Dowswell’s nautical Napoleonic-era tale, begun in Powder Monkey (2005), loses steam in this sequel, which carries young Sam from Admiral Nelson’s own quarterdeck at the Battle of Copenhagen to seemingly interminable wanderings through the Australian outback as an escaped convict. Thanks largely to his own stupidity, Sam gets into one scrape after another, including being “transported” to the distant prison colony on a trumped-up cowardice charge. But with monotonous regularity, a rescuer steps in before any permanent damage can occur, whether it be his steadfast buddy Richard or, more often, a hulking homosexual shipmate or some other conveniently appearing adult. As before, the violence of the naval action, underscored by Will’s gut-wrenching terror, is sharp and vivid. But there’s too little excitement, and too much tedious starving and stumbling about in the bush, to keep readers interested in his changing fortunes—or to care much when, at the end, massive plot contrivances bring him a pardon that clears the way for further adventures. A slow and leaky vessel. (Fiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2006
ISBN: 1-58234-676-3
Page Count: 300
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
PLB 0-7868-2439-5 From Karr (Man of the Family, p. 1312, etc.), a historical novel that is remarkably cheerful, considering that among its key elements are grave-robbing and a hideous criminal on the prowl. In New York City in 1840, Matthew loses his whole family to cholera. Trying to keep body and soul together, he answers an advertisement for an assistant to a remarkable fellow, Dr. Asa B. Cornwall, phrenologist. Dr. ABC, as he is known, studies the cranial features of people, and deduces by the lobes and bumps on their heads their personalities and characteristics; he’s writing his magnum opus to prove his theories. Matthew takes to the larger-than-life doctor; they travel to Philadelphia, London, Paris, and the south of France, attempting’surreptitiously—to dig up famous skulls for the doctor’s research. All the while, in the smoothly suspenseful plotting, a vicious and mysterious stranger with a scar follows them, putting Matthew in danger and haunting his nightmares. The thrilling denouement takes place on St. Helena and involves the body of Napoleon himself; this novel is rich in period color and good old-fashioned derring-do. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7868-0506-4
Page Count: 230
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1999
Storm isn’t a bad boy, but he’s “not a good one either.” Graffiti, skateboarding and forbidden train journeys get him forcibly enrolled at the last-ditch School of Possibilities. There, Storm’s life degenerates into increasingly nightmarish, magical-realist twists. His fellow students are excruciatingly obedient, even as they have sports, hobbies and girlfriends assigned as punishments. His parents, a wedding-dress seamstress and a Russian chef, both vanish mysteriously. The only bright spot in Storm’s heavily controlled life (he’s barricaded into his room nightly) is his friendship with the street children India, Mew, Ra and Moon. Squatting in a derelict biscuit factory, the runaways urge Storm to solve the terrible mystery of The School of Possibilities before it’s too late for him—or anyone else. Though brief moments will ring problematically for American readers (“She could have been a Native American chief...[or] a bird or some long-extinct human species”), the dark, richly detailed setting of this Finlandia Junior Prize nominee will capture imaginations. Ikonen’s illustrations accentuate the surrealist horror as the tale spirals into thriller. (Surrealism. 11-13)
Pub Date: June 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1835-4
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2010
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