Book Review ~ Atherton: The Dark Planet

Atherton: The Dark Planet is the third and final book in an exciting young fantasy series written by bestselling author Patrick Carman! Our youth has been becoming increasingly aware of apocalyptic prophecies. They are living in a world on the brink of destruction and they understand it in a way older generations fail to...but they also possess the strength, hope, and optimism to change it! Patrick Carman knows this to be true and knows that portraying a battered world--the world of the Dark Planet--instills this knowledge and intense desire to change the world for the better, in his young readers. In the vein of such fantasy series as "The City of Sparks", Atherton: The Dark Planet explores the idea of a world abused and the question of "how far is too far?".

Patrick Carman is the bestselling author of "The Land of Elyon" series which my son also truly enjoyed. My son is 9 years old and is already a Fantasy fiction junky! Atherton: The Dark Planet is the first Atherton series book he has read but he found it easy to follow the story as a stand alone novel despite having missed the first two books of the series. He is now eager to read the earlier books and we ran out to purchase them. In the tradition of Carman's other novels Atherton: The Dark Planet is a well-constructed fantasy brimming with suspense and action. Only Carman can create such fantastical worlds of fantastic and mutant creatures which read as realistic and plausible, abounding with characters whom children find easy to relate to and with whom they can feel emotionally attached.

Young Edgar ventures from the pristine world of Atherton facing great dangers to the Dark Planet, a world of toxic winds and frightening creatures. Edgar discovers the silo, a place where children are enslaved and work under the ruthlessness of those adults who remain at station 7. Through the prophecy of his arrival and the legends of Dr. Harding, the creator of Atherton, Edgar learns of the purpose of Atherton and of Dr. Harding's unfinished plans!

I fell in love with the underlying environmental theme of the Atherton series and relished in my son's ultimate enjoyment of this exciting and well-written novel for youth!

Thank you Alice Morley of Little, Brown Books for this book and review opportunity!