Written by Sarah Merrett, illustrated by Ewa Beniak-Haremska (pub. Everything With Words, 2024)
‘There!’ Grandma’s face lit up. ‘Tell me you heard that!’ She ran to the machine and flung herself in the chair.
Reuben’s limbs locked tight. He stared, his mind running wild. The machine had never made a sound like it. He knew it wasn’t from this world.
He listened, waiting, holding his breath.
The machine remained silent, but he knew those few strange sounds had changed everything.
Reuben has lived his whole life isolated inside the observatory with Grandma, never stepping outside its grounds, while she works on contacting alien life. And then one day, a craft appears in the sky, crashing nearby. But when Grandma goes out to check, she doesn’t come back.
It’s up to Reuben to go look for her – but instead, he finds the alien being, Blue. With the help of his new friend Archie, and Blue’s powers, can he leave the safety of his home to help her return to her people? And can they stay one step ahead of the sinister Professor, looking to capture the alien for himself…?
The Others is an adventure story, but one where the stakes are not only high, but quite personal. In this case, it’s not only returning Blue to her people but avoiding capture. Because this capture is not a gentle, comfortable one – it’s being locked in a cage, paraded before a staring public. It’s actually quite grim when you think about it!
Given the way that the children are being hunted, it’s a tense story that ramps up as they get closer and closer to their goal. But it still finds time to enjoy quiet moments between them, moments of joy and laughter that give both the characters – and the readers – a chance to rest.
Merrett captures the feeling of life in the Victorian period well, from the magnificence of the rundown observatory where we start, to the streets and houses of Archie’s small village. And from there to the city, where we can experience the bustle, the noise, and the grime through the eyes of Reuben, seeing it all for the first time with both wonder and fear.
Reuben is our main character, and he’s lived a sheltered life. His grandmother’s reclusiveness, plus an eye condition that means he must wear dark glasses strapped to his head, mean that he has been isolated. As a result, he reads a lot and has a very vivid imagination – a curse in that he will often overthink things, but also a blessing as it helps him think on his feet, or gather courage from a fictional story.
Although I felt sorry for him, he was also inspiring. He has essentially been trapped, much like Blue is on our planet, and his Grandma has been too busy with her work for a while to pay him much attention (unless it’s helping her with it). Despite his fear and uncertainty, he pushes himself outside his comfort zone to help a stranger and do what’s right for her.
There is an interesting conflict in his grandmother’s behaviour. On the one hand, she has kept him safe, but at the expense of his freedom. Caring for and protecting him is not necessarily the same as doing what’s “best” for him – after all, who defines what’s best for someone?
There’s a lot going on in the background that Reuben doesn’t know, so when the reveals come, he is understandably hurt and shocked. One can’t help but feel that keeping everything secret from children isn’t always a good idea. It’s a theme that’s often reflected in real life, and I imagine many readers will relate on some level (though likely not involving aliens!).
Our other leading characters are Archie and Blue the alien. Blue is dreamy and completely unaware of the danger that she’s in. Since its her first time on earth, she has no understanding of the language or the need to hide herself. Her childlike delight is infectious for us and Reuben, though routinely brought crashing down by their situation!
By contrast, Archie is talkative and sarcastic. Although he worries about getting in trouble, he also immediately leaps into action when Reuben needs help – and the fact that he’s precocious and good with people comes in handy. Like Reuben, he feels trapped to some extent; for him however, it’s the constant noise and being put upon. Archie and Reuben appreciate each other’s lives for having what their own lacks.
The three together balance each other well, even if Blue can’t really communicate. There’s a loyalty that exists between them very quickly. This occasionally leads them to make some stupid decisions, but each decision felt very REAL, and a testament to their quickly growing friendship.
The Professor is wonderfully sinister, fully focused on his own goals and uncaring of who gets hurt in the process. Blue is not human after all, and it’s somewhat reminiscent of a hunter tracking down a rare animal trophy.
The illustrations by Beniak-Haremska are ethereal, and although there are only a handful spread throughout the book, they are a worthy addition. I liked the fact that, although they are not always “text accurate”, they capture the vibe of Blue, her abilities, and the setting beautifully.
It’s not just the inside illustrations; it’s worth mentioning here the cover art by Holly Ovenden. With its foreboding observatory, and the striking contrast between the dark blue of the sky and the red glow/orange of the title, it has an otherworldly feel that draws the eye. Definitely a good time to judge a book by its cover!
I loved the fact that the book has a basis in reality. It’s set in 1902, only 5 years after War of the Worlds was published, so to many “Martians” were a given thing, even if they’d never seen one. This is why the Guzman Prize that the Professor is competing for ruled out communication with Mars – which was true of the real Guzman Prize! The author’s note in the back explains all about this, and it’s gratifying to see the research Merrett put into the subject with regards to the time period.
The Others is a story that, while tense and a little dark in places, also captures the joy and wonder of youth and seeing things through new eyes. It speaks to the reader about the importance not only of friendship, but of community and having the courage to do the right thing even for those who are different – a lesson that is vitally important, for all of us.
Although it features aliens, we think it would be enjoyed by 9+ fans of more general adventure stories as well as sci-fi and fantasy.
If you want to join Reuben and Blue, you can grab a copy of The Others at the link below.
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Looking for more sci-fi reads? Check out some of our previous book reviews here.
