Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune: Review by Colleen Mondor

Somewhere Beyond the Sea, TJ Klune (Tor Books 879-1-250-88120-5, $28.99, 416pp, hc) September 2024.

Fans of TJ Klune’s enormously popular The House in the Cerulean Sea were no doubt thrilled to hear about the unexpected sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. The continuing story of Arthur, Linus, and the group of orphaned magic children they care for is as heartfelt and political as readers could want. Make no mistake, Klune has a serious message to share and does not pull any punches getting his point across. The significance of that message, that differences are to be celebrated and not feared, demonized, or destroyed, is conveyed in a showdown between the powers of control versus those of love. That the good guys win after a lot of hijinks, some whip-smart decisions and Arthur’s embrace of his majestic phoenix, is glori­ous to behold. The journey to that victory makes for wonderful reading, and Klune proves again that his narratives about families are some of the best in the business.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea opens with things looking up for the family. Arthur and Linus are a happy couple, they have all settled into a fun if chaotic rhythm, and there is discussion of another child (a yeti!) coming to live with them. They have all developed friendships with people in the vil­lage of Marsyas, and Arthur has even decided to take a significant personal step and testify before a government committee about the horrific abuse he suffered as child under the control of the De­partment in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY). The hearing is supposed to be a chance to discuss improvement in the treatment of magical children (and magical people overall), but it is soon evident that powerful people with ulterior motives plan to hijack the proceedings and in ways both subtle and overt, Arthur is pushed over the edge. He re­veals his phoenix self and creates a fiery spectacle, drawing all kinds of unfortunate attention. The end result is a mandatory inspection of his home and review of the children, to determine if they are a danger to the human population. The family could be torn apart and seven-year-old Lucy, aka Lucifer, is the big target. Arthur and Linus have to figure out how to save them all; what they don’t expect is how big this project will become or how many others will join in their efforts.

Straight up, no question, this is feel-good read­ing. Both books (and you must read The House in the Cerulean Sea first), will make you cheer and fill you with an inner joy that cannot be beat. While you might suspect that Klune is manipu­lating your emotions just a tad, who cares? His characters are exceedingly appealing, equal parts thoughtful, quirky, spiky, and the best kind of obnoxious (these are the good guys); you can’t resist them. But more than anything, it’s Klune’s depiction of found family and community that resonates. Folks step up in his books: They engage with each other and they learn to care about each other and if that isn’t something you want to read about, well, I feel sorry for you. If you know a teenager who might enjoy finding out that all fish have names, or why gnomes have beards, or a lot about ‘‘dead-people music,’’ then this is the book to buy. So much of the world hurts today; Some­where Beyond the Sea is a tonic for that pain. It’s a book to embrace and never let go.

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This review and more like it in the November 2024 issue of Locus.

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