In Other Lands

When thirteen-year-old Elliot Schafer sees a wall that no one else can, he is invited to attend a military school in the Borderlands—a strange and magical land filled with elves, dwarves, harpies, and mermaids. While initially eager to escape his lonely and dull surroundings, Elliot soon discovers that life in the Borderlands is no picnic.   

Over the next four years, Elliot navigates being a witty pacifist in a war-driven world that only values the strong. But even as Elliot and his classmates train for battle, they still face the usual growing pains of self-discovery, class rivals, and love triangles.  

Elliot is a crafty protagonist who uses his intelligence for good and bad. Initially, his main goal is “wooing” his classmate Serene, a beautiful elven warrior from a matriarchal culture. He befriends her for the sole purpose of making her his girlfriend, even if it means playing into her reversed gender stereotypes. However, as the interspecies conflict escalates into a wide-scale war, Elliot becomes less self-serving. He finds a higher purpose in achieving peace, working to author peace treaties and expose corruption among the military’s higher-ups, who manufacture conflict for their own gain. Despite his good intentions, without family prestige or combat skills, Elliot struggles to gain respect or be believed. Still, Elliot’s determination never wanes. To make an impact, he works twice as hard as his peers and uses every means at his disposal. However, while his strong opinions can be a force for good when he is the sole voice for peace, he is not perfect. For example, his harsh words upset friends, provoke a violent bully, and accidentally make a small child cry.   

Despite his blunt personality, Elliot forms a tight friendship trio. While good-natured and kind, Serene is a fish out of water and frequently misunderstands human culture. Readers may initially be charmed when she comedically reverses gender stereotypes, but they’ll grow frustrated when she refuses to change or outgrow her bigotry. Luke is everything Elliot is not–popular, athletic, and considerate. Initially, Elliot only tolerates him to get closer to Serene, but soon realizes the golden boy is more complex than he appears.  Luke is gay and often the only voice of reason amidst Elliot and Serene’s antics. He balances the group and adds a sense of normalcy.   

In Other Lands is a funny, subversive take on magic schools and portal fantasies, reminiscent of Harry Potter and Narnia. Brennan’s meta style is the book’s main appeal, but it sometimes comes at the cost of world-building. However, In Other Lands is more of a parody than an original, so the underdeveloped magic systems and inter-species politics are not necessarily deal-breakers.  

At its core, In Other Lands explores coming-of-age and LGBTQ themes in a fun fantasy setting. There is some violence, usually played for laughs. Overall, In Other Lands is worth reading for teens seeking a fresh take on familiar tropes and an unconventional protagonist whose eccentricity is not treated as a character flaw to overcome. While Elliot modifies his personality to be kinder to others, he learns that he does not have to change himself entirely to find family, creating an overall positive message of self-acceptance.  

Sexual Content  

• Elliot runs from Adam, Luke’s cousin, who makes unwanted sexual advances. “Elliot was pulled in and pressed against him, and then Elliot was being kissed. . . Elliot pushed Adam away . . . and ran.” The scene is described over two pages. 

• While context clues indicate a sexual encounter has taken place between Elliot and Serene, no sexual act is named or described in detail, aside from kissing.  

• After a battle, Elliot and Serene kiss several times and share a tent. She “kissed him again . . . still kissing, kissing, and kissing . . . the words lost between their mouths, kissing and clinging.” The scene ends with Elliot requesting Serene “besmirch” him, then cuts to Serene and Elliot lying beside each other several hours later. The scene is described over two pages.  

• After admitting their mutual feelings, Luke and Elliot share a passionate kiss. “Luke shivered, he followed the trail of shivers with kisses along the line of Luke’s jaw . . . Luke’s shirt was basically in shreds from the sudden wings . . . [Elliot] slid his hands down Luke’s skin . . . Luke [took] off Elliot’s shirt . . . he felt the strain of Luke’s body, arching against him to get as close as he could.” The scene lasts three pages. 

Violence  

• There are fighting tournaments and combat training sequences referenced; however, Elliot refuses to take part in them. For example, during a tournament, Luke’s mom “got struck out with a lucky blow to her helmet—she told him afterwards, Elliot obviously did not see for himself.” 

• There are battles, but as a pacifist, Elliot avoids most of the violence and only learns of the outcome after the fighting finishes.  None of the main characters are seriously injured or killed; however, several supernatural creatures die. 

• Serene and Luke both kill supernatural creatures to protect Elliot during a surprise attack. Luke “wrenched the blade out of [the troll’s] belly and the point to his heart. The troll crumpled.” Serene “shot every troll but one” using a bow and arrow. The scene lasts three pages, most of which is spent on Elliot’s comedic internal monologue.  

• To escape a “boring” conversation, Elliot impulsively “stabbed himself in the arm with a butter knife.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language 

• Damn is used four times. For example, Elliot thinks, “God damn it, the battle.”  

• Badass is used five times. For example, Elliot praises his friend, “That is badass.” 

• Hell is used three times. For instance, Luke tells Elliot to “go to hell.” 

• The phrase “oh my god” is used frequently to indicate surprise or frustration.   

Supernatural 

• While Elliot is human, most members of the supporting cast are fantastical creatures, such as elves and harpies. They have supernatural abilities including but not limited to super strength, super speed, and flight.  

Spiritual Content  

• Elliot complains about having to explain to a supernatural creature that he is “Jewish but not practicing.” This is not explained any further. 

• Elliot’s antics frequently drive supporting characters to say an unspecified “prayer for patience.” 

• To express his frustration, Elliot frequently says, “Oh my God.”