The Shadow War

September 1, 2020

Gr 8 Up-When Liam's research into alternate universes is stolen by a Nazi scientist, Liam chases it across the Atlantic into Germany. He recruits the help of Daniel and Rebeka, siblings who hunt Nazis, to sneak into Siegen military base and steal a medieval book before the Nazis realize they have it, so he can complete his research and end the war. But when Liam uses the power he's absorbed from the shadow world to help them escape, the monsters of the other universe crawl through too. Fleeing the base, five stories crash together in the woods outside Siegen where Phillip and Simone have run into monsters while on a mission to set up radios for the French Resistance and American military. With the five teens becoming reluctant allies, they chase the book across Germany, hoping to find answers before the monsters find them. Smith deftly balances the five points of view and maintains high stakes, tension, and thrilling action sequences throughout. The point of view characters are from an array of backgrounds: Daniel and Rebeka are Jewish, Simone is Muslim Algerian, Phillip is Black, and Liam is white. The narrators also represent a variety of queer identities, with romantic subplots throughout that feed neatly into the narrative. VERDICT An action-packed historical novel with a science fiction twist, Smith has crafted a novel where Stranger Things meets Nazi hunting. A solid purchase for YA shelves and any reader who wants to fight Nazis.-Emmy Neal, Lake Forest Lib., IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2020
Teens rip open the universe in an attempt to defeat the Nazis in this queer World War II fantasy. It's September 1942. Eighteen-year-old Liam, a gay, White academic prodigy who recently graduated from Princeton, has traveled to Germany (by commercial airline, one of the few historical missteps) in search of a medieval manuscript he hopes will help him understand and refine his mysterious powers. Liam has learned to access a parallel universe full of dark energy that he hopes will defeat the Nazis. Unfortunately, the Nazis know how to reach it, too. Liam is soon joined by Jewish siblings Daniel and Rebeka--out for revenge after they were sent to the L�dź ghetto and the rest of their family was murdered--and two members of the resistance--Simone, an Algerian-born Muslim lesbian, and Phillip, a Black American from the U.S. Army whose secret mission is never fully explained. Slimy monsters cross into our universe; the protagonists react with violence--and romance--while fighting for justice. Nonstop action, consistent worldbuilding, and a large cast of sympathetic characters, all of them marginalized in some way, create an engaging story. A coherent and ultimately hopeful alternate reality. (Historical fantasy. 12-18)

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January 4, 2021
This queer historical fantasy from Smith (A Darkly Beating Heart) chronicles five marginalized teenagers’ efforts to undermine the Third Reich in 1942. While attending Princeton, gay theoretical physics protégé Liam Doyle discovers a parallel universe containing destructive dark energy that he can extract in short bursts. A medieval manuscript contains instructions for a portal that would facilitate a large-scale harvest; regrettably, Heinrich Himmler has the book, necessitating its retrieval before the Nazis can capitalize. Once in Germany, Liam joins forces with Jewish siblings Rebeka and Daniel Eisenberg, who are killing SS officers to avenge their family’s murder; Black electrical engineering student Phillip Jones, who is encrypting resistance radio communications on behalf of the U.S. Army; and Algerian-born Muslim Simone Khalef, whom the Free French have tasked with protecting Phillip. Gay and straight romances bloom as the quintet battles Nazis, shadow-world monsters, and their own inner demons. Smith’s prose skews purple, her worldbuilding lacks clarity, and the pace occasionally plods despite abundant violence and apocalyptic stakes. Regardless, the tale’s vividly sketched, authentically flawed ensemble cast will reel in readers and hold them rapt. Ages 14–up. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.