Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Lord Umber is a great inventor and explorer. He finds the boy named Happenstance on his expedition to dangerous volcanic caverns guarded by an enormous centipede-like creature. Happenstance called Hap has no memories before meeting Umber in the cave. He has amazing eyes that can see in the dark, the ability to jump great distances and he never needs to sleep. Hap joins Umber’s band of explorers and they are soon hunted by a dark creature called Occo hungry for Hap’s emerging magical powers.

While the story features plenty of action from shark attacks at sea to battles with the evil Occo, it is the two mysterious characters that drive its plot. There is Lord Umber a genius who is not entirely comfortable in this magical world of Kurahaven despite his many accomplishments and vast wealth. And there is Hap who is a mystery even to himself and wonders as he learns more if he will bring good or evil to the small group of Umber’s band he has come to love. Catanese will need more books to do these characters justice and I look forward to reading them. This new fantasy combines action packed sequences with a deep fantasy world worth exploring.

342p., 2009