young adult
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
Branford Boase Award
The Branford Boase Award is a British literary award presented annually to an outstanding children's or young-adult novel by a first-time writer; "the most promising book for seven year-olds and upwards by a first time novelist." The award is sha ...
.
On 3 March 2014, the book set the
Guinness World Record
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
as the 'Most Translated Book by a Debut Author, Pre-publication', having sold in 45 languages prior to its UK publication by
Penguin books
Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.
Plot
''Half Bad'' is set in modern-day Europe, mainly in Britain, where witches and humans (fains) live together. There are two primary types of witches: Blood witches (generally oppressed and written off as evil) and Fairborn witches (the main population). The 17-year-old protagonist, Nathan, is half Fairborn and half Blood, or a Half Code. His mother is dead, and his father, Marcus, is known as the most powerful and the smartest Blood witch in the world. Due his parentage, Nathan's every move is monitored by the Council of Fairborn Witches. He has to follow certain rules, but when he breaks one of them, his Gran is deemed unfit to be his guardian, and he receives a new guardian, Celia. Trapped in a cage and abused by Celia, Nathan has to escape before his seventeenth birthday, when he will receive three gifts from his family and his magical ability, or Gift. Otherwise, he will die.
Story terms
* Hunter: a society or singular of Fairborn witches who capture Blood witches
* Whet: a witch who has not had their gift yet, therefore has no special abilities
Characters
* Nathan Byrn: The 17-year-old
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
. He has straight black hair, olive skin and black eyes. He looks like his father. Raised in a family of Fairborn witches, but with a Blood witch father, he is a Half Code. He can self-heal extraordinarily fast.
* Jessica Byrn: Nathan's oldest half-sister who hates him. She later becomes a Hunter.
* Arran Byrn: Nathan's half-brother, with whom Nathan has a loving relationship.
* Deborah Byrn: Nathan's half-sister. She (like Arran) loves Nathan.
* Marcus Edge: Nathan's father, the most feared Blood witch of all time. He killed Nathan's siblings' father, among others. His Gift is transforming into animals but he has also stolen Gifts from many other witches by killing them and eating their hearts.
* Cora Byrn: Nathan's mother, a Fairborn witch who died by suicide. Her gift was healing.
* Gabriel Boutin: A Blood witch stuck in the body of a fain. He helps Mercury to get Nathan to her in order to get his witch body back and later falls in love with Nathan.
* Annalise O'Brien: A Fairborn witch, some months older than Nathan. She runs away from her cruel family. She and Nathan were in love as young teens, but grow apart by the time they see each other again after Nathan escapes from Celia.
* Soul O'Brien: The uncle of Annalise and a Fairborn witch.
* Mercury: A powerful Blood witch who is supposedly part of all different witches.
* Rose: A Fairborn witch and Mercury's assistant, who always blushes and giggles.
* Celia: A Fairborn witch, Nathan's mentor with whom he was sent to live. She appears to treat Nathan cruelly and even would lock him in a cage. However, near the end of her time with Nathan, it is shown that she does care about him and her cruel actions were to prepare him mentally and physically for the hard world ahead.
Development
Sally Green submitted ''Half Bad'' to an agent in January 2013; in March, editorial director Ben Horslen acquired the manuscript for
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Puffin Books
Puffin Books is a longstanding children's imprint of the British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s, it has been among the largest publishers of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world. The imprint now belongs t ...
, billing it "the book of the
Bologna Children's Book Fair
The Bologna Children's Book Fair or La fiera del libro per ragazzi is the leading professional fair for children's books in the world.
Since 1963, it is held yearly for four days in March or April in Bologna, Italy. It is the meeting place for al ...
" after a 6-figure bidding war. In the run up to its publication in the UK on March 3, 2014, international rights to Half Bad sold rapidly; within 13 weeks of acquisition, it had sold in 25 territories; by November 2013, 36. Upon publication day, it broke the Guinness World Record for 'Most Translated Book by a Debut Author, Pre-publication' with 45 different translations.
Reception
Even prior to its publication people drew comparisons to ''
The Hunger Games
''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set ...
'', ''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
Nineteen Eighty-Four
''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also stylised as ''1984'') is a dystopian social science fiction novel and cautionary tale written by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final ...
'' by
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...
.
Additionally, ''Half Bad'' has already broken two
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
as the most translated book – and the most translated children's book – by a debut author before publication.
A ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'' starred review states, "This grim and thrilling tale, first in a planned trilogy, features understated prose that lets readers' imaginations fill in the blanks, as well as a well-developed sense of Witch culture. Nathan, the damaged survivor of horrific abuse, is an unforgettable protagonist, and Green expertly captures his torment at being caught between the mutually hostile sides of his heritage." ''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' states, "Green propels Nathan forward with the help of often underdeveloped secondary characters, who are overshadowed by the imaginary relationship Nathan builds with his father; it is this that keeps both Nathan and readers going." In a review for ''
Tor.com
''Tor.com'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on speculative fiction.
From 20 ...
'', Kat Kennedy writes, "Sally Green's ''Half Bad'' is the perfect novel for inspiring one to despise all of humanity or fall onto the ground and weep pathetically. Needless to say, it is an excellent book."
In a review for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'',
Philip Womack
Philip Womack (born in 1981) is a British writer and journalist. Womack married Princess Tatiana von Preussen in 2014.
Education
Womack was educated aDorset House Preparatory School Lancing College, BPP Law School, and read Classics and English ...
writes, "While there is nothing new here, ''Half Bads combination of themes will no doubt be entirely attractive to a large section of readers. Whether it will retain a hold on their imaginations is another matter." In a review for ''
The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'', Martin Chilton writes, "''Half Bad'' doesn't always feel particularly original (scenes are set in mysterious alleys) but it is full of suspense."
''Half Bad'' won the 2015 Waterstones Teen Book Prize. It was also shortlisted for the 2015
Branford Boase Award
The Branford Boase Award is a British literary award presented annually to an outstanding children's or young-adult novel by a first-time writer; "the most promising book for seven year-olds and upwards by a first time novelist." The award is sha ...
, which seeks to acknowledge outstanding debut novels for children and teenagers; it is an award presented both to the author and editor.
Sequel
'' Half Wild'' was released on 24 March 2015. The third and final book in the series, ''
Half Lost
Half Lost is a 2016 young adult fantasy novel written by English author Sally Green. It is the third and final installment in the Half Bad Trilogy and the sequel to the previous book in the trilogy '' Half Wild''. The novel was published on Marc ...
'', was released in March 2016.
In November 2014 a Companion story, Half Lies was released.
Adaptations
A feature film adaptation was announced by
Fox 2000
Fox 2000 Pictures was an American film production company within The Walt Disney Studios. It was a sister studio of the larger film studio 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures specializing in producing independent films in mid-range re ...
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
announced a TV adaptation in 2020, to be helmed by
Joe Barton
Joseph Linus Barton (born September 15, 1949) is an American politician who represented in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 to 2019. The district included Arlington, part of Fort Worth, and several small towns and rural areas south ...
, which was released 28 October 2022 as ''
The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself
''The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself'' is a British fantasy drama television series created by Joe Barton, based on the novel '' Half Bad'' by Sally Green. The series tells the story of Nathan Byrne, a young man discovering his true identity a ...