The Necropolis

The Necropolis, P.J. Hoover
The Forgotten Worlds, Book 3

The best series are the ones that get better as they go along, and these books are no exception. Book 3 did not disappoint-- except for it being over, of course.

I'm going to go ahead & presume that P.J. will be along sometime today to read this, and get my plea in early: Please, please write more books! (Not to put too fine a point on it, but Derrick and Douglas need their own adventure someday!)

I recommend the books to fantasy lovers of all ages, and especially for kids. But be prepared for questions when your kids find out that Easter Island is a real place. Spoilers after the jump!


Benjamin is back, not for summer school this time, but only two months after we left off in The Navel of the World. Trouble has come up, and he now has a limited time to save his family (biological and adopted), his friends, the world, and himself. Just a day in the life of your average 14-year-old, right?

As I said, this series just got better as it went along. The character development is fantastic and the teens' dialogue actually sounds teenager-y, something that is missing in some YA novels. And I wanted to beat the bad guy myself, which is usually a good sign. The pacing is also good; I prefer a slightly slower-moving plot so I have time to enjoy it (I'm a fast reader), but I don't think that's an option in a YA novel when the audience is younger and also used to fast-moving movies. On the whole, I think it's a brilliant series.

And here's a little snippet that the older sister in me particularly enjoyed:

"You're actually the alien," Benjamin said.
Derrick smiled. "Really?"
"Why can't I be the alien?" Douglas said.
Within minutes, Benjamin had them both convinced that they were, in fact, extraterrestrials. His baby sister Becca giggled in the background the whole time until she finally ended the telecom call by telekinetically flinging her red telephone rattle at the screen.


If you like YA fantasy, these books are for you!