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Synopses & Reviews
The much-anticipated new fantasy series from Ransom Riggs, his first since introducing the #1 global phenomenon Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series.
In the blurry weeks after his mother’s death, Leopold found the seven puffy-boxed VHS tapes of its one, and perhaps only, season in a box of her things headed for the trash.... Sunderworld became a primary escape through some of the bleakest stretches of his childhood. In the midst of grief, he was happy only when immersed in Sunder.
Leopold Berry is a teenager living in Los Angeles with his blowhard father. Leopold’s mother died when he was twelve and was the source of her son’s love both for LA and for movie magic. Since her passing, much of his life has been spent avoiding disappointing his father and obsessing over his favorite TV show—a 1990s kids’ fantasy series called Sunderworld.
To call Sunderworld a cult favorite is generous. As far as Leopold knows, he and his best friend Emmet are the only people in the world who watch it. Leopold and Emmet spent much of their early teens recreating the show, cheesy special effects and all. Leopold is convinced the Sunder mythology is real and he's destined to be Sunder's chosen one. It turns out he’s half right.
With the help of his best friend and some surprising allies from LA’s weird side, Leopold must find a way to survive in a magical Los Angeles that’s less disappointing and far stranger than even he ever imagined.
Review
"Riggs' writing is tight and well paced. Some incredible action scenes leap off the pages, and Sunder is a blur of dangerous situations, well-drawn characters, and magical devices. The ending will make readers wish they could immediately reach for the second volume.... A fully imagined fantastical world with compelling characters and a nail-biting cliffhanger."—Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Riggs’s incandescent storytelling, exquisite worldbuilding, and vivid characterization kick off a propulsive series starter that subverts the chosen-one trope via a self-made antihero who learns to choose himself. If Leopold finds more questions than answers, readers will be heartened by the promise of more adventure and intrigue following this whirlwind opener."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
Synopsis
The instant New York Times bestseller from visionary storyteller Ransom Riggs Weaving the familiar with the peculiar, this stunning tale of loss, triumph, friendship and magic, will remind readers everywhere that true heroes are made, not born--and when you're never the chosen one, sometimes you have to choose yourself.
Seventeen-year-old Leopold Berry is seeing weird things around Los Angeles. A man who pops a tooth into a parking meter. A glowing trapdoor in a parking lot. A half-mechanical raccoon with its tail on fire that just won't leave him alone. Every hallucinatory moment seems plucked from a cheesy 1990s fantasy TV show called Max's Adventures in Sunderworld--and that's because they are.
Not a good sign.
In the blurry weeks after his mother's death, a young Leopold discovered VHS tapes of its one and only season in a box headed for the trash--and soon became obsessed. Losing himself in Sunder was the best way to avoid two things: grieving his mother and being a chronic disappointment to his overbearing father. But when the strange visions return--at the worst possible time on the worst possible day--Leopold turns to his best friend Emmet for help. Together they discover that Sunder is much more than just an old TV show, and that Los Angeles is far stranger than they ever imagined. And soon, he'll realize that not only is Sunderworld real, but it's in grave danger.
Certain he's finally been chosen for greatness, Leopold risks everything to claim his destiny, save the world of his childhood dreams, and prove once and for all that he's not the disappointment his father believes him to be. But when everything goes terribly, horribly, excruciatingly wrong, Leopold's disappointments prove to be more extraordinary than he ever could have imagined.
How do you battle darkness when no one believes in you--not even yourself?
Welcome to Sunderworld.
About the Author
Ransom Riggs is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children novels. Riggs was born on a farm in Maryland and grew up in southern Florida. He studied literature at Kenyon College and film at the University of Southern California.