A fun heist is a reward for expository worldbuilding.
Following Children of the Fox (2021), Callan’s band of thieves plans a heist to save one of their own.
Lachlan—small even for his 10 years—is mortally wounded. Cal’s only hope is that the Dragon’s Eye (a powerful, less-than-trustworthy magical artifact that bonded with him) will lead them to Lachlan’s salvation. The Eye delivers, but their relief is short-lived, as the primeval magic that saved him leaves a stain on Lachlan’s soul—and will eventually consume him completely. Cal still owes the Eye his assistance in return for its previous help, and it guides them to a storyteller who gives him hope for Lachlan as they learn of long-lost relics, a pair of magical swords—one possessing the power to heal. In subsequent action, the band of thieves navigates through their world’s lost history and mythology on a quest that will take them diving to reach a shipwreck and ends with a major heist. The climax even delights in genre conventions, cutting from the action to flashbacks of the planning and scheming. The text offers frequent reminders of the characters’ wants and the plot’s stakes; the slowdown from the repetitive recapping will frustrate some readers but be helpful for those who need to read the lengthy book in shorter chunks. Overarching mysteries about side characters are added to, and the ending preps for the next installment. Characters default to White.
A fun heist is a reward for expository worldbuilding. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-32754-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
File under “laugh riot.”
A rogue spell-check program’s bid to transform all life-forms into that eminently useful office item, the paper clip, touches off a fresh round of lunar lunacy.
Predicated on the entirely reasonable premise that eliminating all spelling and grammar errors everywhere would logically lead to the necessity of exterminating carbon-based life in the universe, this third series entry combines high stakes with daffy banter and daring exploits. CheckMate—a chipper, jumped-up editing program—has invented the Transmogratron, a giant laser that will fulfill its ultimate goals in both the cyber world and “meatspace.” Facing challenges as random as prankster lunar unicorns and a disarmingly motherly Motherboard, scowling First Cat joins a motley crew of diversely carbon- and silicon-based allies, led by the pearlescent Queen of the Moon. They’re in a race to the finish—diverted occasionally by, for instance, a relentlessly punny comic-book interlude featuring a pair of literal and figurative Pool Sharks. They ultimately triumph thanks to teamwork and moxie. Following a celebratory party and toasts to “new friends…and steadfast comrades” (and, of course, “MEOW”), the story’s energetic, brightly colored panels close with a reveal of the next volume. (“I always hate it when comics end by announcing a sequel. SO CRINGE!” declares an authorial stand-in.) It can’t come too soon.
File under “laugh riot.” (Graphic science fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780063315280
Page Count: 272
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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