Jungledrop

This is the second full length novel in the Unmapped Chronicles series and introduces us to another of the four worlds that help support our own, through the magic that they possess and share with us. Fox and Fibber Petty-Squabble are the central characters in this story; they are a pair of twins and their parents are extremely wealthy, as well as being two of the most obnoxious characters you definitely would not want to meet. The children have been brought up to despise any signs of compassion, caring, friendship or even basic humanity; they have been set against each other from birth and believe that they have to fight for their parents’ attention. After a chance meeting with an old man (Jasper Tock from the book Rumblestar) they find themselves on board a mysterious steam train and then the adventure begins. The problem is that in order to defeat the harpy called the Morg and save the kingdom of Jungledrop, as well as our own world, they will have to work together and this seems to be an impossibility. The quest that they find themselves on, takes them to some dark places but they find help in unexpected places and with some amazing characters.

Once again, the author has given us a truly magical world but the two ‘heroes’ are definitely not what we would hope for. However, the quest that they find themselves on is not just about defeating the Morg, it is also about finding themselves and learning to understand that it is not a weakness if you help other people. The gradually changes in Fox and her brother Fibber are beautifully observed and the introduction of the mind-reading parrot called Heckle means that their developing thoughts are made known to all of us. This is an incredible world that reflects some aspects of our jungles, but things such as a hummingbird playing a piano and people riding unicycles in the trees definitely brings more than a touch of the exotic to the story. The story is an absolute delight and the creative imagination of the author takes us on a fantastic journey to this other world.