“Faeries, come take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind, run on the top of the disheveled tide, and dance upon the mountains like a flame.” So wrote poet W.B. Yeats, referencing  the power, danger and appeal of fairies. Though most of us are accustomed to think of fairy godmothers or lively magical sprites, debut novelist Robert Levy draws on the darker fairy traditions, ones familiar to Yeats and countless artists and folklorists who imagined the beings as wildly attractive and yet capable of great harm. THE GLITTERING WORLD explores the compelling influence of what are called, for lack of a more accurate term, the Fae or the Other Kind in the isolated and raw landscape of Nova Scotia.

Blue, a charming chef in debt to some serious bad guys, is traveling home to Canada to sell his recently deceased grandmother’s house. He and his mother left Nova Scotia when Blue was just five years old, and he hasn’t been back since. His need for quick cash plus vague and dreamy memories spur him on, even against his ailing mother’s warnings. With Blue are Elisa, his best friend since their New York club kid days; Elisa’s straight-laced professional husband, Jason; and Gabe, a young man who has been Blue’s constant companion of late.

"There are some pretty cool twists and reveals even as the book moves toward a fairly inevitable conclusion.... All in all, THE GLITTERING WORLD is a mesmerizing and dynamic read and an impressive first novel."

The quartet plan to relax in the house they have rented from eccentric locals Maureen and Donald while the sale of the house is finalized. But right away something changes with Blue, and he finds himself disoriented by memories, dreams and visions. A visit to his grandmother’s house, where he finds a terrifying cage in the basement, is the beginning of a horrific revelation: Blue, known as Michael as a child, had disappeared in the woods outside the artist commune in which he and his mother lived, and was found naked and stunned weeks later at his grandmother’s house. When Blue once again disappears, this time taking Elisa with him, Jason and Gabe are forced to confront the strange tales of the Other Kind, the ancient beings that live beneath the earth and deep inside the mountains. Jason begins to doubt his marriage to Elisa, and Gabe believes Blue to be a mystical being like the ones he has been attuned to all his life.

When Elisa returns, without Blue, and shares her experiences, all three must decide which reality they believe in: the one in which the Other Kind hold sway, or the one in which the Other Kind are part of a deranged backwoods mythology.

THE GLITTERING WORLD is often adjective-heavy and overly descriptive, but Levy smooths out his prose as the book goes on. He seems to find a better rhythm and sense of style when he leaves Blue’s perspective and writes from the points of view of, in turn, Jason, Elisa and Gabe. This is a creepy supernatural thriller, almost weird fiction but close also to fantasy writing. There are some pretty cool twists and reveals even as the book moves toward a fairly inevitable conclusion. Nova Scotia is a wonderful setting that Levy could’ve capitalized on a bit more, but its stark and varied terrain is potent.

All in all, THE GLITTERING WORLD is a mesmerizing and dynamic read and an impressive first novel.