Pandemonium

Wooding, Chris    Pandemonium        

Scholastic/Grolier/Childrens Press/Watts  2012 158p   $12.99      978-0-439-87759-6  E-BN     ms/hs       Graphic novel    

Seifer Tombehewer comes from a loving home. His dad sometimes can be too strict, and he wants Seifer to focus on the game of skull ball and nothing else.  Seifer wants more!  He wants to study astronomy and other subjects, to be a scholar and travel the world.  Then, one day while he is walking through the forest on his way home from Grandpa’s house, Seifer is knocked over the head and kidnapped. When he wakes up he finds himself in a faraway palace, and he is informed that he must impersonate a prince who happens to look just like him!

This is when his real adventures begin.  He is given new clothes and a bedroom worthy of a prince, and he discovers that he must act like the prince at all times, to create an illusion that the prince has never gone missing.  This is not an easy task to fulfill, but along the way he learns a few tricks and has a few harrowing encounters with monsters and enemies who would like nothing better than to kill the prince.

This first book of Pandemonium sets the stage for the series.  We all want to know how it is possible that Seifer is almost identical to the real prince.  Are they twins who were separated at birth?  Is Seifer a better prince than the real prince?

I can’t wait to see how this story develops in upcoming sequels!

The colors are on the dark side, illuminated by blues and grays and accentuated by deep red.  Did I fail to mention that all the characters have black wings and can fly?  The novel is also very humorous and has very likable characters.

           

E-BN  Magna Diaz              Graphic novels, Fantasy, Impersonation