Tim Flanagan’s The Moon Stealers Queen of the Underworld is the second book in his four book Moon Stealers series. Unlike the first book, which offered a mix of science fiction and fantasy, the second book focuses exclusively on the adventures of Sir Edgar and the children as they seek to rescue Peter Crisp. In addition to saving Peter, they’re also looking to rekindle a connection to the faerie world to help our world defeat the Moon Stealers. Unfortunately, things are a bit more complicated. The Underworld is immersed in its own struggle for survival against the power hungry Queen of the Faeries. Sir Edgar and the children discover they’re part of an ancient prophecy foretelling the fate of the Underworld. Their hopes of saving Peter, not to mention securing help for their home, force them to take leading roles in the titanic conflict.
While this book lacks the yin-yang switches between science and fantasy that made the first book so enjoyable, it still packs a powerful dramatic punch. More action oriented than its predecessor Queen of the Underworld features titanic battles between powerful armies as well as the individual trials of the heroes. Mr. Flanagan’s descriptions of the battles conjure realistic images of the scenes without crossing the line of gratuitous gore. He skillfully utilizes character-based multi-threaded story arcs to create nail-biting cliff-hangers.
Appropriate for tweens there is no foul language or sexual content of any kind. The Moon Stealers Queen of the Underworld is does have feature detailed battle description. Many characters meet nasty ends, but there’s nothing most teens can’t handle. If it was a movie its battle scenes would earn a PG rating. With that qualification, I recommend The Moon Stealers Queen of the Underworld to any tweens (and their parents) who enjoy a tale of high fantasy adventure.
Amazon link for purchase of The Moon Stealers Queen of the Underworld
