“Wherever we go we encounter horrible, creepy, nasty things that want to kill us,” exclaims buffalope Max in this third fantasy featuring Max, elfling Sebastian and diminutive warrior Cornelius. Following hair-raising escapades in Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools (2008) and Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates (2009), the three friends seek the legendary lost city of Mendip, where fabulous treasure and ill fortune await. Wounded en route by murderous Gograth, Sebastian’s rescued by Keera, a strong-willed female of the Jilith tribe who quickly falls for him. After Cornelius successfully defeats the Gograth, the expedition survives a harrowing raft ride, carnivorous water dragons and Mendip’s ghoulish Night Runners to escape with treasure in tow. With Cornelius as bold strategist, Sebastian as kind-hearted humanist and Max as comic relief, friendship remains key in this adventure that questions the moral price of fortune hunting while maintaining the rapid pace and successful formula of its predecessors. Duddle's black-and-white illustrations capture key events. The unresolved finale suggests the possibility of still further adventures for this fearless trio. (Fantasy. 12-17)
