The City Beneath the Hidden Stars

The magical and the mundane mix in Kudei’s over-the-top debut, which throws together three mismatched and unlikely heroes. Barbara Cilli, the Black Queen, once ruled Zagreb, the White City, with an iron fist, but in the ages since her demise, she’s been reduced to nothing more than a bogeyman to frighten children. When a group of schoolmates plays the taboo game Black Queen One-Two-Three, one of them, Stella, is disconcerted to catch a glimpse of a mysterious figure who she becomes convinced is the Black Queen herself. Meanwhile, the celestial Star Council notices signs that the Black Queen might return and sends Leo Solar, a star daimon who was involved with the Black Queen’s initial rise to power, to stop her. The third protagonist is a philosophy student turned part-time proofreader, subeditor, and administrative assistant, Dario Taubek, who has a series of strange experiences, including receiving a prophecy about the Black Queen returning. Stella, Dario, and Leo all have parts to play as they race to stop the Black Queen’s agents from freeing her. As the haphazard adventure unfolds, Kudei’s prose strains a bit too hard to imitate the heightened absurdity of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, never quite reaching its target. Still, readers with a taste for madcap fantasy will find something to enjoy. (Sept.)