ARCHIBALD LOX

In this YA fantasy, a teenager finds himself in a strange and precarious land to help a princess he’s never met.

Above the Thames,Londoner Archie spies a girl disappearing through a hole suddenly materializing in the stone floor of a bridge. As many teen boys would do, he soon follows her. He’s suddenly in the Merge, an odd place that’s covered in vines and has no sun. He meets up with the girl, Inez, who tells Archie startling news. He’s a locksmith—able to travel between worlds by opening locks most can’t see. At first, Archie sticks around to learn all about the Merge. But Inez needs a locksmith for her mission, a job Archie gleefully accepts. Though she keeps the operation’s details to herself, Inez’s plan involves a missing princess and a mysterious vote. Meanwhile, the realms in the Merge are in danger; of the nine, three have “fallen.” Looking to take over the remaining realms is a group with diabolical intentions called the SubMerged. The band’s assassins had been chasing Inez before she and Archie even connected. With time running out, the two hurry to reach a kingdom before the enigmatic voting takes place. Shan’s series opener, which originally appeared as three shorter books, presents a cohesive story. Much of this enjoyable volume focuses on Archie’s familiarizing himself with the Merge. Despite offering abundant dialogue, the author doesn’t bog down the tale with Merge particulars. The details eventually come to light throughout Archie’s rousing adventures. Along the way, a king calls him “a Lox,” a locksmith. The hero’s escapades include fleeing horrific creatures known as hell jackals and liberating a prisoner from the Merge city of Suanpan, a “giant casino.” The fast-paced narrative culminates with Inez’s stunning ploy, which isn’t entirely clear until the end. There’s also a surprising resolution, considering that a sequel is planned. Still, Shan leaves plenty of avenues to explore in the second installment, from Archie’s loss of his foster brother to Inez’s mostly unknown past.

A brisk, entertaining tale that unfolds in a wonderfully bizarre world.