The Forest King: Woodlark's Shadow

In The Forest King: Woodlark’s Shadow, Justin Woodlark has just moved away from the hustle and bustle of New York City to the quiet New England town his father’s originally from. It is here that he discovers an ancient secret hiding in the local woods, one that he stumbles upon while lost and running, thereby releasing a shadowy evil that only he can discern as the Old Man of the Forest. He and his friends try to capture the thing on camera, but the task proves to be as illusive as it is frightening.

The plot is fairly straightforward: boy discovers evil shadow, boy runs from evil shadow, boy muses over what he’s learned, boy defeats evil shadow in surprising yet heroic manner, boy learns the truth of things. But it's appropriate for the reading age its marketed at, and it's not at all confusing or overabundant with different themes and underlying meanings. The cast is kept small, focusing mainly on Justin, the mysterious Smith, and surprisingly, Justin's father. His character had a good amount of depth in The Forest King: Woodlark’s Shadow, and made Justin a stronger protagonist for it.

Young readers will surely get a thrill over the game the Old Man of the Forest that is a main focus in the book, and it's explained in enough detailed that after reading they might just round up several friends and have at it themselves. Hopefully they won't stumble upon what Justin Woodlark did though...

Putting the story aside, Tom Mandrake, who has illustrated such comics as Batman, Weapon X, The Hulk Unchained, and many others, adds a soft, but powerful touch with his accompanying artwork. They are black and white, done in what is a loose, but detailed style. Some of the more impressive pieces are toward the end where Justin and company finally meet up with the big, bad shadow. The artwork really helps to create an eerie mood.

The structure of these young adult books from Actionopolis (see my reviews for What I Did on my Hypergalactic Interstellar Summer Vacation and Heir to Fire: Gila Flats) follow similar formats, but it's for a good reason. They work, and are worthy of a spot on any young reader's shelf.