The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner

The 13th Reality: The Hunt for Dark Infinity
By James Dashner
2009, Shadow Mountain


Review by Heather Moore


“The boy stared at his world gone mad.”—begins the second book of the bestselling 13th Reality series: The Hunt for Dark Infinity. The malicious Reginald Chu has devised a way to infiltrate the minds of people and creatures alike—controlling their thoughts, speech and actions.

New Realitants, Tick, Sophia, and Paul, must find a way to penetrate Chu’s destructive creation before he gains control over all the Realities. But they are at the mercy of Chu’s test—as they are winked from one reality to another—forced to decode strange messages and battle deadly creatures in order to save their own lives.

From a distance, Master George can provide aid when it’s most needed—but even he can’t stop the events from unfolding. For he knows that Tick needs to make whatever sacrifice necessary to stop Chu from succeeding.

From the first sentence to the last, Dark Infinity will propel you through fantastic Realities, spin you against another adventure just as you’re ready to take a breath, then deposit you in the middle of one of the most clever twists I’ve read in years.

This author also has another book coming out this year: The Maze Runner trilogy (Random House, 2009)

The 13th Reality

Everything is boring to my 11 year old daughter. "Why don't you read a book?" I say to her. "Reading is boring." So when I picked up The 13th Reality, I was hoping she'd like it. Well, I found myself reading it with her, just as anxious to find out what happened next in the book. The characters are vibrant and endearing. Names like Atticus Higgenbottom, Norbert, Mistress Jane, Mr. Chu, still stand out in my mind. Strange letters, complex riddles, and the new reality were all captivating.

Author James Dashner has a fabulous imagination and a very enjoyable writing style. It's only a matter of time before it hits the bestseller lists. My 13 year old son recently snatched it. Looks like we'll need more than one copy because my 8 year old is dying to read it too. It's a hit at my house. For adults and children alike, The 13th Reality is worth every minute.

From Kirkus Reviews:
THE JOURNAL OF CURIOUS LETTERS A boy . . . a mysterious letter . . . twelve clues . . . a girl . . . a dad . . . two very strange strangers. These are just the basic ingredients in this adventure served up by Dashner in what is the start of a series that will capture the imagination of young and old alike. Atticus Higginbottom (Tick to all who know him) is smart, well-adjusted and something of a loner at school, preferring his family, the library and the Internet to his classmates. So he s surprised to receive a letter postmarked in Macadamia, Alaska, from someone he s never even heard of. But he s intrigued and makes a commitment to join with his correspondent to save many lives. Though there are chunks of text that are overwritten, the telling is generally laced with a strong sense of humor and a sure hand at plot; the author is plainly in tune with today s fan base. Let the adventure begin! (Science fiction. 10-12)