Customer Reviews

Rapacia: The Second Circle of Heck

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When we first met siblings Marlo and Milton Fauster in HECK: WHERE THE BAD KIDS GO, they had been shipped off to Heck after dying in a marshmallow bear explosion. Stuck in the first level of Heck, Limbo, they matched wits with the principal of darkness, Bea "Elsa" Bubb, and managed not to freak out over itchy clothing, overcooked brussels sprouts, or the lack of numbers on clocks. Their planned escape ended unsuccessfully, with only Milton managing to return to "the stage" in a spirit-filled balloon made of sewn-together old clothing. Left behind, Marlo was shipped off to the second level of Heck, Rapacia, to await a whole new nightmare.

Back on the surface, Milton struggles to return to normalcy. His body and soul do not seem to be connecting as they used to. There is also the little problem of his sister being stuck down below without a way to reach her. Milton goes to extremes, and then some, to try to contact Marlo and stop the waves of fogginess that come without warning. His attempts include a little experiment with a bug zapper, his tongue, a bunch of mosquitoes, a bat, and his ferret Lucky. Milton also wanders into the Paranor Mall (more like a crazy man's collection of strange stuff) to look for ways to reach Marlo. It also doesn't help that Milton is also being stalked by the pesky candy striper Necia Alvarado, who seems to have an agenda all her own.

Meanwhile, Marlo is subject to a whole new level of authority in the vice-principal of Rapacia, a large metal rabbit named Grabbit. Speaking only in rhyming couplets, Grabbit oversees Marlo and the other girls as they experience a kleptomania nightmare. Only a few feet away, on the other side of an old grate, is Mallvana, the largest and most gratifying shopping center in the afterlife. Marlo and her fellow classmates salivate at the thought of putting their skills to use in the endless floors of commercial bliss. After winning a hand of cards against her teacher, Poker Alice, Marlo takes the class on a field trip to Mallvana for a little friendly competition of who-can-steal-the-most-in-an-hour.

Being a professional, Marlo of course wins and attracts the attention of Grabbit, who presents Marlo with an enticing challenge she simply can't refuse. Grabbit has his own plans for Heck, and Marlo seems strangely drawn to do whatever he says. In the meantime, Milton finds himself in one undesirable situation after another. And don't think that Bea "Elsa" Bubb has forgotten how Milton humiliated her ineffective mismanagement when he escaped the first time. It seems as though there are more levels to this story, and Heck, than it originally appears.

You can't help but smile, giggle, or even laugh out loud when reading these books. Whether it's the chapter titles ("Butter Off Dead," "Mall Or Nothing," "A Side Of Cole's Law"), the creative descriptions (her Italian hat was made from real Italians) or the clever play on words (The Knights of the Omniversalist Order Kinship, or KOOKs), Dale E. Basye never seems to run out of ways to keep the writing fresh and inventive. Some readers may not get all the fun wordplay, but it doesn't matter as the original characters and moving storyline keep it interesting. This is only the second installment in a planned nine-book series, and I can't imagine what awaits in the next circle of Heck.

--- Reviewed by Benjamin Boche

If you are considering this book, I assume you've already read the first volume. If you haven't, I suggest you go to that. It sets out the premise of the series and introduces the characters, and I'm not sure this second volume will make a lot of sense if you haven't read the first.

That said, if you've read the first volume, you probably don't need to read this one. The plot here is much weaker, and just barely provides a framework for the wordplay. The jokes and puns are still good, but it's a little like just putting more and more icing on the same cake.

I don't think this is a "love it or hate it" series. It's more of a "tell me when you've had enough" series. And if the books tickle your fancy, well this one will not be a disappointment.

In Rapacia, the sequel to Heck, we find Milton alive and not so well as he tries to adjust to being the freak that has come back to life. It seems that no one, not even his parents, knows how to deal with his sudden to return to the land of the living.

And where do we find Marlo? Moved to Rapacia, of course. There, Grabbit is in charge. Rapacia is the place where the kids learn about wants and greed. The types of classes that you would expect in Heck are here, taught by the teachers that you'd expect. The kids are also introduced to Mallvana -- it's probably just what you imagine it to be, Nirvana for kids, in Mall format.

Frankly, what is happening in the land of the living is far freakier than what is happening down in Heck -- at least for the first half of the book. Milton is stalked, meets the curator of a paranormal mall, hooks up with a lawyer who is beyond questionable, gets mixed up with a cult -- and that's a relatively nice fairly spoiler free way to explain it. I've got to say Milton's life in Heck seemed a lot easier than life on earth. At least, his second chance at life.

So yup, it's another wild ride for all involved. Not all of it good. It did seem a bit confusing in places. The Milton alive / Marlo dead thing seemed to take away some of the fun of the first book -- it felt as though there was a lot less character interaction / development in this book even as there were even more characters added to the mix. It was a little weird in that sense. Still despite those flaws, they were so minor that I did go ahead and pre-order the third book, because overall it did stay true to the first book / was just as fun as the first. And, of course I do want to see how those unresolved issues are dealt with.

Sequels can be tough... look at Milton's Paradise Regained. It was fine and everything, but only hardcore fans of Paradise Lost were really that into it. I admit, I liked the first Heck novel better than this one, but only because it was the first magical foray into a whole new (under) world. But this book is still great--lots of hilarious (and a few terrible) puns, inside jokes, action aplenty, and engaging characters. I really liked that the moral themes were clear but never heavy-handed. And in these economic and cultural times, a book about the dangers of greed is a really good idea for every kid to read.

I picked this up off my 11-year old son's shelf as part of Deb Marshall's Marvelous Middle-Grade Marathon (readathon).

Rapacia: The Second Circle of Heck is the second book by Dale E. Basye to explore the underworld through the eyes of Marlo and Milton - sister and brother who met an untimely demise in a shopping mall with a giant marshmallow (in book one). Now the two are back and forth from the living to the dead and through the various circles of the underworld. These circles are a reference to Dante's Inferno and the nine circles of suffering (might we expect nine books?).

I considered this book above middle grade based on language and content. Readers should be sophisticated, well-read and worldly. This is not a good book for a readathon, as it certainly shouldn't be rushed. One must savor every pun (the lawyer Mr. Cole refers to Cole's Law), wordplay, literary reference, cynicism (the long-dead pirate queen teaching corporate strategy says "thars scarce little diff'rence between bein' a pirate and runnin' yer own corporation. Fer one, there's hostile takeovers") and pop culture reference. Kudos to the brain that can find this many funnies and insert them into a smooth tale of greed, rivalry, and adventure down below.
Lisa Ard, Author of Fright Flight, Dream Seeker Adventures

"Rapacia" is the second book in the "Circles of Heck" series, and in every way lives up to the expectations set up in the first book. But be warned that with this volume the plot thickens and becomes even more complex and convoluted, so you should definitely read the first volume "Heck" before you tackle "Rapacia."

At any rate, the tribulations of our heros, Marlo and Milton Fauster continue, but on separate paths for a while, as Milton escapes (sort of) back to the land of the living, and Marlo is punished for her attempted escape by being sent to a lower circle of Heck.

Milton finds himeself back on "the stage" (among the living) involved with a whacky religious cult (the "KOOKS"), a laid-back hippie almost-lawyer, and a crank paranormalist (curator of the Paranor Mall), as he mixes science and magic trying to find a way to resuce his sister and his friend Virgil from Heck.

Marlo, meanwhile, uncovers a secret plot within Heck, hatched by a mechanical rabbit (the Grabbit), aided and abetted by a bunch of airheaded cheerleader-types, which threatens to destroy not only Heck, but potentially all of creation. What none of the plotters realize is that Marlo has her own agenda...

As with the first book there are appearances by historical characters in odd places (frontier gambler Poker Alice, and pirate Anne Bonny, among others). There are also multiple levels of puns and pop-culture references (something for the kids; something else for the adults), and enough circles-within-circles to keep a Machiavellian happy.

I loved this book as much as the first. I've just acquired Volume three of the series, "Blimpo", and am looking forward to further following the involved strands of this very funny plot, wherever they may lead.

With "Rapacia" Dale E. Basye is rapidly establishing himself as the Terry Practhett of writers for young readers.

Tweens, teens will appreciate the humor in this series of books, both male and female. A few adult world references make these books enjoyable for those of us not so young anymore. I will read the rest of the series.

The book is a great second effort in the series. Quite funny and enjoyable for the darker funny minded crowd. I find it very funny and witty with plenty of tongue in cheek moments but not too many to make it dull.

This book is funny and exciting. Loved the first one and really enjoyed Rapacia. Lookng forward to the next one.

Rapacia took me to the edge of all reality, then gave a gentle nudge. Mr. Basye, we can only presume, has spent time in the Netherworld, perhaps in his youth as a Rotary Exchange student. With each page, Rapacia opens itself like an heirloom variety homegrown onion, each layer more fulfilling, and yet oniony, as things progress. Like a roller coaster in the 6th dimension, beyond all sense of time, physics, matter, or consciousness, Rapacia takes hold of your delicate origami-like sensibilities, refolds them into a sensitive swan, then shreds them like so many unneeded copies of the 1988 Denver Yellow Pages. To the extent that there are even more circles of Heck to be found by Marlo and Milton, count me in for the road trip!

Reviewers that feel this is too advanced for children misunderestimate the importance of kids learning snappy repartee, puns, and hellacious wordplay. Youth suffer from Pun Deficit Disorder, and parents owe it to their kids to buy all of author Dale Basye's books for their kids, help their kids develop witty banter at an early age, and commit to a life of creating groan-worthy puns at every step, unless those parents don't give a Heck.

Rapacia is the Van Halen's Greatest hits in the truck stop of life's 8 track tape selections. Rapacia is the nougat of hope in the candy bar of pain. Rapacia is the garbage can filled with water balloons for throwing, at an all day Mime Parade on the outskirts of Lyon. Rapacia is the homemade backscratcher made from a #2 pencil, duct tape, and a loofah for that last spot which has itched your entire life, and now you finally have relief. I translated Rapacia into an ancient precursor dialect to modern day Icelandic, then back to English, and in the process lost 20 pounds, found Nirvana, and just had the good fortune of learning I can help a new Nigerian friend get $65 million safely deposited for only $7,000, and I get to keep $30 million!!!!

Thanks Rapacia!!!!