Mermaids vs. Unicorns

January 15, 2022
The search for a powerful but dangerous unicorn horn lost in the previous episode draws preteen legend-in-her-own-mind Pacey back to the magical land of Rundalyn. Here the self-styled Horn Slayer, never the best judge of character, runs into betrayals on both ends of the rainbow bridge to Rundalyn--going from finding supposed new bestie Beth hanging out with rival classmates at the mall to being summoned to hunt for the detached horn of hooved archvillain Arkane in the watery Dark Caverns and, ignoring the warnings of her sarcastic but canny unicorn stuffie sidekick Slasher, following Briony, a seemingly friendly young mermaid, into a trap. Cue a climactic whirl of snide comments, battles with tentacled sea monsters, massive floods, rescues, and escapes during which Pacey manages to find the horn, loses it again, but at least before returning to this world sees it whisked out of Arkane's clutches too...for the nonce. She also winds up with a token of friendship from an unexpected source. Phillipps outfits Rundalyn with a backstory, a map, and a magical populace that runs from goblins and unicorns to molelike mogs. Pacey and her family appear White; Beth, Briony, and some other human and humanoid figures in the cleanly drawn purple duotone art read as racially diverse. A splashy, snarky, subterranean sojourn. (drawing lesson) (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)

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March 1, 2022

Gr 2-5-The magical land of Rundalyn calls Pacey, little sister Mina, and their unicorn friend Slasher (Mina's stuffed toy, who in the first book revealed he was in fact a resident of Rundalyn) back into action just in time for Pacey to escape friendship woes on Earth. The mogs, friendly troll-like creatures who are unable to swim, ask the trio to retrieve the severed horn of the evil unicorn, Arkane, from the mermaids' domain. The story branches from Pacey's group rafting through subterranean waters, to Arkane's search for his horn, to the mogs attempting to assist from afar. Slasher's sarcasm provides plenty of humor, while his bias against mermaids foreshadows dangers to come. Pacey's hurt feelings over being unpopular are projected onto the mermaids, who have justified grievances with unicorns. Exposition delivered while traveling shows off Rundalyn, as well as Phillipps's purple-tinted art. Pacey and Mina are light-skinned and dark-haired. VERDICT The lore and cast of Phillipps's escapist fantasy continue to expand while delivering more laughs and adventure that fans of the previous two books will love.

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