Half World- Hiromi Goto

Half World is a most unique blend of fantasy and horror. I wonder what dreams may come of reading such a novel. It deals with the three realms of Flesh, Spirit and Half World. Normally, these worlds are in balance but something has gone amiss, and Half World is keeping people captive, to relive over and over again their greatest pain. It is ruled by a ghastly creature, Mr. Glueskin. Melanie is the daughter of a couple who miraculously conceived in Half World. Melanie’s mother is able to cross the chasm into the Realm of Flesh with her unborn child. The cost of that crossing is huge.

In the Realm of Flesh, Melanie’s mother is barely able to exist. Melanie herself is an outcast and lonely. One day, she comes home to find her mother has left for Half World at the call of Mr. Glueskin. Here is where it really becomes bizarre. Melanie is helped by an elderly woman to find the tunnel to follow her mother. She is given an amulet which changes to Jade Rat who is there to help Melanie. Melanie’s task is to rescue her mother, defeat Mr. Glueskin and bring the realms back into harmony again. Quite a task for an unskilled fourteen year old girl. The creatures she meets in this other world are beyond my description- you have to read the book to truly be able to appreciate them. This is not a book for the faint-hearted; I would expect that your readers would need to be quite mature and capable.