Aluna and her friends race across the desert to warn the half-horse, half-human Equians of Karl Strand's plot to conquer the world. They are too late; the great Equian khan has already allied his people with Strand's clone, Scorch. Then, Dash is taken into custody for breaking his exile, and Scorch demands the lives of Aluna and her friends. They are granted a short reprieve when an emissary from the Shining Moon clan claims them as rightfully belonging to her people. Finding themselves in slightly friendlier territory, they realize the only way to defeat Scorch is to usurp the great khan's leadership at the Thunder Trials, a competition of skill and strength held every year by the Equians. But they will have to find a way to make allies out of old enemies if they are to succeed. Readers who have reconciled themselves to the weird premise of Above World—humans have mixed their genes with those of animals in order to survive otherwise uninhabitable regions—will be rewarded with this sequel. There is plenty of adventure and a well-developed setting that brings the desert to life. The most important quality of the novel, however, is its themes, which are almost characters in themselves. The ideas of honor, loyalty, and friendship are obvious without being preachy. The book is hampered by flat writing and underwhelming characters, however. Hand this book to patrons who appreciate their adventure in fantastic worlds and are not picky about dull writing. Reviewer: Cheryl Clark
The desert is no place for ocean-dwelling Kampii like Aluna and Hoku, especially now that Aluna has secretly started growing her tail. But the maniacal Karl Strand is out to conquer the Above World, and the horselike Equians are next on his list. Aluna, Hoku, and their friends-winged Calli and Equian exile Dash-race to the desert city of Mirage, intent on warning the Equians and forming an alliance.
Unfortunately, Strand's clone Scorch has gotten there first. Now the Equian leader has vowed to take all his people to war as part of Strand's army. Any herd that refuses to join him by the time of the desert-wide competition known as the Thunder Trials will be destroyed.
To have any chance of defeating Scorch and convincing the Equians to switch sides, the four friends must find a way to win the Trials. The challenge seems impossible. But if they fail, the desert-and possibly all of the Above World-will be lost to Karl Strand forever.
The desert is no place for ocean-dwelling Kampii like Aluna and Hoku, especially now that Aluna has secretly started growing her tail. But the maniacal Karl Strand is out to conquer the Above World, and the horselike Equians are next on his list. Aluna, Hoku, and their friends-winged Calli and Equian exile Dash-race to the desert city of Mirage, intent on warning the Equians and forming an alliance.
Unfortunately, Strand's clone Scorch has gotten there first. Now the Equian leader has vowed to take all his people to war as part of Strand's army. Any herd that refuses to join him by the time of the desert-wide competition known as the Thunder Trials will be destroyed.
To have any chance of defeating Scorch and convincing the Equians to switch sides, the four friends must find a way to win the Trials. The challenge seems impossible. But if they fail, the desert-and possibly all of the Above World-will be lost to Karl Strand forever.
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940172270840 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Brilliance Audio |
| Publication date: | 11/15/2019 |
| Series: | Above World , #2 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Age Range: | 8 - 11 Years |
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