Brendan reichs | Daddy Mojo

The Torchbearers satisfyingly finishes the Darkdeep mglit trilogy series

That headline sounds likes like a backhanded compliment. It isn’t meant to be but does require a little history. The Darkdeep, the first book in the series was a perfect example of mglit escapism. It set up a world where the kids felt real and the dangers they eventually discovered were equally as scary. The Beast was good but was muddled at times. There was so much happening that the broader world that the kids and the Darkdeep created was confusing and felt like too much. Ironically, in The Torchbearers, authors Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs say hold my drink; amp up the action, widen the book’s scope and end the series in a way that’s fun to read for ages eleven and up.

The TOrchbearers rounds the Darkeep series with ooomph

The Beast, middle grade scares that build up perfectly

The Darkdeep was one of our favorite books of 2018. Imagine a world where a sequel to Back to the Future or The Matrix isn’t known yet. Doc Brown or Neo are about to fly off into the sky that’s either a great ending or a great jumping off point for the next movie. The Darkdeep ended like that for us. And just like Back to the Future 2 (which we consider to be an excellent movie, there, we said it) and The Matrix 2 (not so much….), The Beast takes the setup from The Darkdeep and extends it into a world in which monsters live among us.