 First edition | |
| Author | Victor LaValle |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Yuko Shimizu |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Horror/fantasy |
| Publisher | Spiegel & Grau |
Publication date | June 13, 2017 |
| Media type | Novel |
| Pages | 431 |
| Awards | |
| ISBN | 9780812995947 (1st ed hardcover) |
| 813/.54 | |
| LC Class | LCC PS3562.A8458 C48 2017 |
The Changeling is a 2017 fantasy horror novel by Victor LaValle.
Apollo Kagwa is just beginning to settle into his new life as a committed and involved father, unlike his own father who abandoned him, when his wife Emma begins acting strange. Disconnected and uninterested in their new baby boy, Emma at first seems to be exhibiting signs of postpartum depression, but it becomes clear that her troubles go beyond that. Before Apollo can do anything to help, Emma commits a horrific act—beyond any parent's comprehension—and vanishes, seemingly into thin air. Thus begins Apollo's journey through an enchanted world to find his wife.
In a review of The Changeling in Locus magazine, American author John Langan wrote that there is "a deep humanity" in The Changeling that remains with you long after finishing it. [1] He said several authors, including Ramsey Campbell, Stephen King and Peter Straub have explored how people respond to horror, and LaValle makes "a significant contribution to this tradition" in The Changeling. [1] Langan said this is a fairy tale, but not the traditional "sanitized [and] moralistic" tale: it "flips the script of so many narratives of the fantastic" and draws instead on Scandinavian folklore. [1]
American film critic Terrence Rafferty said The Changeling is a "strange and wonderful new novel". [2] Writing in The New York Times , he called the book a "rambunctious fairy-tale epic", but of the "old kind" where there are no "happily ever after" endings. [2] Rafferty said LaValle periodically shatters the readers' "happily-ever-after reverie" with horrors and catastrophes, and the truth "about the anxieties and ambivalences of modern parenting, the psychological value of the stories we tell ourselves and our children, and the rigors of survival in urban America." [2] Rafferty stated that many of the characters in The Changeling are descendants of immigrants, and the novel is "rich in the ambiguous history of [New York City] ... [and] its noisy, clamorous setting." [2]
In a review in The Guardian , James Smart called The Changeling a "punchy cocktail of modern parenting and ancient magic". [3] He liked the role technology plays in the novel, and described New York City as "arguably the book’s strongest character". Smart felt he would have liked the villains to have had "a little more oomph", but added, "LaValle hooks the reader deep into his increasingly eldritch thriller." [3]
Kirkus Reviews described The Changeling as a "smart and knotty merger of horror, fantasy, and realism", and added that "this blend of horror story and fatherhood fable is surprising and admirably controlled". [4] The review said that while the plot can be "labyrinthine", the pieces all connect in the end. It concluded, "LaValle has successfully delivered a tale of wonder and thoughtful exploration of what it means to be a parent." [4]
| Year | Award | Result | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Dragon Award | Horror Novel | Won | [5] |
| 2018 | British Fantasy Award | August Derleth (Best Horror Novel) | Won | [5] |
| Locus Award | Horror Novel | Won (1st) | [5] | |
| Mythopoeic Awards | Adult Novel | Nominated | [5] | |
| Shirley Jackson Award | Novel | Nominated | [5] | |
| World Fantasy Award | Novel | Won (tie) | [5] | |
The Changeling was one of 15 winners of the 2018 American Book Award, [6] [7] seventh in Time magazine's "Top 10 Novels of 2017", [8] and among The New York TimesBook Review's "100 Notable Books of 2017." [9] In 2021, NPR fielded poll "A Decade of Great Sci-Fi and Fantasy", with it being noted. [10]
In 2018, FX announced that they were planning a TV adaptation of The Changeling. The series would be a co-production with Annapurna Television with Kelly Marcel attached to pen the script. [11] In 2021, Apple TV+ announced a series order for the show, with Lakeith Stanfield to star and executive produce. [12] The series premiered on September 8, 2023. [13]
Dan Simmons is an American science fiction and horror writer. He is the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works which span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes within a single novel. Simmons's genre-intermingling Song of Kali (1985) won the World Fantasy Award. He also writes mysteries and thrillers, some of which feature the continuing character Joe Kurtz.
A changeling is a figure in West European folklore.
A changeling, also historically referred to as an auf or oaf, is a human-like creature found throughout much of European folklore. A changeling was a substitute left by a supernatural being on kidnapping a human being. Sometimes the changeling was a 'stock', more often the changeling was a supernatural being made magically to look like the kidnapped human. Supernatural beings blamed for stealing children included fairies, demons, trolls, nereids and many others. Usually, the kidnapped human was a child; but there were cases, particularly in Scandinavia and Ireland, where adults were taken.
Rowena A. Morrill, also credited as Rowena and Rowina Morril, was an American artist known for her science-fiction and fantasy illustration, and is credited as one of the first female artists to impact paperback cover illustration. Her notable artist monographs included The Fantastic Art of Rowena, Imagine, Imagination, and The Art of Rowena and her work has also been included in a variety of anthologies including Tomorrow and Beyond and Infinite Worlds.
Terri Windling is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. She has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and the Bram Stoker Award, and her collection The Armless Maiden appeared on the short-list for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award.
Holly Black is an American writer and editor best known for her children's and young adult fiction. Her most recent work is the New York Times bestselling young adult Folk of the Air series. She is also well known for The Spiderwick Chronicles, a series of children's fantasy books she created with writer and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi, and her debut trilogy of young adult novels officially called the Modern Faerie Tales. Black has won an Eisner Award, a Lodestar Award, a Nebula Award, and a Newbery Honor.
Victor LaValle is an American author. He is the author of a short-story collection, Slapboxing with Jesus, and five novels, The Ecstatic,Big Machine,The Devil in Silver,The Changeling, and Lone Women. His fantasy-horror novella The Ballad of Black Tom won the 2016 Shirley Jackson Award for best novella. LaValle writes fiction primarily, though he has also written essays and book reviews for GQ, Essence Magazine, The Fader, and The Washington Post, among other publications.
Gemma Files is a Canadian horror writer, journalist, and film critic. Her short story, "The Emperor's Old Bones", won the International Horror Guild Award for Best Short Story of 1999. Five of her short stories were adapted for the television series The Hunger.
Catherynne M. Valente is an American fiction writer, poet, and literary critic. For her speculative fiction novels she has won the annual James Tiptree, Andre Norton, and Mythopoeic Fantasy awards. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld Magazine, the anthologies Salon Fantastique and Paper Cities, along with numerous "Year's Best" volumes. Her critical work has appeared in the International Journal of the Humanities as well as in numerous essay collections.
Scott Baker is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror writer.
Crane's View is a trilogy of novels written by American author Jonathan Carroll from 1997 to 2001, published by Nan A. Talese/Doubleday. All three books in the series take place in the small town of Crane's View. While there is some character overlap, each book focuses on a new main character and their story. The books received reviews that ranged from average to good. Between all three novels, Carroll has been nominated three times and placed twice for various novel and fantasy book awards.
Peter Crowther is a British journalist, short story writer, novelist, editor, publisher and anthologist. He is a founder of PS Publishing. He edits a series of themed anthologies of science fiction short stories published by DAW books. He is also the editor of Postscripts, an anthology established in 2004, which has since 2012 released the Exotic Gothic series, including Vol. 4 and 5.
The Locus Award for Best First Novel is one of the annual Locus Awards presented by the science fiction and fantasy magazine Locus. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year. The award for Best First Novel was first presented in 1981. The Locus Awards have been described as a prestigious prize in science fiction, fantasy and horror literature.
Genevieve Valentine is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. Her first novel, Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti, won the Crawford Award for a first fantasy novel, and was shortlisted for the Nebula.
The Devourers is a 2015 debut novel by Indian writer, artist, and editor Indra Das. It takes place in Kolkata, India, where Das grew up, and is considered South Asian speculative fiction and dark fantasy, incorporating aspects of historical fiction, fantasy, and horror. It was originally published by Penguin India in 2015, followed by release in North America by Ballantine Del Rey of Penguin Random House in July 2016.
The Hidden People is a historical fantasy and horror novel by English writer Alison Littlewood, first published in the United Kingdom in October 2016 by Jo Fletcher Books. It is based on the 1895 incident in Tipperary, Ireland, where Bridget Cleary was burnt alive by her husband who believed she was a fairy changeling.
The Ballad of Black Tom is a 2016 fantasy-horror novella by Victor LaValle, revisiting H. P. Lovecraft's story "The Horror at Red Hook" from the viewpoint of a black man.
The Locus Award for Best Horror Novel is a literary award given annually by Locus Magazine as part of their Locus Awards. It has also been known as both the Locus Award for Best Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel and Locus Award for Best Dark Fantasy/Horror Novel.
Catriona Ward is an American and British horror novelist.
The Changeling is an American horror fantasy television series created by Kelly Marcel and directed by Melina Matsoukas based on the novel of the same name by Victor LaValle for Apple TV+. It premiered on September 8, 2023, with the first three episodes.