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Revision as of 11:31, 4 June 2022
, 11:31, 4 June 2022Created page with "{{infobox |title=Archibald Lox and the Sinkhole to Hell: Archibald Lox series, book 7 |sort= |author=Darren Shan |reviewer=Jill Murphy |genre=Confident Readers |summary=The..."
{{infobox
|title=Archibald Lox and the Sinkhole to Hell: Archibald Lox series, book 7
|sort=
|author=Darren Shan
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=The plot thickens some more as Archie faces the hardest trial of his journey into the Merge so far. Can he protect his friends? Some trademark Darren Shan jeopardy in this instalment. We were on the edge of our seats!
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=187
|publisher=Home of the Damned
|date=May 2022
|isbn=B09Z2MTCZD
|website=https://darrenshan.com/
|video=DPzlOISwfbA
|cover=B09Z2MTCZD
|aznuk=B09Z2MTCZD
|aznus=B09Z2MTCZD
}}
Warning!
If you haven't yet read the [[Archibald Lox and the Bridge Between Worlds by Darren Shan|first]], the [[Archibald Lox and the Empress of Suanpan by Darren Shan|second]] and the [[Archibald Lox and the Vote of Alignment by Darren Shan|third]] installments in this series, don't read this review! It may contain spoilers!
So.
We're back to the Merge with the first chapter in the third volume of Darren Shan's saga of Archibald Lox, a young man who can pick the locks of portals from our world to another, called the ''Merge''. Since his last adventure, Archie has persuaded his foster parents into a slightly uneasy truce on the topic of his regular disappearances. They don't ask too many questions and Archie has settled into a fairly peaceful routine of visiting Winston, his lock-picking mentor in the ''Merge'' and showing Kojo, the young guardian, around our world of the Born. There's been little drama for a while...
... but of course, quiet periods don't last long in Darren Shan's book and Archie's adventures are about to begin all over again, when Inez shows up. King Lloyd, he of the glass teeth, the ruby red slippers and the tenuous grip on sanity, is dying. And he would like to see Archie before he moves on to the next sphere.
Lloyd's impending death is more important than most deaths among the ''Merge's'' royal families because Lloyd is the last of his line and if he dies without an heir, his whole realm of Diamond is expected to simply disappear...
... but nothing happens as expected, of course!
This installment of the saga perhaps has less in the way of high octane drama than some of the others. It's more reflective and we get a few further clues as to where the plot is going to take us next. We see some vulnerabilities in the Submerged, including Adil, the man who ordered Archie's torture. We learn that Archie is able to see auras and that he resembles someone he shouldn't resemble. What does this mean? And we're introduced to the Midwives. I won't tell you too much about them for fear of spoilers but I think they are going to play an important role going forward. I enjoyed this fact-finding installment. It's full of clues for the next ones and I just hope that I've spotted them all.
The whole thing ends on a cliffhanger as this relatively quiet - for Shan! - book ends with the return of some old horrors and jeopardy for Archie. So I think the next volume needs to find its way to me sharpish!
You'll find our review of the first book [[Archibald Lox and the Forgotten Crypt: Archibald Lox series, Volume 2, book 1 of 3 by Darren Shan|here]]. And if you enjoy short, sharp, thrilling, episodic stories, you could try [[Blade: Playing Dead by Tim Bowler]]. It's not set in a fantasy world but it sure does get those reading juices flowing!
{{amazontext|amazon=B09Z2MTCZD}}
{{amazontextAud|amazon=B09Z2MTCZD}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=B09Z2MTCZD}}
|title=Archibald Lox and the Sinkhole to Hell: Archibald Lox series, book 7
|sort=
|author=Darren Shan
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=The plot thickens some more as Archie faces the hardest trial of his journey into the Merge so far. Can he protect his friends? Some trademark Darren Shan jeopardy in this instalment. We were on the edge of our seats!
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=187
|publisher=Home of the Damned
|date=May 2022
|isbn=B09Z2MTCZD
|website=https://darrenshan.com/
|video=DPzlOISwfbA
|cover=B09Z2MTCZD
|aznuk=B09Z2MTCZD
|aznus=B09Z2MTCZD
}}
Warning!
If you haven't yet read the [[Archibald Lox and the Bridge Between Worlds by Darren Shan|first]], the [[Archibald Lox and the Empress of Suanpan by Darren Shan|second]] and the [[Archibald Lox and the Vote of Alignment by Darren Shan|third]] installments in this series, don't read this review! It may contain spoilers!
So.
We're back to the Merge with the first chapter in the third volume of Darren Shan's saga of Archibald Lox, a young man who can pick the locks of portals from our world to another, called the ''Merge''. Since his last adventure, Archie has persuaded his foster parents into a slightly uneasy truce on the topic of his regular disappearances. They don't ask too many questions and Archie has settled into a fairly peaceful routine of visiting Winston, his lock-picking mentor in the ''Merge'' and showing Kojo, the young guardian, around our world of the Born. There's been little drama for a while...
... but of course, quiet periods don't last long in Darren Shan's book and Archie's adventures are about to begin all over again, when Inez shows up. King Lloyd, he of the glass teeth, the ruby red slippers and the tenuous grip on sanity, is dying. And he would like to see Archie before he moves on to the next sphere.
Lloyd's impending death is more important than most deaths among the ''Merge's'' royal families because Lloyd is the last of his line and if he dies without an heir, his whole realm of Diamond is expected to simply disappear...
... but nothing happens as expected, of course!
This installment of the saga perhaps has less in the way of high octane drama than some of the others. It's more reflective and we get a few further clues as to where the plot is going to take us next. We see some vulnerabilities in the Submerged, including Adil, the man who ordered Archie's torture. We learn that Archie is able to see auras and that he resembles someone he shouldn't resemble. What does this mean? And we're introduced to the Midwives. I won't tell you too much about them for fear of spoilers but I think they are going to play an important role going forward. I enjoyed this fact-finding installment. It's full of clues for the next ones and I just hope that I've spotted them all.
The whole thing ends on a cliffhanger as this relatively quiet - for Shan! - book ends with the return of some old horrors and jeopardy for Archie. So I think the next volume needs to find its way to me sharpish!
You'll find our review of the first book [[Archibald Lox and the Forgotten Crypt: Archibald Lox series, Volume 2, book 1 of 3 by Darren Shan|here]]. And if you enjoy short, sharp, thrilling, episodic stories, you could try [[Blade: Playing Dead by Tim Bowler]]. It's not set in a fantasy world but it sure does get those reading juices flowing!
{{amazontext|amazon=B09Z2MTCZD}}
{{amazontextAud|amazon=B09Z2MTCZD}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=B09Z2MTCZD}}
