Very similar vibe to The Gatekeeper of Pericael, though aimed at an older reader. Very fast world building, a "getting the gang back together" heist theme with magic and family drama. I have like Elliott's work in the past, but I would have liked this anyway.

This novella was a pure, action-packed adventure about a pissed off Jewish mom setting out to rescue her son.

Esther is a member of a Hex, a collection of six individuals, each with their own magic abilities, collectively able to navigate the dangerous Beyond between different worlds. Except Esther’s Hex recently lost their license to operate (granted by the Dragons who oversee interworld travel) when Esther engaged in some illegal shenanigan to shut down some slave traders. But then she gets a message from her son (another member of the Hex) telling her that he’s been kidnapped, so Esther gets the gang back together to rescue him.

This novella is purely and simply *fun*. You’ve got cool magical abilities, an original and highly hazardous environment, dragons guarding their hoards and scheming to increase them, workers engaging in slowdowns to force management to the negotiating table: everything a great fantasy adventure needs. Strongly recommended if you’re looking for an entertaining way to pass a few hours.

Ok to be blunt this didn’t particularly wow me initially although I hasten to admit that I quickly became engaged with Esther the world hopping grandmother determined to save those she loves. The idea of multiple worlds connected by a darkly disturbing beyond certainly had a creepiness to it. Add in dragons who clearly feel superior to all other life forms and it’s a rich tapestry for the story to play out in.
I certainly did not expect this to go in the directions it did which as I now reflect on it means that I actually enjoyed this immensely. This author has a gift for bringing her ideas and imagination to life on the page that meant this story whilst shorter than what I usually prefer held my interest and took me on a very enjoyable journey. Yes I definitely recommend this book .
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested on Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

The Keeper's Six
by Kate Elliott
An Rpg story showing the rough nature of the ideology. A group of friends are sent on a mission that they don't know all the particulars. Each person has one ore more skills, the group together is able to survive. The characters are endearing and their adventures show that through working together they able to surmount the dangers and find a resolution.
I would recommend the book to RPG players, and adventure readers. Its a good Middle school book, allowing the students to learn from the characters how social networks help.

This is my first book by the Author ....... and what an introduction , it certainly won't be the last

Esther and her Hex have been suspended for doing the right thing the wrong way - the Concillium rules are arbitrary but must be obeyed .
When her son , the 'Keeper' Daniel , is abducted by a Dragon she knows that the only way to rescue him is for her Hex to reform and travel through the Beyond using the Dragon scale he left behind
What follows is a journey full of dangers , a Dragon who guard his 'hoard' at all costs , magic and a return to a place of a dangerous rescue five years previously .......... can they keep themselves alive long enough to complete the task . ?
The story is character driven , morality and the underdog a driving force for Esther in particular - the worldbuilding is superb
Gender throughout the story is fluid with non binary sexual mores - which I found both interesting and confusing at times - I loved the part where the 'hoard' start to unionise themselves !!

I hope the Author returns to this world as would love to read more of Esther and her Hex and the world(s) they live in .
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I've always wanted to read something by Kate Elliott. Success unlocked. First, I'm impressed by the author's imagination and world-building skills. While quite a bit of it is told and relies on heavy (ish) exposition, I found the world interesting enough not to mind that much. Second, Elliott has a flair for strong characterization and her spell-slinging mum is a great character.

I wasn't crazy about the pacing but had a good time with this one overall.

This just was really not my cup of tea, I just had a hard time following the story line and could not get into it properly.

The Keeper's Six
by Kate Elliot
Pub Date: January 17, 2023
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I love the way this author does novellas.
They're short, rich in plot and character development. This is a delightful companion to the Servant Mage.
This book begins in Hawaii, but you pretty quick realize that they are connected, and this story is about a woman who .
will do whatever it takes to save her son. I gave The Keeper's Six by Kate Elliott four out of five stars. Overall, I really enjoyed this novella. If you like inventive fantasy with some mystery thrown in, then definitely read anything Kate Elliott writes!

In The Keeper's Six, Earth isn't the only Realm. There are many Realms, and they are all magically connected by a dangerous between area known as the Beyond. A group of six magic users can form what's known as a Hex to traverse the Beyond between Realms and facilitate trade between them. Each Realm also has facilities known as Keeps. These are locations that are partly in a Realm and partly in the Beyond, and they provide a place to cross between the two. Each Keep is powered and run by a magic user known as a Keeper.

Esther's son, Daniel, is the Keeper of her Hex's home Keep in Hawaii. He is married and has children with Kai, a dragon trapped in human form. One night, Esther receives a cryptic phone call from Daniel. When she travels to his Keep, she discovers Kai and the children in an enchanted sleep and Daniel has been kidnapped. A year ago Esther's Hex had been suspended from travel through the Beyond, but she calls on them anyway. She needs help finding Daniel and bringing him home. If there's one thing Daniel's kidnappers didn't plan for, it's how much Esther can accomplish when she's angry.

One of my favorite things about this story was the magic system. Not everyone can use magic, but those that can usually have a particular talent. For example, Esther is a Lantern. She can cast light and use it as a defensive shield when necessary. Each member of a Hex has a special magical talent, and using them all together is what makes traversing the Beyond possible.

Another part of the magic system I found intriguing was the idea that a certain number of things is important. The number six seemed to be particularly important. Hex means six, and each Hex has six members. Six Keeps in a hexagonal configuration creates a stable environment within the Beyond where people can live and trade. It was a very interesting idea.

I also liked the take on parallel universes being connected magically. Unlike in a sci-fi world where universes use technology to travel, everything in the Realms and the Beyond is magical. Specifically, it seems to be controlled with dragon magic – which is important to the story. Dragons control the Concilium which is a kind of governing body that dictates trade laws in the Realms. The Concilium also assigns rankings to Realms depending on how aware the citizenry is of magic. Earth is a fourth rank Realm because the populace at large doesn't know about magic, Realms, or the Beyond.

While I really enjoyed the setting, the world, and the characters, I do feel most of the characters could have used more development. The entire story is told in 3rd person from Esther's perspective, so we don't really learn more than surface-level facts about the other members of the Hex, Daniel, or Kai. Honestly, out of all the characters, I would have loved to learn more about Kai's past. Also, there's a character included in most of the story that just leaves about 75% through it. The entire side story about him and where he came from just felt out of place if it wasn't going to be explored more thoroughly.

I feel some of this is what contributed to the slight pacing issues the story had. Most of the book seemed to drag by with Esther and her Hex moving from one place to another following clues. Then, everything was resolved so quickly within the last 15% of the book. That being said, the mystery and how everything ended up being tied together was very well done. I suspected some of it, but the rest was a complete surprise, which is always nice in a story as long as it's realistic for the world.

I gave The Keeper's Six by Kate Elliott four out of five stars. Overall, I really enjoyed this novella. Like the other Kate Elliott novella I've read, Servant Mage, I wish there was more! The setting, world, and magic system are so interesting, and I wanted to learn more about the characters in that context. I feel like the pacing issue was a product of the length of the story. If it had been fleshed out by even another hundred pages, I feel the ending wouldn't have seemed so rushed. If you like inventive fantasy with some mystery thrown in, then definitely read anything Kate Elliott writes!

Review based on an ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Years ago, Esther and her Hex (a team of six, each with unique roles necessary for avoiding death by flora, fauna, or weather while traveling the Beyond) rescued a child from inter-planar slavers. Kai grew to be a part of Esther's family, eventually marrying her son, Daniel. Now a dragon lord has kidnapped Daniel and is demanding that Esther give him Kai in exchange for her son's safe return. She'll have to reassemble her Hex and face a myriad of dangers in order to keep her family safe and untangle the consequences of the past.

I loved The Keeper's Six. Though the premise is familiar (baddie kidnaps the hero's child, blackmails hero, rescue mission ensues), Elliott takes a fresh approach to both the characters and plot. Instead of a white male Keanu Reeves/Liam Neeson/Harrison Ford/Mel Gibson type (I may be fudging a bit to include John Wick, but otherwise I think I've seen them all in this movie), Esther is a Jewish grandmother dealing with knee pain. Instead of a blood-soaked rampage or the PG-13 equivalent, she and her Hex set out to discover why the dragon lord is targeting her family and get him to free Daniel through information gathering and contractual wrangling.

That's not to say that there's no excitement - the environment of the Beyond is incredibly hostile, as well as some of its inhabitants - but Esther regularly tries to find the option that is best in both the short- and long-term. I highlighted several phrases and passages that showed this. In one, Esther is thinking of the act of sabotage that took down the organization who had enslaved Kai. She knows the sabotage caused the deaths of both innocent and guilty sapients, but also that without her actions the evil system would have continued, and wonders whether she did the right thing (for me personally, and I think for Esther, the answer has to do with goals - are innocents being hurt as unavoidable collateral in confronting evil, or is the goal to get innocents hurt/killed to accelerate “the revolution,” an actual position I've seen wannabe revolutionaries take). At another point someone tells her that "sometimes altruism was just selfishness," that being on the right side of history can be used to justify what you wanted to do anyways regardless of who it hurts. Esther's refusal to let herself off the hook or to take the easy/immediately-gratifying path is an admirable example for people in our world who are trying to make things better.

Two other things that sparked joy for me: first, this book has lots of queer representation (both sexuality and gender) including multiple non-binary characters who use neopronouns and who are non-binary in different ways from each other; and second, there is a subplot running through the novel about the staff maintaining a dragon's horde deciding to unionize. It's a small touch, but absolutely delightful.

As far as I know, Keeper's Six is a standalone book, but I'm crossing my fingers that Elliott will return to this world someday. In the meantime, you should definitely check it out!

The Keeper's Six's expected publication date is January 17, 2023. You can find a local bookstore to pre-order the print version at IndieBound, or an ebook at Kobo (or presumably most other ebook distributors).

The Keeper's Six
by Kate Elliott

Pub Date 17 Jan 2023
Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom
Sci-Fi & Fantasy

So this was on my TBR for one of my most anticipated in January 2023. I divided straight into this book. The Keeper’s Six stars Esther Green, member of a magical Hex that was banned from operation after a past violation put them on the wrong side of the Concilium. An enjoyable short novel with endearing characters and lighthearted moments. I read it in a couple of sittings and had a great time, but there was little in it that stayed with me. Nonetheless, the story appeared to be somewhat forgettable. I didn't feel there was enough to get to enjoy this world as it a short book. I feel as though this would of been better as a longer book to explore the world's created more which would help readers dive deep. I have enjoyed the ascpet of the different worlds and dragons.

#NetGalley #bookstagram #bookreview #fantasy #novella

I’ve put this ARC down several times and have dreaded picking it up again. Initially I was excited for a grandma main character with dragons and a complex magical system but the execution was lackluster.

I feel like the purpose of this was an attempt at world building with constant subterfuge of is this our world, an alternate universe, or something else entirely. It was a lot of info dumping and telling not showing which became exhaustive.

Otherwise it became a leapfrog of ‘everyone is so good at this stuff, see!?’ And monologue battles that lasted pages upon pages.

I stopped at 25% after the scene of the Israeli bad guy.

I usually love Tordotcom titles but this…I’m not sure what this is.

Read courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher.

An enjoyable short novel whose charm lies in the likeable characters and flashes of humour. I pretty much read it in a couple of sittings, and had a lovely time, but all the same, there was little in it that had staying power - I always like Elliott's style, and it was fun here, particularly when interactions touched on labour rights. Yet still, the story seemed somewhat forgettable - I don't see myself wanting to read it again, or thinking much about it when it was over. A good read, but not a major work by Elliott, I'd say.

Rating: 3.5/5*
Despite The Keeper’s Six‘s short length, it is teeming with interesting characters that give us a glimpse into the vast world Kate Elliot created. Each member of the Hex has a distinct personality: Esther is a bit of a philosopher, Faye very much embodies the identity of being the group’s Shotgun, Gus is a man of few but very supportive words, Lydia is a mysterious ancient witch, and Marianne is snarky with remarks that cut deep. I found her relationship with Esther to be particularly intriguing given Esther’s betrayal, and I was surprised by how they ended up after the novel’s climax.

The side characters Elliott creates are just as vivid. Daniel is a wonderful man who makes the most out of a bad situation, befriending his jailors and even suggesting better working conditions for them, while Kai is still healing from a deeply traumatic and complex backstory that is exposed to us throughout the novel. Even though Shahin is only in part of the novel, he also stood out as a character with a lot of potential, especially in relation to Esther.

As the book is a scant 200 pages, Elliott does not include big character arcs which I thought made sense, especially combined with the fact that the whole story takes place over six days.

However, this short length does impact the extent of Elliott’s worldbuilding as she creates a vast world that barely has the space to be explored. In The Keeper’s Six, Elliot’s blended fantasy and sci-fi elements left me wanting to know much more about it. From the dragons’ species and abilities to the different Realms and their populations (one of them is populated by sentient trains!), and questions about The Beyond, I could not get enough of it all.

Plot-wise, the story follows a familiar quest arc though there were some surprises along the way. It was well paced and I found myself flipping through it, especially closer to the climax of the story. The ending was fitting, though I would have liked to see it stretched out a little more so as to cement everything that happened.

In The Keeper’s Six by Kate Elliott, the focus is mostly on immersing the readers through vivid descriptions of the worlds the Hex goes through. This much description does take away from the plot somewhat, but it also allows Elliott to explore complex and darker themes such as trafficking of living beings, what happens when Nature fights back, and whether or not saving one group of people actually does damage to the whole of a bad system. These questions are often left open ended, which I didn’t mind as it gives the world and characters even more depth.

The Keeper’s Six is also teeming with representation of all kinds. Elliott differentiates species through pronouns, using them to also explore gender expression in certain characters. Additionally, Esther’s jewish identity is very prominent through the story while Shahin’s Persian background becomes a subplot of its own.

Finally, all of our protagonists are on the older side ranging anywhere between 30 to 62 to ancient immortal magical being. Issues such as bills and family make an appearance, while Esther does bring up various pains related to her older age throughout. I thought this was both refreshing and fun since it’s so rare to have a fantasy protagonist be in their 60s.

To conclude, The Keeper’s Six by Kate Elliott packs a punch in its 200 pages. It tackles themes ranging from family and altruism to trafficking of people and what it takes to heal from that, with a certain grace. I would have loved for the book to be longer in order to fully delve into both the heavier themes as well as the world itself.

I have always been a huge Kate Elliott fan, and in The Keeper's Six she didn't disappoint. Esther, a grandmother, discovers that her adult son has been kidnapped by a dragon. She pulls together her Hex, six mages of different stripes who were suspended for a past transgression, and not supposed to be working together. They embark on the journey to recover Daniel from the dragon. But this dragon isn't just a fire-breathing gold hoarder, but also a powerful space lord of a sort, the kind you definitely don't want to cross. Elliot is a master world-builder and how she manages to create such a rich environment and complex characters in a novella is astounding. It's an incredible mix of unusual magic, dragons, aliens, and familiar Earth traditions. A good quick read that you'll be sad is over too soon.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this early! I can confidently say that this book is unlike any other science fiction fantasy novel I have ever read. In a universe controlled by space dragons who can take human forms, small groups of six—a hex—run missions for them. This novella follows Esther, the leader of a suspended hex, who brings the gang back together when her adult son is kidnapped and his fugitive dragon husband is the ransom. There are not as many fantasy or science fiction novels that focus on an older main character, especially an older woman with grandchildren, and this book made me want to see more. Each of the characters in the hex grew on me—even the more combative ones— as the mystery of why they were suspended comes to light and they work to free Esther’s son. It was also amazing to see Judaism and Hawaiian culture exist normally in a sci fi setting, since it’s not something you typically find. Mostly this novella was pure fun and would recommend it to fans of Becky Chambers.

I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but The Keeper’s Six has a really lovely one. Throw in my previous enjoyment of the author’s work and a page count that doesn’t even approach her usual doorstopping tendencies, and I didn’t need much convincing to request an ARC of Kate Elliott’s upcoming novel. The promise of a parent protagonist was just the cherry on top. 

The Keeper’s Six stars Esther Green, member of a magical Hex (named for their number, not for their magic) that was banned from operation after a past violation put them on the wrong side of the Concilium. But when she finds her (adult) son Daniel kidnapped by a dragon, she brings the team back together for one more job to try to get him back.

And so begins an adventure that takes Esther through the mortal dangers of the Beyond, into a dragon’s hoard, and back to the scene of the incident that saw her suspended in the first place. The stakes are firmly established up front, and strong writing keeps the story flowing nicely throughout, with plenty of intermediate dangers along the way, and even a romantic subplot for good measure. 

But while I was excited to see a short novel in a genre that often seems to have little between novella and doorstopper, I’m not convinced that the length was right for the story being told. Elliott has created an expansive world with plenty of material for more stories, but the attempt to communicate all the plot-relevant details yields a story that sometimes feels overstuffed and doesn’t have much room for misdirection. Had The Keeper’s Six been a novella, it would’ve required a more mysterious world, which would’ve had its own challenges. But it also would’ve made for a more streamlined tale, and the gaps in the reader’s understanding would’ve made it harder to anticipate key plot points. On the other hand, had it been a longer novel, the worldbuilding could’ve unfolded more slowly and included pieces beyond the plot that made the world feel more lived in. But in the middle, every piece of new information seemed a signal about a future plot development, robbing some of the suspense while simultaneously not really allowing the story to breathe. The combination of prose and characterization was still good enough to make for an engaging story, but it was one with the feel of unrealized potential. 

While the length of the tale didn’t really allow the entire cast their moments in the sun, Esther and Daniel were both nicely-drawn—with Daniel’s love of cooking and penchant for political organizing coming to life remarkably well in such limited page time. And it was flourishes like those that kept the story interesting even when the worldbuilding threatened to overwhelm. Even at an awkward length, it still made for a fun read. 

Recommended if you like: fantasy adventures with big worlds, political and romantic subplots. 

Overall rating: 14 of Tar Vol’s 20. Four stars on Goodreads.

This is more of a 3.5 star for me. I always enjoy Kate Elliott’s writing and this novella/short novel doesn’t veer off that course. Set in a world where there are multiple worlds interconnected by a weird, dangerous in between called the Beyond, we follow Esther and her Hex as they try to get her son, a Keeper, back from being kidnapped. But there is a lot of history and past decisions are coming back to collect. The story moves along well and the magic is interesting (dragons!). It was a little heavy handed on the working conditions piece, but it did work overall into the story.

I love a badass mom, and this is giving us a badass grandma!

I'm living for it. I also just love the way Kate Elliott does these novellas. They're short, but so rich in world-building, character development, and plot. I'm not sure how she manages to do so much in only 200 pages but The Keeper's Six is a delightful companion to The Servant Mage.

I will say, the beginning took me by surprise. While Servant Mage begins in a very different magical world, this book begins in Hawaii. But you pretty quickly come to realize how they are connected and this story is about a woman doing whatever it takes to save her son, and also protect his non-human husband from people who want him for their own purposes. It's action-packed, with new and interesting tidbits about an expansive world that I hope we continue to explore in future books.

Our main character is Esther- grandma to adorable hybrid babies and a force to be reckoned with. I really liked her as a character, and I loved how the story integrated her Jewish identity in specific ways through the story as well. This is a short book so I won't say too much more, but I am LOVING this micro-trend of getting older heroines in fantasy. I received a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.

I did not know Kate Elliott could write something so bite-sized! :) This is a really fun contemporary(sorta)-portal fantasy! The worldbuilding is exceptionally cool. There is a network of worlds who are connected by a deadly and somewhat ephemeral realm that is rooted into existence by dragon magic. The main character Esther is the leader of a Hex, a group of people who are able to enter the realm, which earth has only recently been connected to. These Hexes are governed by a body that, well, Esther's hex broke the rules of a year ago so they are on probation. But when Esther's adult son, who is a member of her hex, is kidnapped, Esther and her hex plunge back into the realm and the schemes of dragons to get him back. Very entertaining with great characters and interesting magic!

I was given an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.