A popcorn-and-explosions finale well befitting the series.
In the Earthfall Trilogy closer, Sam and his friends face the ultimate threat to humanity.
Sam is still coping with the changes he began to experience in Retribution (2015), such as shape-shifting abilities and a new form as an Illuminate-human hybrid. He is almost ready to reveal his secret when something strange happens to the Sleepers, the mind-controlled humans that the resistance cares for and works to free, causing them agony. Then Sam collapses and wakes up in Scotland with his father, the dead Illuminate Suran, speaking in his head and leading him to the Illuminate ship, the Scythe. But it’s not Suran—it’s a digital ghost called the Construct that wants Sam to save the Heart, the data crystal where the consciousness of billions of Illuminates are stored, and defeat the Voidborn for good. Recaps on the Illuminate and Voidborn races and previous events slip into narration as unobtrusive and welcome reminders, and the action’s nonstop as Sam and friends face new threats that may stop them from reaching the Illuminate consciousness and strategizing against the Voidborn’s Primarch in the imminent battle for humanity. Heart-pounding action and alien technology descriptions are immersive fun, but they are anchored by the characters’ genuine connections with one another, giving the story weight and stakes. The fast pace keeps readers skipping past any potential plot weaknesses, and the satisfying conclusion reveals the impact of the war’s costs. Race factors in the story only as human, Illuminate, Voidborn, and hybrids.
A popcorn-and-explosions finale well befitting the series. (Science fiction. 9-14)Pub Date: April 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4424-9421-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
Breathtaking dragon battles peppered with musings on forgiveness, teamwork, and love.
Lunar Jones joins other planetary guardians to unravel clues from Proteus and save the solar system in this third series entry.
Lunar, a 15-year-old dragoon, is known far and wide and regarded as a hero on Mars, but his personal life contains tension. He’s bonded for life with Dread, the savvy war strategist King-Dragon of Mars, but the Dread Knights are leaving one by one to pursue other opportunities. Though he’s unhappy about this, Lunar doesn’t try to hold them back. Sorting out his feelings for Rose Proctor is another can of worms. Plus he’s preparing for the upcoming Solar Summit, which is held by the planetary dragons once every 500 years. Reminiscent of a dragon family reunion, the summit includes equal measures of information exchange, camaraderie, and squabbles, but the appearance of a shape-shifting Fear Dragon brings everyone to laser-focused attention as they rally against a monstrous unseen enemy. Lunar’s first-person narration presents him variously as an awkward teen, pep-talking mentor, and battle-savvy commander. The dragon battles rock, innovations abound, and the Proteus messages tantalizingly reveal themselves right up until the cliffhanger ending. Names and skin tones cue some ethnic and racial diversity among the smart, strong teenage crew members surrounding the white-presenting Lunar. Knowledge of the previous books is essential to fully appreciate this volume, which explores characters and situations from earlier entries; a prologue introduces the formidable new characters Doom and Gloom.
Breathtaking dragon battles peppered with musings on forgiveness, teamwork, and love. (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9781665982016
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
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