Every Heart a Doorway
Every Heart a Doorway is a novella by American writer Seanan McGuire, the first in Wayward Children series. It was first published in hardcover and ebook editions by Tor.com in April 2016.[1]
 Cover of first edition | |
| Author | Seanan McGuire |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Wayward Children |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Tor.com |
Publication date | April 5, 2016 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 173 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7653-8550-5 (book) 978-0-7653-8387-7 (ePub) |
| Followed by | Down Among the Sticks and Bones |
Plot
Rarely, children may find doorways which transport them to other worlds. As a child, Nancy found a doorway that led her to the land of the dead, based on the story of Persephone and Hades. When she is returned to the real world, her parents did not believe her story. Nancy is sent to a boarding school for children who have had similar experiences. These students include Kade, who spent time in a fantasy world with goblins and fairies, Jacqueline "Jack" and Jillian "Jill," who spent time in a world of vampires and mad scientists, and Sumi, who spent time in a nonsense world full of candy and rainbows. The students were all altered by their time in different worlds where they were able to be their true selves and most long to return to them.
Sumi is found dead, as are several other students. Nancy and her friends learn that Jill is killing students in order to make a key which will reopen her own doorway. Jack kills Jill and then returns to her gothic world. Nancy finds her doorway again and returns to the land of the dead.
Reception and awards
Every Heart a Doorway was critically acclaimed upon release, and it won the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novella,[2] the 2016 Nebula Award for Best Novella,[3] the 2017 Locus Award for Best Novella[4] and the Alex Awards for 2017.[5]
Series
The book is the first in an open sequence of novellas called the Wayward Children.
References
- Every Heart a Doorway title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- "2017 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
- "Nebula Award Recipients Announced". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. May 20, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
- "2017 Locus Awards Winners". www.locusmag.com. Locus Online News. June 24, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- NGILBERT (February 13, 2018). "2017 Alex Awards". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Retrieved January 3, 2019.