Children of Madness by Jarrett Brandon Early

Reviewed by Frankie Martinez

Stranger Things meets Lord of the Rings in a new generation’s classic fantasy epic.

In the southernmost region of Quaan, west of Mount Ghaal and The Fringe, is a small town called Crimmish. 

Exiled as enemies to the Rayne empire, the people of Crimmish have long been shunned from Quaan for the side effects of prolonged exposure to the nearby, toxic forest: their yellow eyes and the Maddening, a deterioration of the mind that results in violent episodes for which there is no cure. 

Despite the prejudices against them, the Crimmish, specifically their children, are vital to Quaan for their resistance to the poisonous Reaper Vines in the Tainted Timbers and for being the only harvesters in the empire of medicinal Moon Tears.

When a new disease known as Gloomtide starts to spread through Quaan, the empire turns to Crimmish, in need of an active harvester crew that can venture into the similarly poisoned Terminus Grove in the north to seek help from the Supreme Helics, the strange and divine snail-gods of the land who have previously provided aid in desperate times. 

Enter the Sour Flower Gang: Fincher, Ditto, Ash, Sammi, and Hana: “We are harvesters, the best farking crew of harvesters that Crimmish has ever seen.” They’ve faced the strange Tainted Timbers together for the whole of their short lives so far, and when the Empire offers them a potential cure to the Maddening in exchange for their service, they take the chance, hoping to save other Crimmish children from seeing their parents succumb to the Maddening. 

But whether or not they can survive the trip north is a different story altogether. From battling the horrific creatures that reside in the Mutewoods to befriending the giant Moon Folk of Crowngate to navigating the laws of trade in the seedy hub of Cassie’s Clutch, Children of Madness is an epic adventure led by a new group of heroes that will capture even the coldest of hearts. 

Readers will fall in love with the Sour Flower Gang almost instantly. As a group, they’re whip-smart and skilled. They vote for things as a group, swear profusely and often and are filled with joy, despite their circumstances. Their individual characterizations are robust as well—there’s Ditto, the good-natured protector of the group, Hana, the gentle singer who can coax a Moonflower to weep abundantly with her melodious voice, clever Sammi with her inventions and strategic mind, her sister, Ash, timid and unsure of herself after a brush with death that took her arm, and the outspoken, comedic heart of the group, Fincher. 

As the Sour Flower Gang makes their way north, they encounter not only the strange and fantastic world outside of Crimmish, but also the darkness of humanity, which is quite dark for a book centered around children—threats of rape, internment, slave-trade, and cannibalism to name a few. 

Still, Early manages to balance light and dark throughout the novel, not only by including scenes where kids can be kids, but also by infusing supporting characters with some measure of both good and evil. For example, High Captain Gorman Graff, despite collecting the children in order to serve a corrupt empire, is well-known for his sense of justice even among enemies.

The omniscient narration may reveal too much at times in regards to character emotions and inner thoughts, but at the same time, I could deeply appreciate the grand, almost whimsical quality to the storytelling. It matches the wondrous creatures and lands that make an appearance on the children’s quest well, from the intelligent, all-knowing Silver Stagg to the grotesque Worm Woman and to the colorful, out-of-this-world forest of The Northern Goddess. 

With winning characters and fantastic creatures and locations, Children of Madness feels like it could be read straight from a leather-bound book with gold leaf edges and all. Timeless. 

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