Key themes
- The Wood as something ancient and wrong — and what it takes to live beside it
- The Dragon's tower and the woman who refuses to perform gratitude
- Fairy tale structure subverted — Agnieszka as a heroine who doesn't fit the role
About this book
A village girl taken by a cold wizard discovers her own power against a malevolent wood; a fairy-tale standalone.
Published in 2015, Uprooted won the Nebula Award and the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, and was a Hugo finalist. Novik drew on Polish fairy tales from her own heritage.
Discussion questions
- Agnieszka is chosen by the Dragon, expecting to lose her freedom, but discovers her own magical power instead. How does Novik subvert the expected fairy-tale dynamic — and what does Agnieszka's untrained, instinctive magic represent against the Dragon's formal training?
- The Wood is one of fantasy's great malevolent forces — ancient, patient, corrupting. How does Novik develop it — as evil, as natural force, or as something with its own grievance?
- The relationship between Agnieszka and the Dragon develops slowly and against both characters' expectations. How does Novik manage this — avoiding the genre's more predictable romantic beats?
- The novel is rooted in Polish folklore. How does this specific cultural inheritance shape the world — and what does it offer that more generic fantasy settings do not?
- Uprooted won the Nebula and Locus Awards and was a finalist for the Hugo. What does it do that distinguishes it within contemporary fantasy — and what does its folkloric foundation add?
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Awards
Winner · The Nebula Award for Best Novel, 2016Winner · The Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 2016
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