The Beasts of Grimheart

May 15, 2019
Warrior rabbit Podkin, his sister, Paz, and their younger brother, Pook, embark on a seemingly impossible quest to prevent Gorm soldiers from annihilating the Five Realms and its inhabitants in this sequel to The Gift of Dark Hallow (2018). In a frame story, Pook, now an elderly bard and captured by assassins, must tell the true story of the legendary Battle of Sparrowfast to save his life. As Pook's story unfolds, Podkin, his family, and a motley group of friends live at Dark Hallow Warren in Grimheart Forest. With the Gorm army threatening to devastate Grimheart, Podkin, Paz, and Pook depart for Sparrowfast Warren to appeal to their estranged uncle for his magical bow to destroy Gorm Lord Scramashank. (An illustrated list of all such magical weapons appears in the appendix.) Betrayed, they flee deep into Grimheart, where they are rescued by the Wardens of Grimwode, giant rabbits guarding the ancient forest who have been awaiting their arrival. After securing a magical horned crown to use in the impending Gorm battle, Podkin, Paz, and Pook return to Dark Hallow to find the Gorm army advancing and their uncle refusing to share his bow. Once again, everything depends on young Podkin. The gripping plot toggles between Pook's precarious storytelling dilemma and his dynamic personal recollection of the climactic battle, enhanced by dramatic illustrations. A storytelling tour de force culminating in a rousing series finale. (map, character list) (Animal fantasy. 10-12)

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