It's a fantasy novel in which our characters start out in the normal world and then discover a magical gateway to a world beyond our own where blah blah blah. It sounds like the plot of the worst teen fiction potboiler ever. But this one's written by Gene Wolfe, and he manages to turn it around. Maybe because he reminds us that there's a power in kindness, while at the same time working in some rather snarky jokes.
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