Yellow Truck and the Knight's Misfortune (Yellow Truck series, part 2)

In this second installment in the Yellow Truck series, Brave Knight faces ruin, but Yellow Truck sticks by his friend.

Klecter (Yellow Truck and Billy’s Toolbox, 2012, etc.) continues his allegorical tale about Yellow Truck, a war-veteran vehicle who has feet instead of tires, and life in Yellow Truck’s hometown, Hillville. As with the first installment, Yellow Truck has a pivotal role in a story that centers on someone else; this time around, he assists his friend Brave Knight as he battles evil forces, seen and unseen. When a giant hurls enormous playing cards at the locals, Brave fights back against him. But, as they battle, nothing Knight does seems to work, and before long, Brave is the laughingstock of the Kingdom. His domestic situation also deteriorates when his wife, Jolie, spends all of Brave’s money—following her neighbor Ungrateful Greta’s advice— and begins an extramarital affair with mechanic Billy Tuneup, the playboy cad from the first novel. The story’s lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek tone makes it a charming read—somewhat like a children’s book, but one with adult themes. However, some of the characters from the first novel appear without adequate explanation; Sally the Untalented Artist and Rodney Rebuild make brief cameos, for example, but serve no real purpose in the story. Although Ungrateful Greta gets her due at the end of the tale, her comeuppance is somewhat unsatisfying and a bit long-winded. That said, Klecter manages to pack a lot into this story, which never feels too heavy.

An engaging, if occasionally uneven, second chapter in Klecter’s unique Yellow Truck series.