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Synopsis

Leopold Berry is a teenager living in Los Angeles with his blowhard father. Leopold's mother died when he was twelve and was the source of her son's love both for LA and for movie magic. Since her passing, much of his life has been spent avoiding disappointing his father and obsessing over his favourite TV show - a 1990s kids' fantasy series called Sunderworld.

To call Sunderworld a cult favorite is generous. As far as Leopold knows, he and his best friend Emmet are the only people in the world who watch it. Leopold and Emmet spent much of their early teens recreating the show, cheesy special effects and all. Leopold is convinced the Sunder mythology is real and he's destined to be Sunderworld's chosen one. It turns out he's half right.

With the help of his best friend and some surprising allies from LA's weird side, Leopold must find a way to survive in a magical Los Angeles that's less disappointing and far stranger than even he ever imagined.

Excerpt

They stood on the sidewalk, hands cupped around their eyes, peering through the chain link fence. Above them loomed Angels Flight, beyond which they could make out the shadowy, weed-fringed rise of Bunker Hill.

Leopold broke the silence. "We've been standing here a full minute. Are you going to explain why you dragged me back here?"

"Just look," Emmet said anxiously, pointing into the gloom. "Halfway up, right side. What do you see?"

Leopold squinted. "Crappy apartment buildings."

"And there." Emmet's arm shifted higher and to the left. "What about over there?"

"I don't know, man, it's pretty dark--"

"How about a huge building with what looks like a crown on top? The US Bank Tower."

"No."

"Do you see any tall buildings at all?" He was gesturing toward the crest of the hill now, cloaked in a fine shroud of mist. "There should be a bunch of skyscrapers."

"Yeah." Leopold hesitated, then frowned. "I mean--no. I don't see any of that."

"That's what I'm saying. Where the hell did they go?"

Leopold blinked at Emmet. "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" He was getting frustrated. "They're gone."

Leopold turned to face his friend. Emmet's eyes were wide, his expression bordering on panic. Emmet was freaking out--and Emmet never freaked out.

"Buildings don't just disappear," Leopold said slowly.

"Great. Yeah. Let's make a list of other obvious facts." Emmet shot him a stony look before returning his eyes to the hill. "First: Buildings don't just disappear. Second: I know what the downtown LA skyline is supposed to look like--and that's not it."

"What are you trying to say? A minute ago you were giving me this big speech about how all this weirdness was just coincidental. Now you're making me think my episodes are contagious."

Emmet was shaking his head. "I realize I just spent hours telling you that what you've been seeing isn't real. But I'm not seeing, like, half-human monsters outside motels. This feels like a cosmic problem. I was born and raised in this beautiful, disgusting city, and it's never looked like that." He nodded toward the hill again, then took a deep breath. "There might be more than just a tiny bit of uncanny weirdness happening right now. And I need to know why."

A snap of silent lightning split the night sky. They turned at the same time to gaze at Angels Flight.

Inside the trolley, dimly, a light was burning. For a moment, neither boy drew breath.

"Holy shit," Leopold said softly.

Emmet turned to him. "You still have that token, right?"

Copyright © 2024 by Ransom Riggs

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