2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Underlord of the Netherworld by Juna Jinsei is a spin-off of Peter Pan that takes place in Neverland. Other than its setting and the inclusion of a few notable characters, it actually has very little to do with the original classic novel, though the fact that it is is the second book in a series may be to blame for this. The story follows a variety of characters, including twin princes Wochi and Reichi, tribe leader Chief Najoshi, and the warrior Khwam Glaohán. They must all work together to defend their home from the Malomen, a territorial and extremely violent race of shark people.
Because of the large number of characters in the novel, I found it difficult to form an attachment to any of them. Despite the fact that this book is a sequel, few characters seemed to show any distinguishing characteristics. Some parts of the book felt disorganized and irrelevant to the plot, particularly when Kuthanda and Dobráta project their spirits to another planet with the intent of saving an alien race from a devastating explosion. If this seems bewildering now, it's not much better in the book itself.
The battles fought between the Malomen and the residents of the island feel rather inconsequential. Despite many people dying, I wasn't given the chance to understand how the characters felt during the fighting and carnage, so the violence became routine within the story. Most of the narrative is focused on simply describing events, instead of implementing sensory details and emotions to draw the reader into the action.
Mechanistically, the writing is bland, with a significant number of minor grammatical errors. The dialogue is uninteresting, but it's not distractingly awful. Particularly in the beginning of the book, some characters say things that their conversation partners should already know, which serves as clumsy exposition. The plot of the novel is relatively sound, though, and it was full of twists and turns that somewhat made up for the lack of character development. I was surprised by how little it actually had to do with the titular Underlord.
I rate Underlord of the Netherworld 2 out of 4 stars. It certainly wasn't an awful book, but I have a hard time giving it an emphatic recommendation, due to its forgettable characters and poorly organized narrative. I'd recommend it to people who enjoy fantasy battles and simple, easy to digest moral lessons. Since there was nothing particularly inappropriate besides some moderate violence and death, this book would be a good fit for younger children with an interest in fantasy novels. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for an adventure inspired by Peter Pan, or anyone with little patience for underdeveloped characters.
******
Underlord of the Netherworld
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like ViziVoir's review? Post a comment saying so!
