Half Lost

Last updated

Half Lost
Half Lost First Edition Cover.jpg
Front Cover of the Hardcover Edition
AuthorSally Green
Cover artist
  • Justin Metz
  • Tim Green*
Country United Kingdom
Language English
SeriesThe Half Bad Trilogy
Subjects
Genres
PublishedMarch 29, 2016
Publisher
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages340 (Hardcover)
ISBN 9780670017140
Preceded by Half Wild  
* Dustjacket art is credited to Justin Metz, "based on original design by Tim Green" (who illustrated Volumes 1 and 2 of the UK editions of the series)

Half Lost is a 2016 young adult fantasy novel written by English author Sally Green. [1] It is the third and final installment in the Half Bad Trilogy [2] and the sequel to the previous book in the trilogy Half Wild . The novel was published on March 29, 2016 by Penguin Random House publishing company.

Contents

Plot

Marcus, The Alliance's greatest weapon, is dead. Nathan is once again on the run. And he is out for revenge.

Forced to consume his father's heart, he must now learn to master his many new gifts that might be the now-decimated Alliance's only hope for survival. Nathan's last chance to defeat Wallend, Soul and their army of Hunters is to find the reclusive Blood witch Ledger and convince them to give him the second half of Gabriel's amulet so that he might become invincible.

Characters

Nathan Byrn: The seventeen year old protagonist. He has straight black hair, olive skin and black eyes. It is commonly remarked that he possesses a strong resemblance to his father Marcus. He was raised in a family of Fairborn witches. He was adored by his older brother and sister, but hated by his eldest sister, who blamed him for the death of her father and their mother's suicide. His father being a Blood witch and his mother being a Fairborn witch, the Council of Fairborn Witches refer to him as a "Half-Code". His body is cicatriced by scars from long healed wounds, including severe burns on one of his wrists and a "BW" carved into his back by Kieran O'Brien. He also has six tattoos that were magically branded onto him by Mr. Wallend in order to make a witch's bottle.

Jessica Byrn: Nathan's oldest half-sister who hates him. As a child she constantly harasses and is cruel towards Nathan. After gaining her Gift (shapeshifting), she joins the Hunters and ascends their ranks, eventually becoming their leader.

Arran Byrn: Nathan's half-brother, with whom Nathan has a loving relationship. He joins the Alliance as a healer.

Deborah Byrn: Nathan's half-sister. She, like Arran, loves Nathan.

Marcus Edge: Nathan's father, the most feared Blood witch of all time. He killed Nathan's siblings' father, among many others. His Gift is transforming into animals but he has also stolen Gifts from many other witches by killing them and eating their hearts. Once, he had a vision of Nathan killing him with the Fairborn blade, and consequently he had avoided him for most of his life. However, he eventually meets Nathan on his 17th birthday and performs his Giving Ceremony.

Gabriel Boutin. A Blood witch stuck in the body of a fain. In the second book, he is returned to his original witch body. Gabriel is tall and slim, has brown eyes and long, brown hair that falls to his shoulders. He falls in love with Nathan and believes him to be the perfect witch—a blend of both Blood and Fairborn. Gabriel's feelings towards Nathan were initially not reciprocated because of his affection for Annalise; however, these feelings disappear once she shoots Marcus and Nathan and Gabriel's romantic relationship begins to grow.

Victoria Van Dal. A powerful Blood Witch who is gifted in potion making. In the second book she helped Gabriel to regain his original witch body. She becomes one of Nathan's most important allies in the rebellion against the Council of Fairborn Witches.

Annalise O'Brien. A Fairborn Witch, some months older than Nathan. She is Nathan's initial primary love interest, however they begin to grow apart when Annalise begins to see some of the violence that Nathan is capable of in battle, and Nathan eventually grows to hate her after she shoots Marcus, thus forcing Nathan to consume his heart. She faces some time in prison for her killing of Marcus, where she gives birth to Nathan's son, Edge.

Celia: A Fairborn Witch, Nathan's mentor, with whom he was sent to live as a child. She abused and locked him in a cage. Nathan hates her and is initially hesitant to be a part of any alliance with her; however, their relationship eventually grows closer and less strained.

Edge: Edge is the son of Annalise O'Brien and Nathan Byrn. Nathan never meets him and not much is known about him. He is named after Nathan's family name in honor of him.

Reception

Half Lost has received predominantly positive reviews—though the audience has been strongly divided over the ending to the series.

"And the ending. Ah, the ending. This one is definitely going to divide people... I don’t even exactly know how I feel about it myself; I’m still reeling and bewildered, to be honest...Overall, I did think this was a strong finish to the series. I think it will please fans of the grittiness of the earlier books in the series, like me. I did say some negative things here, but it was an excellent and gripping read." [3] - The Guardian review

"Green’s portrait of Nathan as a damaged mixture of good and evil, a sort of well-meaning monster, is masterly, and the series’ intensity and the author’s willingness to put her characters through enormous pain and transformative loss haven’t changed a bit. Powerful scenes of suffering, defeat, and—occasionally—triumph can be found throughout. Readers will finish this grueling, cathartic tale both relieved and satisfied." [4] - Publishers Weekly starred review

Kirkus Reviews also gave the book a starred review calling it "an immensely satisfying finale." [5]

Adaptations

In 2020, it was announced that Netflix was producing a TV adaptation of the Half Bad trilogy, helmed by Joe Barton. It will be executive produced by Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish for The Imaginarium. [6] The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself was released on 28 October 2022. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tehanu</i> 1990 fantasy novel by Ursula K. Le Guin

Tehanu, initially subtitled The Last Book of Earthsea, is a fantasy novel by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, published by Atheneum in 1990. It is the fourth novel set in the fictional archipelago Earthsea, following almost twenty years after the first three Earthsea novels (1968–1972), and not the last, despite its subtitle. It won the annual Nebula Award for Best Novel and the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel.

The Black Jewels is a series of dark fantasy novels and short stories written by American writer Anne Bishop. The first three books were originally published individually and then together as a trilogy in a single omnibus collection. The series takes place in a world where those born with dark power/magic rule in a deeply matriarchal society.

<i>The Stones Are Hatching</i> Young adult fantasy novel by Geraldine McCaughrean

The Stones Are Hatching is a young adult fantasy novel by Geraldine McCaughrean first published in 1999 by Oxford University Press.

<i>Inkheart</i> 2003 young adult fantasy novel by Cornelia Funke

Inkheart is a 2003 young adult fantasy novel by Cornelia Funke, and the first book of the Inkheart series, which was continued with Inkspell (2005) and Inkdeath (2007). The novel won the 2004 BookSense Book of the Year Award for Children's Literature. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children".

<i>Sally the Witch</i> 1966 Japanese manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama

Sally the Witch, originally titled Sunny the Witch, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's monthly Ribon magazine from July 1966 to October 1967. Its 1966 anime adaptation was one of the most popular magical girl series of what would eventually become a genre in Japan. Due to its characteristics, it may be considered the first shōjo anime as well; while titles such as Himitsu no Akko-chan predate Sally in manga form, the Sally anime predates Himitsu no Akko-chan's, which came out in 1969.

<i>The Final Reckoning</i> 1990 novel by Robin Jarvis

The Final Reckoning is a dark fantasy novel for children by British author Robin Jarvis. It is the third book in The Deptford Mice trilogy, first published in the United Kingdom in 1990 by Macdonald & Company, London. In 2002, it was published by SeaStar Books in the United States. The book continues the story of the young house mouse Audrey and her friends as they attempt to banish the spirit of the evil cat Jupiter once and for all.

<i>The Crystal Cave</i>

The Crystal Cave is a 1970 fantasy novel by Mary Stewart. The first in a quintet of novels covering the Arthurian legend, it is followed by The Hollow Hills.

The Sisters Grimm is a children's fantasy series written by Michael Buckley and illustrated by Peter Ferguson. The series features two sisters, Sabrina Grimm and Daphne Grimm, and consists of nine novels that were published from 2005 to 2012.

Dragonvarld is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Margaret Weis. Within the series, this also refers to the setting; the word Dragonvarld is said to be the Dragon name for Earth. It resembles Earth of the Late Middle Ages or the early Renaissance, complete with a church bent on witch hunts and demon hunts. The trilogy describes a world in which humans believe that they are the rulers of the world, while the co-existing dragons know that they themselves are the true masters.

<i>The Dark River</i> (novel) 2007 novel by John Twelve Hawks

The Dark River is a 2007 New York Times bestselling novel by John Twelve Hawks. The book is the second in a trilogy of dystopian novels written by reclusive author John Twelve Hawks. The Fourth Realm Trilogy has been translated into 25 languages and has sold more than 1.5 million books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gollum</span> Monster in Tolkiens fantasy series

Gollum is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He was introduced in the 1937 fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became important in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings. Gollum was a Stoor Hobbit of the River-folk who lived near the Gladden Fields. In The Lord of the Rings it is stated that he was originally known as Sméagol, corrupted by the One Ring, and later named Gollum after his habit of making "a horrible swallowing noise in his throat".

<i>The Faerie Path</i> 2007 fantasy novel by Frewin Jones

The Faerie Path is the first novel in a six-book series by the British author Frewin Jones. The story follows Anita Palmer, a teenager from two different parallel universes, and her struggle to maintain both lives.

<i>The Chestnut King</i>

The Chestnut King is a 2010 fantasy novel written by N.D. Wilson. It is the third and final installment to the 100 Cupboards trilogy, and follows 100 Cupboards and Dandelion Fire.

<i>White Cat</i> (novel)

White Cat is the first book in The Curse Workers series about Cassel Sharpe, written by Holly Black. In this alternate world story, workers are rare people with magical abilities that sometimes run in families. Using their abilities requires skin contact and is illegal, which is why most workers are part of crime families. About 10% of the population are workers. There are 7 types of workers. Of those, about 60% are luck workers, while other skills, such as death working, emotion working, memory working, dream working and physical working less common. The rarest type of worker is a transformation worker: they can transform anything into something else.

<i>Half Bad</i> 2014 young adult novel by Sally Green

Half Bad is a 2014 young adult fantasy novel written by English author Sally Green that won the 2015 Waterstones Teen Book Prize and was shortlisted for the 2015 Branford Boase Award.

<i>Half Wild</i> 2015 young adult fantasy novel by Sally Green

Half Wild is young adult fantasy novel, and the second book in the Half-Life series by Sally Green. It was published on 24 March 2015 and is the sequel to Half Bad, which was released the previous year. Half Wild is the second book in the trilogy.

Sally Green is a British fantasy author. Her work includes the Half Bad trilogy, related short stories, and The Smoke Thieves trilogy. The Half Bad trilogy was adapted into the Netflix series The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself.

<i>The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself</i> Fantasy drama television series

The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself is a British fantasy drama television series created by Joe Barton, based on the novel Half Bad by Sally Green. The series tells the story of Nathan Byrne, a young man discovering his true identity as the illegitimate son of the dangerous witch Marcus Edge. Netflix released the series October 28, 2022, but canceled future episodes despite positive reviews.

References

  1. ↑ Sally Green
  2. ↑ Half Bad Trilogy
  3. ↑ Justonemorepage (5 May 2016). "Half Lost by Sally Green – review". the Guardian. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  4. ↑ "Children's Book Review: Half Lost by Sally Green. Viking, $18.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-670-01714-0". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  5. ↑ "HALF LOST | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews . No. Jan. 1, 2016. 16 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Ravindran, Manori (13 December 2020). "Netflix Unveils New U.K. Projects With Sam Mendes, Rowan Atkinson, Andy Serkis". Variety. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  7. ↑ "The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself shares new look and release date". radiotimes.com. Immediate Media Company Limited. 21 September 2022. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.