Peter M. Last

THOUGHTS…

In this sequel to his award-winning Children in the Night, Harold Myra delivers more of the same. His incredible world is back in full force along with his vivid descriptions and storytelling. Unfortunately, while one main character is blind and other can see, he writes both the same way, forfeiting any artistic differences between the two points of view. In this respect, his world-building suffers, for all descriptions are conveyed as by someone who can see, taking much of the mystery out of the Old World when the story goes subterranean. Nevertheless, his writing is once again nearly impeccable, and his prose is fantastic. Also making a recurrence are the faults of his first novel, namely a jumpy timeline and underdeveloped secondary characters. An unpredictable weakness also emerges in the slow-paced action. This style worked in the first novel due to the newness of the world and the unique perspective, nearly devoid of sight. In this book, however, with nothing new to occupy the mind, the story drags, barely getting above a crawl even during the climax. The message of the series continues to be wholesome and worthwhile, and Mr. Myra’s fantastic style gives me hope that with the correct story, his third book may be just as good as the first.