ADVERTISEMENT
![](/image-factory/http/backend-test.booklife.com/images/data/PROJECT/cover_image/000/045/45636-1.JPG/w350.jpg)
The Imagined Homecoming of Icarus Isakov
Steve Wiley, author
A homecoming tale unlike any other, The Imagined Homecoming of Icarus Isakov recounts the fantastical return home of goblin anti-hero and puckish narrator, Icarus Isakov.
When Icarus receives a mysterious letter from the long-lost girl next door, he returns to the ghost town of his childhood in search of her. Icarus lodges at a mystical tavern, one serving memories instead of drinks. There, imbibing the past and exploring the present, Icarus is swept up on a wonderfully strange adventure, taking him from the depths of wish-filled seas to the highest of dream castle ramparts. Along the way, Icarus faces old demons with help from a curious cast of characters, including a forgetful faun, a drunken elf, and a chance mermaid. It will take all of them to find the girl next door, and to rediscovery home.
The Imagined Homecoming of Icarus Isakov is a touching and thought-provoking ride through nostalgia, memory, and the fantasy of home. Icarus's playful narration style make the pages fly, and the magical tavern makes a stunning backdrop for this surreal odyssey.
Reviews
![](/images/project-pwreviews-logo.png)
Wiley (The Fairytale Chicago of Francesca Finnegan) overloads this quirky, absurdist fantasy with colorful set pieces, leaving little room for suspense or emotion. When city-dwelling goblin Icarus Isakov unexpectedly receives a letter from his childhood crush, Ruby Rockhollow, with whom he long ago lost touch, he boards an airship back to his hometown of Rockville for a reunion. But when he arrives, he finds the town largely deserted and Ruby’s house reduced to rubble. Icarus has all but lost hope of finding her when he stumbles upon a bar that “serves memories instead of drinks” and is miraculously still open. His trip down memory lane offers clues that propel him on a dreamlike expedition to a lighthouse operated by a half man, half cat; onward to an empty castle; and finally to an abandoned mine—but he still can’t find Ruby. Disheartened once more, he returns to the bar, where the proprietor, Forgetful Faun, discovers a secret code in Ruby’s letter. Icarus is an empathetic hero, and the mystery of Ruby’s whereabouts carries the story, but the adventures are disappointingly half-baked as Wiley rushes from one big idea to the next, and the final twist falls flat. This is an uneven fantasy, but it’s not without its charms. (Self-published)