Everfound (novel)
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Neal Shusterman |
| Products | Fantasy novel |
Everfound is a fantasy novel published in 2011 by Neal Shusterman, serving as the concluding volume of the Skinjacker trilogy.
Setting
Everlost exists as an intermediate dimension where children and adolescents under the age of 18 arrive following near-death experiences. These beings, known as Afterlights, are invisible to the living and generally cannot influence the physical world unless they possess the ability called skinjacking—where comatose Afterlights can take control of living individuals. Afterlights face the danger of sinking into Earth's core unless they remain on "deadspots," specific places where someone has died and gravity ceases to act.
Plot
Mary Hightower remains confined within a glass coffin while Milos leads a group of Mary's Afterlights along with Interlights—souls dormant for nine months before awakening in Everlost—westward by train. Allie the Outcast is tethered to the front of this train. Milos, Jill, Moose, and Squirrel engage in reaping, a process involving skinjacking living teenagers to convert them into residents of Everlost. During their journey, they meet Jix, an Afterlight who possesses the unique ability to skinjack animals. Jix joins their expedition as they navigate obstacles such as a church obstructing their path.
Nick, transformed into a figure made of chocolate with fragmented memories, and Mikey McGill encounter Clarence, a scar wraith capable of extinguishing Afterlights. Nick manages to escape while Mikey remains captive and reveals secrets about Everlost. The train carrying Allie crashes into a mansion inhabited by Afterlights known as the “Neon Nightmares.” Jix rescues Allie and introduces her to furjacking—the act of skinjacking animals. Avalon, leader of the Neons, demands Jix’s death; however, Jill negotiates their release by offering information about mystical coins. Avalon consents and relocates their group—including Mary Hightower and the Interlights—to Alamo.
Nick arrives at the crash site disoriented. Milos manipulates Nick into forgetting Allie and believing he has feelings for Jill. The group follows the Neons toward Mary's location. Meanwhile, Allie traces Nick's chocolate footprints to San Antonio, where she uncovers that Seth Fellon was skinjacked to commit arson; she assists him in escaping prison. Concurrently, Jix and Jill send Avalon into the light and lead the Neons toward Mexico’s City of Souls.
During another reaping attempt by Milos, Nick, Allie, Mikey, and Clarence intervene; Clarence extinguishes Squirrel. The Interlights awaken, and Mary reunites with Jill, Jix, Milos, Moose, and others as they set out for the City of Souls while Mikey’s group heads toward Corpus Christi.
At a bay, Mary and Milos betray Jix by allowing him to sink into the ocean. Jill parts ways with them but later rejoins Jix and Allie. The group divides responsibilities: Jill returns to Mary to gather skinjackers’ names; Nick, Mikey, and Jix seek assistance from the King of the City of Souls; Clarence and Allie use Jill’s intelligence to suppress skinjackers’ bodies. Allie kills Milos’ body, stripping him of his abilities; Mary abandons him as worthless.
With no new information on skinjackers’ identities, Allie confronts Mary at Trinity Vortex—a vast deadspot located at Everlost’s first nuclear bomb site. When Allie's efforts falter, Mary commands Milos to extinguish Clarence; Milos complies out of love for her. A storm erupts across both realms as Mikey, Nick, Jix, inhabitants of the City of Souls, and a coin statue arrive at the Hindenburg.
Clarence utilizes the bomb and coin statue to send most Afterlights into the light. Jix and Jill reunite to train new skinjackers. Mary sinks toward Earth’s core; Mikey enters the light; Allie skinjacks her own body; Nick assumes Mary's position overseeing Afterlights but without her foresight.
Characters
- Alexandra "Allie the Outcast" Johnson: A fourteen-year-old girl who perished in the same automobile accident as Nick. Reborn nine months later within "Everlost" as an Afterlight, Allie possesses the rare talent to "possess or skinjack" others. Throughout this installment, she persists in her quest to thwart Mary's schemes and protect both the living world and Everlost, ultimately reclaiming control of her own body through skinjacking.
- Nicholas "Nick": A fourteen-year-old boy of half-Japanese descent who died alongside Allie in the crash. Permanently clad in formal attire with a chocolate-smeared mouth, Nick collaborates with Allie and others to prevent Mary’s attempt to annihilate the living realm. By the conclusion, he assumes responsibility for guiding Afterlights, helping them transition into the light when their time arrives.
- Megan "Mary Hightower" McGill: At fifteen, Megan is one of the eldest residents of Everlost and styles herself as an authority on the realm, authoring multiple survival manuals for those caught between life and death. Donning a green school dress, she views herself as a maternal figure to many Afterlights and is resolute in her radical objective to keep lost children trapped in Everlost by orchestrating the destruction of the living world. When her efforts collapse, she opts for extinction instead of conceding failure.
- Mikey McGill: Megan’s fourteen-year-old brother who seeks atonement after nearly three decades spent abducting Afterlights under a prophecy promising his resurrection in exchange for 1,000 souls. Determined to abandon his former ways and earn Allie’s approval, he accompanies her on her final journey home. Gifted with shapeshifting abilities, Mikey appears self-centered but harbors deep affection for Allie. Following his role in dismantling Mary’s plan, he transitions into the light.
- Milos: A seventeen-year-old Russian skinjacker loyal to Mary, overseeing her Afterlights during their westward travels. Eventually, he loses his skinjacking powers and becomes extinguished.
- Jill: Known as Jackin' Jill, this resilient skinjacker with unruly blonde hair initially serves Mary but later allies with Allie. She develops romantic feelings for Jix and plays a significant part in undermining Mary’s objectives.
- Moose: A skinjacker perpetually outfitted in American football gear whose speech is impeded by a mouthguard. Traveling alongside Milos, he eventually loses his skinjacking ability and becomes trapped in an endless solitary football game loop.
- Squirrel: An eccentric skinjacker recognized for his repetitive speech patterns and squirrel-like mannerisms. Along with Milos and Moose, he is extinguished by Clarence, an event that triggers the awakening of all Interlights.
- Jix: Unlike others, Jix is a skinjacker who takes control of animals rather than humans. Previously serving the King in the City of Souls before descending to Earth’s depths, he encounters Jill and falls in love with her. He assists Allie in dismantling Mary’s scheme and collaborates with Jill to train new skinjackers.
- Clarence: A scar wraith who supports Allie by destroying bodies of newly created skinjackers resulting from Mary’s actions. He plays a pivotal role in guiding most Afterlights into the light using the first atomic bomb and a coin statue that directs Afterlights back to their destined locations prior to their arrival in Everlost.