The one thing that all enduring YA series have in common is a stellar debut. It may sound like an obvious statement, but introducing an ensemble cast of characters and inserting them into a new, undiscovered world is more complicated than it seems. After all, if it weren’t, the list of all-time-great series wouldn’t be so small. Despite the tag boasting ‘a middle-grade adventure’ adorning the cover, Scott Wagner’s FINN O’BRIEN AND THE SMALL GODS is a shining example of a YA title that readers both young and young at heart can enjoy.
From the outside looking in, Finn O’Brien may appear to be little more than an average, run-of-the-mill twelve-year-old toiling away in the Ozarks. But like so many children of the Great Depression, Finn has experienced an unusual amount of tragedy in his short life, including a tough bout with consumption and the death of his father. His faith shaken by all he has endured, Finn turns his attention to the looming threat of bootleggers, a quest that eventually brings him face to face with the spiteful Arvin Shimmerman. With his home and land hanging in the balance, Finn embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. Along the way, he receives a helping hand from some newfound friends (the small gods) and is forced to reconcile his forgotten Celtic faith, all the while dealing with a very real and imminent danger. It all comes together in the final pages, culminating in an appropriately climactic ending that leaves the door wide open for another fantastic adventure.
With his debut release, FINN O’BRIEN AND THE SMALL GODS, Scott Wagner not only checks all the boxes for a successful series debut, he manages to craft a story that sidesteps tropes in favor of marching to the beat of its own drum. Key to this is the book’s coming-of-age premise and yesteryear setting. With so many modern-day YA adventures set in a not-so-distant dystopian future, Wagner’s choice of the Great Depression as a backdrop for Finn’s adventure pays immediate dividends. Not only does the era provide readers a welcome change of pace, it’s also a sobering reminder of just how different the world was less than a century ago. You’ll find no mention of world-ending calamities or futuristic wars, a choice that adds a very tangible feeling of suspense. And then there’s Wagner’s use of Celtic folklore, a mythos that serves as the driving force behind FINN O’BRIEN AND THE SMALL GODS. Not unlike that ‘other’ wizarding adventure, Finn essentially serves as an avatar for the reader, slowly introducing an underrepresented culture every bit as magical as that which resides on Diagon Alley. Add to that a fairly breakneck pace and a surprisingly nuanced protagonist that readers will instantly love, and you have a debut release that succeeds in setting the table for an ongoing series.
Twists and turns abound in Scott Wagner’s FINN O’BRIEN AND THE SMALL GODS, a superb series debut pairing magic and Celtic folklore with a timeless YA adventure.
~James Weiskittel for IndieReader