Customer Reviews

Arthur and the Forbidden City

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This sequel to Arthur and the Minimoys is still a Honey I Shrunk the Kids meets The Secret of Nimh with a smidge of Indiana Jones conglomeration, and I rather like that about it. In this book, we pick up right where the first one left off and we get answers to all the questions left unanswered before -- Will they make it to the Forbidden City? Will they be able to stop the evil M, the cursed? Will Arthur get the treasure back before the cruel Mr. Davido boots his grandma out of her house? We also find out just how vile Maltazard is, we get a look at the Necropolis and of course, the lair of the evil villain. The author is also still parrelling the plight of the Grandmother and Mr. Davido with that of Princess Selenia and her people against M. These are the stark good vs. evil kind of stories where you just KNOW the good guys are going to win in the end...but you still find yourself watching because you HAVE to know HOW they do it and how it all plays out in the end.

In the second half we find Arthur married to the princess...a bit surprising since he's ten...but ok. We also get to meet Arthur's parents who are, well, more interested in finding the rubies than the are in finding their son. In fact, other than voicing their concern they don't seem to care at all but that does seem to be the pattern in the child hero/adventure type stories...the parents are either absent (dead) or indifferent (caring more about stuff or work than about their children). This is a convenient plot device which frees the child to be bolder and more heroic than they might otherwise be allowed to, but with suspension of disbelief, readers can disconnect from what is illogical with regards to a ten year old saving the world (Indiana Jones style) and just enjoy the story for what it is!

Overall...this isn't great literature; it's just plain old fun reading. The story is easy to follow, the good guys are all good (and likeable even) the bad guys are all totally evil and the parallel story line between the "real" world (the M, the Cursed and Mr. Davido) and the world of the Minimoys adds a nice second layer to the story. This book would make nice light reading for a couple of nights for readers aged 8-12...nothing too taxing, but highly entertaining for a few hours! I give it four stars.

In the sequel to Arthur and the Minimoys, Arthur, Princess Selenia and Prince Beta brave Necropolis, The Forbidden City. Arthur is searching for a lost treasure that will save his family's home, and Selenia and Beta seek the evildoer who threatens their entire people.

In Necropolis, a seedy market leads to a seedier palace, in which danger and fear are the norm. Imprisoned by Maltazard the Cursed, the three adventurers see little hope for escape. What they find in the prison and deeper in the palace will change everything. Hope MUST be found, or all the Minimoys will be doomed.

Although this installment carries the spirit and creativity of the first, it seems to lose some of the promised gusto. Things seem to come together a little too easy at times (a toy race car shows up right when and where it is needed), and a little too stretched at others (why did Arthur's grandmother and parents not to more to search for him while he was missing?).

The story is well crafted, but it is missing that intangible something that a truly great story possesses. It's one of those qualities that is hard to describe, yet easy to recognize. Perhaps it is spirit, or cultural differences, or perhaps it is something else altogether.

This is a decent follow-up to the first book, but in the end, some readers might leave with a lukewarm feeling.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
9/15/2006

3½-BALLOONS for WUAT Kids!; 4-STARS for Amazon.com

I enjoyed the first book, but I found the second book used multiple mixed metaphors and superfluous silly similes which took away from the story.

After buying the first book we had to buy the next in the series. It was also in wonderful shape and my daughter loved reading it too.
If you have a kid that likes to read and he or she is 8 years old to maybe 13, they will enjoy these books!

Wow...

I use to say that writing in books don't do justice to living through events. But in this book I find I want to live these words and in this world. Realationships in this world make more sense they are easier. Kissing and Love this man has these themes down to a "T". Perfect from cover to cover. Just The right amount of humor. I couldn't put it down and I tried. I am so impressed with the writing that I'm learning french in order to reread the first two books and get the second two before they make it to the us translation.