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In Other Lands  By  cover art

In Other Lands

By: Sarah Rees Brennan
Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
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Publisher's summary

The Borderlands aren't like anywhere else. Don't try to smuggle a phone or any other piece of technology over the wall that marks the Border - unless you enjoy a fireworks display in your backpack. (Ballpoint pens are okay.) There are elves, harpies, and - best of all as far as Elliot is concerned - mermaids.

Elliot? Who's Elliot? Elliot is 13 years old. He's smart and just a tiny bit obnoxious. Sometimes more than a tiny bit. When his class goes on a field trip and he can see a wall that no one else can see, he is given the chance to go to school in the Borderlands. It turns out that on the other side of the wall, classes involve a lot more weaponry and fitness training and fewer mermaids than he expected.

On the other hand, there's Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elven warrior who is more beautiful than anyone Elliot has ever seen, and then there's her human friend Luke: sunny, blond, and annoyingly likeable. There are lots of interesting books. There's even the chance Elliot might be able to change the world.

In Other Lands is the exhilarating new book from beloved and best-selling author Sarah Rees Brennan. It's a novel about surviving four years in the most unusual of schools, about friendship, falling in love, diplomacy, and finding your own place in the world - even if it means giving up your phone.

©2017 Sarah Rees Brennan (P)2018 Tantor

What listeners say about In Other Lands

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Hilarious and emotional!

where to begin with this one. I went into this one not sure of what to expect besides the fantasy elements that I know and love. what I found was humor and rawness and complex characters. I started off annoyed by the main character Elliot, not even halfway through true I loved him and wanted to continue with him on this magical journey of Fantastical land and of self-discovery. the other characters are equally amazing and complex. just when you think you know something about the characters, Brennan changes everything. this book is very diverse and helps the audience to open their minds and explore new and strange opportunities. Accepting people for who they are and accepting an entirely different world from what one might have been used to. this book was chosen for my book club for the month of July and I am ever so grateful that it was!

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unassuming Little Book Packs a Big Punch

Awkward and snarky at first, seeming to be more joke than serious novel, the book eases us into Elliot's life and you find yourself suddenly looking up from a book that's turned into a serious walk through the life of a young man as he grows up and matures, as he tries to figure out how friendship and romance works, in our world and in The Other Lands.
He's terrible at all of it, but he learns.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Discworld and Carry On had a baby and this is it!

Recommend to: All those book nerds that love Discworld by Pratchett and Carry On by Rowell.

This was amazing! Although, it started off rocky for me. Elliot's first person narrative got on my nerves at first, but I quickly warmed to him and the other characters.

I love all the things Brennan expressed in this world, especially the double standards. The character growth in this is beautiful, and Elliot is such an awesome bisexual protagonist, and I loved watching him come of age.

I wish this was a series, I want to hang out with these characters more.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Terry Pratchett meets 90210

a serious meh. I kept waiting for it to get better and it just never happened. What it did do was go on and on forever. Something nice when Elliot meets the mermaid it's pretty cool.

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3 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

So woke its painful

Every main character is suddenly gay. The first one was fine, but just stop with this. I actually gave up, not worth the money

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Book couldn’t hold my interest

When I listened to the sample this book it sounded intriguing. But as the characters were introduced it became harder to stay engaged with the story. The main character Elliott doesn’t start off as someone like able or sympathetic. We learn a bit of why he is unsociable, rude, unkind but it doesn’t make the reader want to root for him. Other characters seem to want to befriend him but it’s not apparent why. The premise of the story is interesting. Elliott is selected as one of a few human children able to see a magic wall which allows him to cross back and forth from his world and into a magical land. The magical land while full of wonder and wonderful beings has just as many problems as Elliot’s world and isn’t any easier to navigate. Ultimately the story just couldn’t hold my interest.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Engaging and fun start to finish!

A romp through typical fantasy stories, with layers of meta-awareness, social commentary, solid feminism, and politics. The characters are well developed and engaging, and the narrative has a really great progression. Well paced and riveting the whole way through. HIGHLY recommend!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Different, hilarious, excellent!

In Other Lands is one of the most enjoyable and humorous books I have experienced in a long time. It is a tale of self-discovery about love, family, gender-roles, self-identity and sexuality, wrapped within a story about venturing out into a strange new world. It is not the usual fantasy tale where characters fights against an Evil lord or monster. Instead the antagonist of the story is misunderstanding between people and peoples, which leads to hurt, violence and war. It is a story about how understanding ourselves and making the effort to understand others can lead to peace and happiness, though perhaps imperfect and impermanent. Though serious topics and events take place, humor is suffused throughout the book, and I found myself laughing out loud from the first chapter to the last.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I don’t know what to say except wow

I bought this book several years ago but didn’t have the time to read it, thank god i downloaded the book and listened to this fantastic book and narration! I love the main trio, they have the amazing ability to annoy everyone in the world and the author does a good job making me enjoy that. The emotional upheavals were intense too, everything from love to loss to loathing

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

so painfully and politically cliche'

I wanted to love these characters so much. However, every detail assigned to them was so painfully cliché as to feel formulaic. The more I read the harder it was to feel any humanity or believability in the characters. The character development actually felt bitter and sardonic at points. The plot had little chance of development because it is inexorably tied to the characters traits. I very rarely wish I hadn't read a book but this one was a poor use of reading time.

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1 person found this helpful