Juliano offers the second installment in the Billy Winslow series (following 2022’s Kidnapping Steve), a contemporary magical-realist adventure with lighthearted appeal and, as the title suggests, much spirited basketball. Billy Winslow possesses spirit-hunting powers and visions of “gods and goddesses in the sky, angry, fighting over something.” Urged by a cryptic dream during a shamanistic ceremony “to save a son,” he follows clues from Mexico to the Tar Heels training basketball courts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Billy philosophizes about the uncertainty of existence as he approaches his ultimate calling: to rescue Andy Völler, a would-be star basketball player, from despair over the death of his family in a car-crash.

Billy is the classic flâneur who follows metaphorical breadcrumbs from the universe as he searches for answers: a flying car driven by a dead chauffeur, a frat party where he meets a beautiful superhero, and a friendly basketball that follows him, among many otherworldly incidents. This lends a mythological tone, akin to Perseus finding a goddess-given shield to help him win a battle. The whimsicality provides an atmosphere of both timelessness and humor. Meanwhile, Juliano is an expert at recounting basketball games, play-by-play, demonstrating with passion and precision the healing power of the sport.

The quirky Billy will again prove endearing to readers with his charisma and his casual willingness to follow abstract invitations toward adventure, always seizing upon the positive in the unpredictable. “Billy had to laugh. He was a leader with no followers, a shepherd with no sheep, a general with no army, but that was OK because he had what he needed: a pretty girl and a bar tab.” Such positivity helps him assemble and coach a heartwarming, underdog basketball team to take on the Tar Heels and showcase Andy’s skills. Readers of playful fabulism will eagerly follow the legendary Billy’s unexpected path towards bolstering a worthy athlete.

Takeaway: Wholly unique story of visions, college basketball, and a spirit quest.

Comparable Titles: Melissa Broder’s Death Valley, Charley Rosen’s No Blood, No Foul.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A