Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Tom, Thom, by K.M. Ferebee

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(Modern Fantasy) What if the fairies brought a changeling but forgot to take the original child? Little Tom wanted a brother, but "Thom" is strange in many ways. (8,812 words; Time: 29m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

"," by (edited by Liz Gorinsky), published on by .

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Pro: At it's outermost level, the story is about how Tom became obsessed with wolves and eventually becomes brave enough to enter the forest by himself to seek them.

Thom, the changling, is fascinating, and the way he becomes Tom's playmate and surrogate brother is charming. There are lots of hints that Thom will die when winter does, and so we're not surprised to see him decline.

Con: From the ending, we'd guess that Tom was always from the woods. Maybe he was a changeling. Maybe he died (which is why he hasn't grown). Or maybe not. It's hard to be sure what the author is trying to say.

We never figure out what the black vs. white feathers were for. Not what the "gift" of the egg was all about. Nor what the significance of the splinter in his finger was.

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1 comment (may contain spoilers):

  1. Beautiful and evocative story, but somehow the wolves and birds didn't seem to quite fit into the changling idea. The illustration by Rovina Cai is brilliant!

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