A staggering story whose creativity is unsurpassed.
Dagny and her younger sister, Grete, are hardly children anymore. Catastrophe tore their family apart years ago and Dagny only recently recovered that crucial family connection. But things happened to both girls while they were separated and, in a bid to protect her sister, Grete has disappeared again. Determined to find her sister at any cost, safety is not high on Dagny’s list of priorities as she makes her way through the underground. With only a curious little boy to act as a road map, Dagny embarks on an adventure that will introduce her to all the wonders and dangers her mythical world offers. She’ll have to find a door that doesn’t want to be found, escape a monstrously large guard cat, and evade the dreadful Drowned Twins. And that’s before she ever reaches the outer edge of Jud, the puzzling shifting city where she hopes to find her sister. On such a monumental quest, the changeable landscape might be the least of Dagny’s troubles. Friends abounded in her hometown, but out here, it’s tough to know who to trust. Strangers have their own agendas, which rarely align with Dagny’s, but the biggest challenge of all might be surviving the inner workings of the dreamlike city of Jud.
If you’ve ever been caught inside a huge, windowless building when the power goes out only to experience an anxious journey of discovery while you find your way back to the light, you’ll know how it feels to read this unabridged novel. The mythology of the land, its history, its leaders, its citizens and its uncertain future, is a cryptic puzzle that requires patience but is wondrous to unravel. Details are divulged in breathless gasps, leaving readers in a state of delightfully confused chaos for most of the story. Though this book is a sequel, earlier events are effectively drawn on and sorted throughout. Insecurity abounds and uncertainty builds as Dagny explores bizarre places and interacts with quirky characters. But the real pleasure comes from Jud’s mystique, a strange land that is almost too much to comprehend and could fill an entire bookshelf with its very essence. For readers that love a series as expansive and magical as The Wizard of Oz or as unexpected and clever as The Maze Runner, read Michael Breen’s Jud, a staggering story whose creativity is unsurpassed.
