Wrath of the Exiles

March 15, 2023
Riddles, monsters, bullies, and buckets of slime challenge the Dungeoneer Academy trainees in their second quest. Fresh from exploits in the opener's Fungal Jungle, Green Team students find themselves in the frozen subterranean reaches of the Shimmering Shar, on the trail of a nefarious gang of academy washouts and facing all manner of hazards from deadly ice golems to a smothering avalanche of cheesy fries. Meanwhile the ongoing struggles of Coop Cooperson, the school's only human, with schoolwork, envy of charismatic new student Kody, and foot-in-mouth awkwardness around girls add a substrate of more familiar challenges. Practically channeling a certain classic, the authors add a tin man and a witch--the latter, moody kobold Ingrid Inkheart, turns out to be the good sort--to the multispecies cast and set up wizardly hazards galore on the way to the climax. Monochrome illustrations on every spread both ease the visual weight of the narrative blocks and add comical reaction shots and banter to further lighten the load for newer readers. By the end, Coop has wrestled personal issues to a draw, inspired boggart teammate Dazmina to face up to her divorcing parents by reassuring her that her friends have her back, shown magnanimity by forgiving two repentant bullies, and even aced "Widdles and Wunes" (as the rhotacistic professor pronounces it). "Who can guess what's next for Dungeoneer Academy?" Coop concludes. Well, one sequel at least, for sure. Adventurous if not particularly venturesome. (Illustrated fantasy. 8-11)

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