TRACKED BY TERROR

Following Grimoire: Curse of the Midions (2006), episode two is one long chase sequence as young Jarvey Midion and his capable friend Lucy Dare search for his kidnapped parents through more worlds created by his ancestors within the pages of a magic tome. Those worlds are eerie—one consists of nothing but a huge, labyrinthine theater with robot audiences created to applaud the works of a third-rate Midion playwright—and filled with dangers, but they also begin to look like refuges from the world outside the Grimoire. Could it be that the Midions aren’t all as utterly villainous as they’ve seemed? Strickland crafts a polished, suspenseful tale, developing a scenario well-stocked with nightmares and traps while building to a battle in which Jarvey becomes a little better at controlling his own magical abilities. A serviceable continuation to a still-promising series. (Fantasy. 10-12)