The adventures of the Legend Hunters continue in Book 2, Darkmouth: Worlds Explode by Irish author Shane Hegarty. Not unlike the world of Artemis Fowl, predicaments and otherworldly creatures populate Darkmouth, where Finn the Defiant resides. As a swarm of Legends was descending, Finn’s father pushed his twelve year old son to safety, and the gateway to the Infested Side closed, trapping the last Legend Hunter, Hugo the Great. Now, Finn has fewer than 48 hours to find his dad who has been declared dead by the Council of 12.
Although Finn is determined to rescue his father, the prophesy predicts his peril. As the last child of the last Legend Hunter, Finn will be responsible for ending the war between Darkmouth and the Infested Side, giving way to the Promised Land, but the price will be his life: “His death on the Infested Side will be greater than any other” (32). While the prediction gives Finn’s mother, Clara reason for worry, Finn hunts for the map that will lead him to his father.
When he and his friend Emmie—two tweens who have trouble thinking through consequences—locate the map, they set out on their quest to get to the Infested Side. But Estravon, an emissary for the Council of 12, attempts to stop their Misdirected Search. Despite Estravon’s efforts at authority and his countless threats about rule breaking, the three find themselves in a cave with a half-working radio, a malfunctioning scanner, and “a bag of cobbled-together weapons that might be dangerous” (157).
On the Infested Side, the trio encounters all variety of Legends: Shapeshifters, Grendels, Death Larva, an Orthrus, Serpents, and Quetzalcóatls. With death stalking their every step, they face violence, attacks, and inadvertent time travel. Then, they get separated.
Disheveled, torn, filthy, and lost, Finn faces despair on the Infested Side, fearing that he will lose his life in the stomach of an alien world and never get to fulfill his hope of finding his dad and becoming a veterinarian.
Hegarty’s book is replete with action, monsters, and surprises. With its pictures, maps, and double plot told in historical scrolls, Hegarty brings imagination to life for his readers.
- Posted by Donna