in the year, and I absolutely adore it. It is New York Between, and Sherman balances the Between of Faerie with a terrific young heroine named Neef, ringing changes on every single New York and Faerie trope you can imagine, and a few you can't. It's fresh and funny and charming.

This is a very fun, mostly engaging book. At the same time I say that, though, it leaves something to be desired by this reader. Perhaps it was the fluctuation of the pace that set me on edge. Chapters of the book are perfectly balanced between action and characterization, though there were plenty that I found myself wishing I could skip without taking anything away from the book's completeness.

Once the heroic quest started, I found myself much more interested in reading, wanting to know what happens to Neef and her changeling counterpart. Yes, the solutions to the tasks were a bit easy to guess, but at the same time, I wasn't given a whole lot of opportunity to want to figure it out before Sherman gave me a resolution.

All in all, a fun read, worthy of a weekend, or a series of bedtime readings for a young child.

CHANGELING is really middle grade rather than YA, but because of the humor and the references to New York that might be over 12-year-olds' heads, older kids might like it, too. I can barely remember 5th grade, but I enjoyed reading it.

Neef is a human child who was exchanged for a fairy when in her cradle. She lives in Central Park, in "New York Between," with a white rat for a fairy godmother, and a pooka for a fairy godfather. This is New York City book. The action moves all over Central Park, up to Broadway, over to Wall Street, into the harbor, and even onto the New York Between version of the subway. Neef and her new friend, known as Changeling, face dangers and use their wits and talents to survive. The resolution is satisfying, even if the last-minute save is pretty obvious, and by the end, you're really pulling for both girls to make it home.

A thoroughly fun read with a lot of energy. Note that I read the Kindle version, and it was in excellent shape as far as formatting.

Feef is a changeling, a human child stolen from her family and taken to live in the fairy world of New York Between. When she accidentally breaks a geas that had been laid on her she is given three impossible tasks to complete or she will never be allowed back in the only world she knows.
Delia Sherman has written a strong middle grade fantasy packed with action and excitement. While she keeps the tension high she never crosses the line of what is acceptable for the target age group. Her worldbuilding is fantastic and fun, a twist on the real New York City that anyone who has visited (or lived in) New York will greatly enjoy. The main character is spunky and has a lot of pluck, but her impetuosity gets her in trouble more than once. Throughout the course of the novel she grows in her knowledge and understanding of the other people she meets, and sees that people she may have dismissed as being 'useless' can have real value and hidden talents. Many middle grade readers will be able to relate to the thrill and fear of being thrust into a new world on your own. The secondary characters are a varied bunch, her godmother the rat, the mermaid in the harbor, no two characters were alike and all are truly 'characters.'
In short, a highly recommended book for middle grade readers, as well as adults who enjoy a good story.

Delia Sherman's Changeling falls into the sub-genre of urban fantasy and within that sub-genre I found it enjoyable and better than most. Her world is New York Between, and it's quite a creation, drawing its inspiration from sources as diverse as classic fairy legends from all over the world, White Wolf's World of Darkness, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere and the short stories of Damon Runyon. But make no mistake; New York Between is not a patchwork composite of other people's work. It's truly Sherman's original creation.

Neef, the narrator of the story, is a Changeling -- a human changeling to be precise, taken from the New York we know into the New York Between of the fae and other supernatural creatures. But the Changeling of the title is her fae counterpart, the child that was left in her place in our world. And while Neef is an enjoyable protagonist - curious, adventurous, though a bit smart-mouthed and prone to getting into trouble - it is her fae changeling counterpart - whom Neef gives the name Changeling to - whom I found most fascinating:

"Figuring out how to Folk-proof somebody who didn't believe in magic occupied me long enough for the changeling to calm down a little. By the time I'd worked out a plan, she'd collected a bunch of pebbles and twigs from the path around her and was sorting them into piles. In the sunlight, the embroidery on her jacket glowed bright as a flower garden. Her face had smoothed, and she was humming: three notes up and three notes down, over and over again, kind of like the compressor-beast in the broom closet."

This is Sherman's special twist, the thing that makes her New York Between truly unique. As you get to know Changeling, you quickly realize that she is one of those children we call autistic, the ones who are set apart by their strangeness and by their difficulty in dealing with our world. I rather liked this interpretation, that these children were not damaged or flawed in any way, that they were simply not meant to function in our world but must do so nonetheless, having been left here when their human counterparts were taken to the fae world. It's not fair and seems more than a little cruel; but then anyone familiar with classical fairy legends knows that the fae often are cruel and capricious in their interactions with humankind.

All in all, I liked this book enough that I wanted to see a sequel, mostly because I wanted to see more of Changeling. And I have just learned to my delight that there is in fact a sequel coming out later this year. Whether Changeling will be in it, I do not know. But then, that's the point of a story, isn't it? To not know and then to find out what happens? Anyway, I do recommend Changeling for anyone, young readers or adults, who enjoy a good urban fantasy, and in particular for anyone who's ever known an autistic child and might like to think of them in a very different way.

Neef is human who was switched at birth with a fairy and brought into New York between to become the Changeling of Central Park. She's is an overly curious child and soon becomes aware of a Solstice dance that occurs every year that she somehow always misses. Neef loves to dance and wants very badly to go. She realizes that she has been given a sleeping potion on the previous nights of the dance. She quickly finds a way around that and on the night of the dance, she sneaks down to it. There she causes a ruckous and the Green Lady of the Park states that she was forbidden to attend the dance and must be banished. If she is banished, she will be left for the Wild Hunt who waits in anticipation to get there hands (or claws) on her. She ends up making a deal (with the help of the Pooka)to go on a quest to obtain 3 objects to appease the Green Lady. On her quest she is accompanied by the fairy that was left in her place. Although they look alike, they are very different. They become close during there quest and realize each other's differences are good in their own way.
This was a great book that teaches many different morals. I recommend it highly.