An uncommonly engaging young narrator kicks this debut fantasy ahead of the general run. Street-rat Connwaer’s skill at picking locks and pockets comes back to bite him when he tries to steal the “locus magicalicus” talisman of gruff sorcerer Nevery Flinglas. Suddenly, Conn finds himself apprenticed to the magician, searching for a locus magicalicus of his own (all magicians have to have one), and deeply involved in discovering why all magic is rapidly draining out of the town of Wellmet. Canny, a quick study and endowed with a heroic appetite for biscuits, Conn works his way into the hearts of both his master and the mystery, meeting several memorable characters—notably Benet, a surly hired thug who can cook and knit as well as he can break heads—along the way to a literally explosive climax. All in all a sturdy start, illustrated with Caparo’s realistic portraits at the chapter heads and reminiscent of Angie Sage’s Septimus Heap tales (Queste, 2008, etc.) in style and setting. (map; glossary, runes and biscuit recipe not seen) (Fantasy. 10-13)
Pub Date: June 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-06-137587-3
Page Count: 448
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2008
A quick dwarf-spotting expedition into the Unreliable Forest takes a disquieting turn for young Gracie Gillypot and her scruffy royal friend, Prince Marcus, in this third story set in the cozy though occasionally dangerous Five Kingdoms. When Gracie falls into a trap set by a malicious troll-goblin, she also falls afoul of a prophecy that the death of a “Trueheart” (which Gracie is) will elevate the lonely and depressed king of the Underground Trolls to King of Kings. As Marcus frantically mounts a rescue above ground, Gracie manages her own escape then stoutly returns to the tunnels to rescue an ally left behind and finds herself being hustled into a potentially fatal audience with the troll king. As before, French tells the tale in breezy tones—ably reflected in Collins’s occasional, comically gothic ink drawings—and folds numerous complications into the plot, along with a generous assortment of dwarves, trolls, mystic crones, spoiled princesses and talking bats. All ends well, and she and Marcus are last seen planning a follow-up outing in search of dragons. That, too, should be fun. (cast list) (Fantasy. 10-13)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4814-5
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Concluding after years of reports and direct observations that approximately 45 percent of the world’s monsters are actually aliens, Olander, author of A Field Guide to Monsters (2007), offers illustrated notes on 28 types of interstellar interloper—from the harmless Intergalactic Worrywarts of Planet Insecura and sewage-eating Sliver-Slurpers to more ominous False Santas, robotic onesie-clad Bebies and, scariest of all, Boogie-doods (aka Discos) from Planet Funk. On pages designed to look like well-thumbed scrapbook leaves, each entry includes extensive comments on diet, distinguishing features and details of Close Encounters, all sandwiched between a carefully drawn full-“body” portrait and a set of quicker “eyewitness” sketches and supposed snapshots. Though no replacement for Andrew Donkins’s Alien Encyclopedia: The Ultimate Alien A-Z (1999), this makes a worthy addition to our too-thin store of space-alien lore and will leave younger readers on the alert for glimpses of Clustors, Liverpudlins and other nonhuman visitors. (Fiction? 10-12)
Pub Date: April 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5594-3
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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