Reviewed by Kerry Gittins
An impenetrable fortress and a cosmic hand
that is beginning to take on a mind of its own, are just the beginning of
Jack’s problems in Book 8 of this graphic novel series. He and June have been
staking out the fortress for weeks trying to find a way in so they can stop the
evil warlord Thrull, from getting the schematics to The Tower. Thrull captured
Ghazt and took him to the fortress so Wracksaw could extract the plans from
Ghazt’s brain. Once finished, The Tower will allow Rezzoch the Ancient,
Destructor of Worlds, access to their world where he’ll do exactly what his
name suggests – destruct their world!
While Jack and June were being attacked by
a not-so-tiny Splotcher, Quint, Dirk and Skaelka reappeared and saved the day!
With the friends reunited, Skaelka reveals that the fortress fell through from
her dimension, and that she was held prisoner there. She also knows there is
only one way in because when she escaped, there was only one way out – the
Cliff of Infinite Fatalities. As they try and come up with a plan to scale the
cliff and infiltrate the fortress, Jack feels the cosmic hand, a new and not so
welcome physical addition, start to pulse and tighten, and realises he must be
the one to somehow scale the cliff.
And so, begins The Best Buddies Mission
Force to break into the Fortress and save the world. Zombies, explosions, swamp
monsters, fierce winds, Razorkaws and monster guards abound, but the most
surprising discovery is that Skaelka wasn’t just speaking poetically about the
heart of the fortress. The Fortress is actually alive! The group manage to
scale the cliff and get inside where fights ensue with monster guards and,
after almost being outnumbered, Jack’s much-loved monster dog, Rover, reappears
with some new friends, The Goon Platoon, who add much needed monster fire
power. They win the battle and penetrate the inner sanctum. Here they watch,
stunned, as Wracksaw attaches armacles to the ceiling, his body glowing as he
begins extracting the information from the brain of a motionless Ghazt.
Suddenly Thrull appears, sucks the schematics into his own brain, and leaves
triumphant.
Jack feels the cosmic hand pulsing,
drawing him towards Ghazt who, with his dying breath, reveals the purpose and
power of the cosmic hand. The story finishes with three important cliff hanger
questions which will only be answered in the next exciting episode: Will Thrull
build The Tower? Will Rezzoch be released? Will Jack master the power of the
cosmic hand?
Max Brailler and Douglas Holgate have
delivered yet another epic, fast paced, thrill-a-minute ride in The Last
Kids on Earth and the Forbidden Fortress. This will be a winner with fans
of the series, and although it’s probably best to have read at least some of
the books, there are enough hints in the first few chapters to enable those who
haven’t done so to catch up on previous dangerous, heart-stopping encounters.
This story is packed with fun, sci-fi adventure, and fantastic illustrations,
but also delivers on the important themes of friendship, bravery, loss, acceptance,
and relationships.
The graphic novels have made a very
successful crossover from page to screen as a Netflix original TV series.
Highly recommended for ages 8 + years.
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