The Dark Flight Down

February 1, 2006
Gr 6-9 -A teen who doesn -t know anything about his past, or even his own name, swirls deeper into mystery against the background of a Vienna-like decaying city. In this creepy but melodramatic sequel to "The Book of Dead Days" (Random, 2004), Boy is yanked from his previous life of serving the doomed magician Valerian and thrown into the deepest dungeon of the mad Emperor Frederick. The ruler is convinced that the boy possesses the secret of the Book, which foretells the future and might allow the aged Frederick to gain immortality. If Boy will not tell what he knows, he may be thrown to the mysterious Phantom, who dwells in the depths of the palace and drinks the blood of his victims. But Boy is determined to find the Book for himself, to learn his real name and who his parents were, and to be reunited with his sweetheart, Willow. "Dark Flight Down", which will perplex most readers who haven -t read "Dead Days", is more than a little theatrical; the characters speak in many shouts and exclamation points, and marvelous secrets are revealed in the denouement. But young teens who have read and enjoyed the previous book might embrace this open-ended conclusion." -Walter Minkel, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2006
Boy and his friend Willow ( "The Book of Dead Days" ) are still fugitives in a medieval city that resembles nightmare more than it does history. They're separated when Boy is captured by minions of the emperor, a vicious, foolish old man sequestered in a labyrinthine palace and obsessed with gaining his own immortality. As satisfyingly atmospheric as the first volume.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

June 1, 2005
Gr. 6-9. The sequel to " The Book of Dead Days" (2004) begins where the previous book left off: Boy's master, the magician Valerian, is dead, and the teenager is now in the hands of the scientist Kepler. Many questions remain unanswered. What does Kepler want with Boy? How will Boy's relationship with the orphan girl Willow evolve? And was Valerian really Boy's father? But newer, more dire concerns take hold once Boy becomes the prisoner of the eccentric Emperor Fredrick, who wants to live forever. As in the first book, Sedgwick's writing is gloriously textured, and the plot is intricate, even heart-stopping. But this doesn't stand on its own, and even readers familiar with the previous book will need to have read it recently. In fact, both volumes seem like one book that was uncoupled, with a back story added to the second half. Even so, fans will be enthralled by the twists Sedgwick provides, many of them literal, that lead to a dank dungeon. There is horror down there, but redemption as well. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2005
Boy and his friend Willow, of The Book of Dead Days (rev. 11/04), are still fugitives in a medieval city that resembles nightmare more than it does history. They're separated when Boy is captured by minions of the emperor, a vicious, foolish old man sequestered in a labyrinthine palace and obsessed with gaining his own immortality. The emperor's sidekick, Maxim, believes Boy can lead him to the powerful Book, enabling Maxim to consolidate his own evil power; however, Boy's unreliable protector, the brilliant scientist Kepler, has concealed the dread volume. Secretly, Boy explores the palace, glimpsing terrifying passages leading downward to, among other horrors, the bloody Phantom, all the while seeking the elusive Kepler and Willow. It's a world of so little hope and trust, and so corrupt, that after Boy discovers his own royal origins, he and Willow simply turn their backs on "the huge, rambling, decrepit, awful, wonderful City" -- even though "their whole past lay in its maw" -- and head for a future elsewhere. As satisfyingly atmospheric as the first volume.

(Copyright 2005 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)