GREGOR AND THE CURSE OF THE WARMBLOODS

For the third time, Gregor and his stolid little sister Boots descend to the Underland in fulfillment of a prophecy, in a story that delivers the breakneck adventure and strong characters readers have come to expect. The Curse of the Warm-bloods, it turns out, is a terrible plague that threatens every mammal in the Underland. On their perilous journey to a cure, the questing party (which readers will be delighted to find includes the wonderfully caustic rat Ripred), encounters both Luxa, erstwhile Queen of Regalia, along with her bat Aurora, and Hamnet, Luxa’s long-lost uncle, who has fled humankind to escape its warring ways. Collins keeps the plot moving at warp speed and includes just enough background to bring readers up to speed on the multitude of characters and the political rivalries that unite and divide them. This offering takes on an even darker tone than the earlier ones, delving into meaty questions of territorial expansion and its justification. Although no further prophecy is unveiled at the end to explicitly promise another sequel, readers will surely be hoping for one. (Fiction. 9-14)