The Stone Road

Jamieson (Day Boy) builds a complicated and somewhat muddled mythology in this slow-moving fantasy set in a post-oil dystopia. On the day Jean March is born in small-town Casement Rise, an otherworldly fire called the Furnace starts burning nearby, slowly luring people from town to its flames. Jean grows up isolated from school by her alcoholic mother, Ella, and coddled by her stern grandmother, Nancy, whose nightly protective walks and subtle magic keep the town safe from monsters. On Jean’s 12th birthday, a visit from a strange man made of leaves convinces Nancy to start training Jean how to fight and survive. The novel then meanders through Jean’s training, exploring her risky rescue of a peer from a magic tree, her visit to a limbo of lingering dead, and other tests of power and ability. When Nancy dies a violent, unexpected death, Jean becomes the town’s sole protector amid growing threats and increasingly odd occurrences. Battles and challenges pass by quickly as the ever-expanding worldbuilding raises more questions than answers, cluttering out emotional impact. Patient readers wanting strong female protagonists may find something to enjoy here, but many will struggle to wade through this one. Agent: Alex Adsett, Alex Adsett Literary. (July)