The Finisher

January 20, 2014
Best known for his adult crime novels, Baldacci makes a detour into middle-grade with this wildly fanciful and darkly intriguing tale of a girl forced to fight for her life as she investigates the secrets of her tiny community. Fourteen-year-old Vega Jane works as a “Finisher,” creating goods she’ll never be able to afford and leading a hardscrabble life with her little brother. Like all other “Wugmorts,” they have never left the town of Wormwood, trapped there by the deadly Quag surrounding it. When Vega discovers a map leading through the Quag, she suspects there’s more to Wormwood than believed. Consistently using smarts, cunning, and improvisation, Vega proves herself a strong, admirable heroine as she’s thrown through time, uncovers lies and mysteries, and takes possession of magical artifacts. Her narration blends Wugmort slang with oddly formal speech and thought patterns, helping shape an enigmatic setting filled with unfamiliar terms, bizarre creatures, and memorable characters, as Baldacci pulls in elements of fantasy, science fiction, and myth. A cliffhanger ending leaves many explanations for future installments. Ages 10–14. Agent: Aaron Priest, Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency.

May 26, 2014
Crime novelist Baldacci detours into middle-grade fiction with a dark and wild mixture of fantasy, science fiction, and myth. The story begins as 14-year-old Vega Jane realizes her mentor, Quentin Herms, has gone missing. Vega knows there is danger about and her magic skills are not enough to handle it. Her world soon begins to crumble as she discovers the lies of her town, Wormwood, and it’s council, but she has a long way to go before she is safe. Barbara narrates in a charming and vibrant voice that captures Vega’s personality and guides listeners through this magical world. Her soft delivery and English accent are inviting. She creates clear and distinguished voices for the characters that stand apart from Vega’s first-person perspective. Equally important, she balances timing, projection, and tone to create some fantastic moments of tension and excitement throughout the book. Ages 10–14. A Scholastic hardcover.

In Baldacci's first fantasy audiobook, Vega Jane, a "Wug" from Wormwood, has sick parents and a younger brother to look out for. Narrator Nicola Barber's posh accent and sibilant voice make her an unusual choice for a scrappy, rough-around-the-edges heroine. When one of her only friends disappears, Vega learns her home is full of secrets, and this knowledge places her in great danger. Barber performs Vega using a childlike, wistful voice, although the character is written as a teenager who is literally fighting for her life. However, when narrating action scenes or performing male characters, Barber's voice delivers forceful power. Some of these choices can be distracting to listeners, but fantasy fans, and Baldacci's avid readers, will persevere. G.D. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

June 1, 2014

Gr 5-9-Thriller writer Baldacci here ventures into the world of middle-grade fiction with lackluster results. Vega Jane's world consists of one village, Wormwood. She's never left it. As far as she knows, no one has. But when she catches a glimpse of her fellow worker disappearing into the woods, she's soon caroming from one near-disaster after another as the story snowballs to a calamitous finale. She must deal with the Morrigone, a group of misogynists who may or may not be her allies, and the ever-present threat of an Outlier invasion, all while trying to keep her brother safe and solve the mystery of why so many people are suddenly having "events." Too many plot threads turn what could have been an action-packed page-turner into a sprawling, fantasy-trope-filled muddle that leaves listeners bored and frustrated. This work is overambitious and unresolved, especially given how long listeners must stick with the story just to get to the end, only to find that most of their questions remain unanswered. The only redeeming factor is Nicola Barber's stellar work voicing the clever impudence of Vega Jane. The sarcastic insults delivered so freely by Vega contain the perfect balance of frustration and wit that will cause the most reticent listener to chuckle. Fantasy lovers will pick this up eagerly, but only the most die-hard will return for future installments.-Michaela Schied, Indian River Middle School, Philadelphia, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

jsmyth - I have never before read a David Baldacci novel. I know he's incredibly popular (that all his books are on the bestseller lists) but that's not enough reason for me to read a novel. That said, hearing the premise for his first venture into Young Adult fiction was enough reason for me to buy this book. This is a young adult fantasy novel set in one town in the middle of nowhere, a town surrounded by a wild land called the Quag, which it is forbidden to set foot into because of the creatures that live out there. The heroine of the story is Vega Jane and she's a boundary pushing individual who gradually comes to discover the secrets and abilities linked to her bloodline. The ideas of this book are excellent, I loved the grand world-building in every way. I also loved the protagonist, who was a realistic female character trying to make sense of her world. However, I felt there was room to play with some of the themes and ideas a little more. For instance this was another novel that talked about the fears of humans (though these individuals were Wugmorts and not necessarily human they acted as human) and the ways in which we allow walls to be built to protect us from the outside. Walls, which, in reality, keep us trapped inside. It's a theme which is particularly post-9/11 and from an era that includes the war on terror and the rise of social media, yet it is a universally applicable theme that could have been tapped into further. I also did not like the staccato nature of the writing in sections, which felt as if it 'told' the reader too much rather than 'suggested' or 'showed'. In other words, the writing was more or less predictable. All in all there is plenty of untapped potential in this novel and it feels as if there may be a sequel in the works. Though I have not heard anything about this as such. That said I would be interested to read the sequel. Can I recommend this novel then? Well as much as I recommend the average young adult novel: for enjoyment's sake rather than for a deep philosophical venture. If you want something deeper and more well-rounded there are other young adult novels I could point you to.