The Hangman's Revolution

Gr 7 Up Seventeen-year-old FBI agent Chevie Savano returns from Victorian London to find even more trouble in the present day, forcing her right back into the past to battle another villain. SLJ said of the first book, "[it] is darker, bloodier, and much more serious in tone than the author's popular Artemis Fowl' series (Hyperion). It may not be for the faint of heart, but the intricate plot, strong writing, and intrepid characters who must survive by their wits will make it hard to put down." SLJ" 4Q 5P M J S Teen FBI agent Chevron Savano's mission in Victorian London was successful in the first book in this series, but the future she returns to is not her own. In fact, her activities in the first book end up causing the villainous Colonel Box to move up the schedule of his plan to take over the past, a decision that averts what would have been its failure. Now, she is a cadet in the fascist Boxite Empire, bent on world domination and a true believer in Boxite dogma-except for a nagging voice in her head that seems to remember a different reality. That nagging voice is about to get her executed when, once again, she gets sent to the days of Queen Vic and the Big Stink of London, this time with two Boxite stormtroopers, called Thundercats, on her trail. Chevie must work with her old pal in Victorian London, Riley, the budding illusionist, along with former foe, Otto Malarkey, if she is going to save the day and prevent everybody's future from becoming extremely miserable under the rule of Colonel Box. Colfer does a great job of making not just main characters Chevie and Riley come alive, but also showing things vividly from the perspective of secondary characters such as Malarkey and the Thundercats. Some readers may find the frequent changes in perspective a bit confusing, but Colfer's trademark wit and adventurous plotting are in abundance as well. This is a very fun read, although the high body count makes it more appropriate for an audience slightly older than his Artemis Fowl fans.-Sean Rapacki. VOYA" Action unfolds in the streets and putrescent sewers of Victorian London as time-traveling FBI agent Chevie Savano enters the scene with a mission to prevent a future governed by Colonel Box-a rogue military commander with a plan for world domination. Unfortunately, Box's two Thundercat goons follow Chevie through the wormhole, hot on her heels with instructions to kill. Meanwhile, Riley (native Victorian and magician) has become entangled with the roughest gang in London, the Battering Tams, just as an undercover rebel from the future reveals himself with a bloody flourish. Together, Chevie and Riley attempt to stave off the "Boxite" rebellion. Though the novel is heavy on action and excitement, Colfer keeps things light with comic use of antiquated slang and banter, lead primarily by the "Ram King," who proves an entertaining combination of Fagin and Jack Sparrow. Shifts in time and perspective are firmly anchored by the plot so readers won't lose track of its thread, making for a fun, adrenaline-fueled adventure with a third WARP novel set to follow. Julia Smith Booklist Online" At the conclusion of this series' first entry, aspiring FBI agent Chevie Savano was headed back from Victorian London, where high value witnesses were stashed via wormhole, to her own contemporary milieu. The time-travel trip doesn't go as planned, though, and this second installment has Chevie landing in an alternate modern time, in which evil Colonel Box now controls a reconfigured Britain-ster- ile, homogeneous, and at war with France. Worse still, Chevie is a cadet in Box's army, but strange inner voices (memories, actually) impel her to defy authority. Meanwhile, back in 1899 London, her ex-partner Riley is having his own issues with gang kingpin Otto Malarkey, who insists that Riley is his minion and owes a share of his theatre's profits. With a flick of the authorial wrist, Colfer reassembles many of the star performers from his last outing and tasks them with fiddling with history to preempt Box's revolution and save the world as we know (or will know, or could know if the correct alternate events ensue) it. Again, Chevie and Riley are the durable adhesive that holds the plot line together, and their unromantic friend- ship is a joy to encounter. It's the loony supporting cast that provides character and color, though, with Malarkey at his grandest, Box at his most deranged, and several newcomers (especially Malarkey's Irish butler, Figarty) who will be worth tracking in coming adventures. Terry Pratchett fans will be a natural crossover audience for this developing series, and they will appreciate how Colfer tidily tucks some serious consideration of historical myth-making and of religious zealotry as a political force into his comedy-laced mayhem. Two down, and hopefully several more to go. EB BCCB" Undoing the catastrophically altered present wrought in The Reluctant Assassin (2013) requires further immersion (not just figuratively) in Victorian London's noxious stews for teenage, time-traveling special agent Chevron Savano. Mad Col. Clayton Box has founded a nearly worldwide ecclesiastical police state in the 19th century with 20th-century troops and weaponry transported back in time. In order to nip this in the bud, Chevie plunges once again through a wormhole into the great, filthy city's thick miasmas and cobbled mean streets. Along with describing with indecent relish the fetid slums and sewers in which most of the action takes place, Colfer outfits Chevie with a Dickensian supporting cast. It's led by Riley, a street child trained up as an assassin, and larger-than-life crime lord Otto Malarkey, among others. The plot consists of a quick and, usually, violent series of escapades that culminate in an assault on Box's underground fortress. The bad guys are both clever and heavily armed, and there's much casual murder and wading through hip-deep rivers of raw sewage, along with gunfire, massive explosions and unlikely romance. Time travel makes the future a fluid reality, but it looks like it may be saved at the end, though some strings remain to be tied up-or further tangled-in upcoming sequels. Chevie is of Shawnee lineage, leading her confederates to make the occasional, unfortunate "Injun" reference, alas. A grand yarn told with a wink and kitted out with high stakes and broadly drawn characters for maximum fun. (Science fiction. 11-14) Kirkus" PRAISE FOR RELUCTANT ASSASSIN, THE "fascinating high-octane thriller" "Booklist"" PRAISE FOR RELUCTANT ASSASSIN, THE "One of the most engaging aspects of Colfer's books is the brilliantly witty and imaginative plots that he devises. This book is no exception. The characters are vividly drawn and entertaining...Colfer also incorporates some steampunk elements into the setting, which amps up the appeal. Fans of his other books will love this new addition and eagerly await the next installment in the series." "VOYA"" PRAISE FOR RELUCTANT ASSASSIN, THE "Artemis Fowl fans will cheer to see Colfer return at the top of his game." "Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books"" PRAISE FOR RELUCTANT ASSASSIN, THE "This science-fiction thriller provides readers with a breathless ride through modern and Victorian Londons as these two resourceful teens struggle to stay alive and one step ahead their pursuer...the intricate plot, strong writing, and intrepid characters who must survive by their wits will make it hard to put down." "School Library Journal"" PRAISE FOR RELUCTANT ASSASSIN, THE "Readers mourning the end of the Artemis Fowl series can take heart: this first book in the time-bending W.A.R.P. series is an all-out blast." "Publishers Weekly (starred review)""