Song of the Deep - Hardcover

Brian Hastings has been creating video games with Insomniac Games for 21 years. He helped develop the stories and worlds for Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, and now, Song of the Deep. As a child, Brian dreamed of being an author, and this is his first book. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children. You can learn more about his work and Song of the Deep at insomniacgames.com and on Twitter @songofthedeep.

Gr 4-6-Twelve-year-old Merryn journeys to an underwater city of gold to rescue her father from the tentacles of a Rimorosa. While Fergus the pelican watches, she constructs a submarine made from bicycle parts and beach treasures. She's resourceful and brave, just like her fisherman father and her mom, who died trying to save her long ago. There are fun moments in the story where Merryn befriends a fantastical sea creature. But Merryn faces many uncertainties exploring an abandoned merrow village that is being destroyed by underwater robots that shoot torpedoes. As she encounters sights she's only heard about in stories told by her dad, she reminisces about her family and their possible connection to this watery world. Based on the video game of the same name, the story contains battles, evasions, friendships, and interesting spaces to explore like a lighthouse, a sea garden, and the Forbidden City. One or two full-page black-and-white illustrations appear in each of the 10 short chapters (they resemble the style of art in the video game), as do soothing lyrics. VERDICT For readers who appreciate stories about family and fantastical marine adventure.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canadaα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.