The Dragon Lantern

April 15, 2015
The company of heroes destined to battle the immortal Mangleborn continues to assemble in a middle volume that blurs the line between the good guys and the bad further. The theft of the titular lantern, which transforms people who see its light into monsters of diverse icky sorts, sends superstrong Archie in pursuit aboard a huge steam-powered robot captained by George Custer. Meanwhile, the vengeful search for those who massacred her home village leads young Seminole warrior Hachi to Marie Laveau's New Orleans for battles with zombis, loas, and a gigantic Mangleborn serpent. Gratz sets his colorful yarn in an alternate "North Americas" made up of several countries (both colonial and indigenous) and populates the teeming supporting cast with both historical personages, like a windup Jesse James, and an array of tentacled horrors. He pitches his gathering band of Leaguers-grown by the end to five of the appointed seven-into a nonstop round of chases, flights, ambushes, narrow squeaks, and heroic feats. Struggling with his own dark origins as well as a tendency to bouts of irrational, wildly destructive rage worthy of the Incredible Hulk, Archie leads a vividly drawn and diverse ensemble. Helquist's portraits of intrepid or menacing figures at the chapter heads signal the story's shifts in focus. Gratz has plenty of fun with his alternate history, but returning readers will notice that the dark is definitely rising. (map) (Fantasy/steampunk. 11-13)

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June 1, 2015
Grades 4-7 In this sequel to The League of Seven (2014), Archie Dent's floundering league is no sooner created before it is ripped apart. Conflicting agendas send Archie and Mr. Rivets on a Septemberist mission to retrieve the mysterious Dragon Lantern, while Hachi and Fergus follow a lead to shed light on the death of Hachi's father. Gratz continues to impress with his alternate 1870s America, which is believable in its innovation and the way it plays with actual events (General Custer is always going to behave like General Custer). The scene is set for a dramatic and challenging conclusion in book three.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)