Catanese (the Further Tales Adventures) dazzles in the first of the planned Books of Umber series by wittily subverting genre tropes. Happenstance, a boy with strange green eyes, wakes up in a cave with no memories of who he is or anything about the fantastic world in which he lives. He soon encounters Lord Umber, an adventurer who seems familiar with our world as well as his own, and his two companions—a brute cursed to be forever truthful and a one-handed artist and archer. Ages 8-12.
Young Happenstance has had enough excitement to last a lifetime, but his peripatetic mentor, Lord Umber, is constantly curious. Thus, they are off again in search of mysteries, bidmis, and dragon games. No smooth sailing here, as danger looms at every turn and not even kings are safe. Round two in the Books of Umber delivers more imaginative adventures and tantalizing hints about Hap’s past and Umber’s hopes for him. Catanese is still laying groundwork (the assassination subplot sits apart from the main story), but readers will find plenty of satisfying action and lots of narrow escapes. Grades 5-8.
The adventures of Happenstance and Umber reach their epic, surprising, and emotional conclusion. As Happenstance struggles to master his unusual abilities, he realizes that time is running out — because Umber's rivals threaten to undo all the good he has achieved, while an unexpected new enemy with terrible destructive power approaches the kingdom.
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