Jack McKinley is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary problem. In six months, Jack is going to die.
After Jack collapses in the middle of a busy street, he’s whisked off to a strange hospital in a strange place. There are armed guards and weird kinds and fantastic creatures, not to mention no parents, no phones, and no possibility of escape. The place is run by an odd professor named Bhegad, who tells Jack that what’s killing him is a genetic trait inherited from a prince of a long-lost civilization. It’s destroying him by making him too strong too fast. He’ll need to stay strong though – because it’s up to him to save the world.
The long-lost civilization sank when seven magical Loculi were stolen and hidden around the world. Now Jack and his friends must find the Loculi before they fall into the wrong hands. If they don’t, they’ll never be cured, the lost world will rise, oceans will be displaced, and life as we know it will pretty much end.
No one ever asked Jack if he wanted to be a hero. He just has to be one. One kid. One mission. One big problem. The thrills begin in The Colossus Rises, the newest installment in the newest adventure from master storyteller Peter Lerangis.
AUTHOR: PETER LERANGIS
Peter Lerangis is the author of more that one hundred and sixty books, which have sold more than five million copies and been translated into twenty-eight different languages, including three books in the New York Times bestselling series The 39 Clues (The Sword Thief, The Viper’s Nest, and The Dead of Night). He is a Harvard graduate with a degree in biochemistry. After college, he became a Broadway musical theater actor. He has run marathon and gone rock climbing during an earthquake, but not on the same day. He lives in New York City with his wife, musician Tina deVaron, and their two sons, Nick and Joe. In his spare time, he likes to eat chocolate.
- The lost of continent of Atlantis is one legend I feel strongly about – like I strongly dream of finding it feelings. Back in college, a professor of mine dashed all personal hopes of proving its existence. In one of his lectures, he pointed out the one simple reason Atlantis could never have existed – BUOYANCY. Jerk. Continents float because of this force. No chance in Homer’s hell (Homer as in the Greek one not the father of Bart) can a thriving continent sink in the turbulent ocean. Dammit. Nonetheless, I still believe in Atlantis. Call me a romantic but there is just something appealing in this tragic tale of creation and destruction. Much more romantic than Paradise. It also heightens blind hope among enthusiats that it will rise again from the depths of the ocean and stand tall once more in the face of the Earth. Fiction in contrast to science has never forgotten Atlantis. One of its newest addition is Peter Lerangis seven-part series called Seven Wonders .
- Now that I’ve mentioned it, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria). Like Alantis, some of these remarkable architectures of antiquity have been scruitinized. Their existence questioned for modern men cannot fathom the capacities of ancient engineers. One of the more controversial ones is the Colossus of Rhodes (as in the book title The Colossus Rises). Believed to have been built in the Greek city of Rhodes, the Colossus is all 30 meters high of massive statue of the sun god Helios. Artistic interpretations are even more impressive as it depicted the colossal piece at the entrance of the Rhodes port holding a torch (with real fire), guiding ships as it pass unrmeath the enormous structure. Think of a more intimidating Statue of Liberty. The Colossus of Rhodes is indeed one of the sickest piece of art and architecture of all-time.
- Back-up. Notice the apparent enthusiasm for the other stuff about the book but not the book itself? Meh. I just do not like the book. Sure. The book is meant for middle school kids but that does not mean I cannot like kid reads. I dig Rick Riordan. He has skills in integrating the ancient and the modern without shortchanging his readers in all departments, e.g. characters, historical notes, and the all-important alchemical combination of past and present bathed in humor. Fun. His books are great sources of entertainment. Something that cannot be said for Lerangis’. Curiously, Riordan provided the blurb for this one, “A high-octane mix of modern adventure and ancient secrets.” True, high-octane indeed. But I am looking for rollickin’ fun.
- Our hero is Jack, the standard normal kid with supernatural abilities. (He carries a dormant gene from his Atlantean ancestors that could kill him if he does not find the lost civilization.) Like most heroes, his special gifts did not manifest quick enough. It had to be discovered and understood. Jack is likeable enough but not remarkable at all. He has three friends, Aly (genius techie), Cass (human compass) and Marco (super jock). I like Aly the most because she is also a movie buff (“I’ve seen Citizen Kane for like the thirtieth time.”) but other than her, no one else stands out. If there is one character though that kills me with blandness, it’s Professor Bhegad. First, his name is just blah. Second, he does not exude father-figure compassion. The author had to resort to addidtional descriptions (“His eyes brimming with tears…”) to seek pathos from readers. He is no Dumbledore. Then there is Torquin – part guard part henchman – who is, going by our Potter analogy, is Hagrid. Unlike the lovable giant, Torquin comes as across as a cartoon instead of a character. Lerangis’ latest book is comparable to Riordan’s Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles series ONLY in terms of utilizing ancient civilizations and mythologies. However, Riordan populated his stories with memorable characters with proper personal histories and developments.
- I guess am going to follow the series just because I need to know the ending. Other than that, there is nothing quite wonderful in the Seven Wonders series.
RATING: C+
