The Rescue: Book 3
of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series
Target age group: 8 – 12 years old
This series is
proving to be a pleasant surprise as, so far, each book is an improvement on
the last. The Rescue is a quick read at 194 pages yet still manages to
incorporate an interesting plot, plenty of character development, and a rather
deep message about death. Basically, this book has dug deeper into the Guardians of Ga’Hoole world and benefits
from doing so – the story is much richer as a result. It really does feel as
though Kathryn Lasky has hit her stride here.
Eglantine is back
in Soren’s life, yet she remains troubled by her mysterious past which she can
never quite recall. All the same, Soren has little time to worry over his
little sister, for Ezylryb is still missing. Of course, Soren and friends
become determined to find him, but in the process uncover a menace far bigger
than the simple disappearance of one owl…
(Hint: The
evil-looking owl on the cover referred to as ‘Metal Beak’ is bad news).
Anyway, it’s
probably time to explain why this book ‘saved the series’ (at least for me). Basically,
considering that the series is 15 – admittedly small – books long, the first
couple of books do need to hook the reader. I was lukewarm about the first,
happier about the second… but now, with Book 3, it feels like the series is
easily at an adequate standard to keep the reader interested.
So, once I finish
this review, bring on Book 4!
Let’s begin with the bad:
-
The cover: not a favourite. Still that’s just
pickiness and personal preference, and besides, the next book’s cover is amazing.
The title, however, is an improvement on the super-ambiguous ‘The Journey’.
-
Anyway…SPOILERS AHEAD.
-
Why no one really cares that a bunch of young
owls are flying off to harass random strangers with bad reputations, and hunt
down murderers, is beyond me.
-
The young owls don’t think to let people know
about the crucial discoveries they make, or give anyone real opportunities to
help them. There’s no shame in recruiting a force which can’t be beaten by
those intent on smiting you. In the meantime, why not spread the word of the
evil afoot just in case the information dies with you?
-
Kludd’s reappearance. I saw that one coming from
the moment Eglantine came to the Great Ga’Hoole Tree babbling about Tyto
supremacy. The cover art only confirmed suspicions as the mask doesn’t hide the
fact that the anonymous owl is a Barn Owl, and there are only a handful of
these in the series so far…and only one amongst them is marked as evil. That
said, however, this is a book for children, so I can be forgiving on that
point.
-
Still, Kludd himself bothered me, and not simply
because he tried to kill the main characters. Again, considering the target audience
of these books, we should cut him some slack…but we still don’t know why he is
evil. Was he simply hatched that way? From the first book he has been a “Muahaha
I’m evil” cardboard cut-out villain. Sadly, this hasn’t changed, but I sure
hope it does in future books.
Good points (which definitely outweigh the bad!):
-
The character of Ezylryb gains depth, to the
degree that he is now like a bottomless well of possibilities. Or at least
(seeing as I am perhaps a tad prone to exaggeration) he has suddenly become far
more interesting. Naturally, I’m not going to tell you how, for I don’t like
posting spoilers for plot points I actually like. Also, I’m enjoying teasing
you. (Well, a little. I’m not deluded about this audience’s investment in the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series!).
-
Another good element of this book is that the
setting of the world becomes a lot more detailed, and is well and truly
confirmed as post-apocalyptic, which is an interesting twist. You don’t usually
find books in which the setting, based on the extinction of the human race,
gets a mere mention here and there.
-
Things suddenly get deep in chapter 3 or so –
it’s really quite a surprise. Eglantine discusses death and loss with Mrs.
Plithiver, and Soren sees the ‘scrooms’ (similar to ghosts) of his parents.
Wow. After the comparative juvenility of the series so far, this was quite
something.
-
Let’s go off on a tangent. Scrooms are
incidentally rather resemblant of the tree spirits in Hayao Miyazaki’s film Princess Mononoke (highly recommended!).
People are afraid of them, but really they’re just little and cute and mute and
part of the circle of life. Have a picture.
- Ahem! Back to The Rescue. Just saying: I love tragic romances. (But my beak is
closed).
-
The poetry! There was less of it, and while
Twilight (a character in Guardians,
although Meyer’s books elicit the same reaction from me) in general still makes
me want to claw my eyes out, Ezylryb actually had a pretty good poem at the
end. Additionally, the writing in this book seemed improved; the fact that it
didn’t stand out to me is a good thing, considering that several pieces of
dialogue in the last two instalments jolted me out of my reading zone in
horror.
-
Eglantine: I had my doubts about her, but it
seems that she may be slowly gaining a personality. Thank goodness! There were
times when I wished Soren would do a Kludd and kick her out of the tree –
yeesh!
-
Otulissa! There was less of her than I would’ve
liked, but thankfully she did feature in a few chapters. Again, I hope we see
more of her character in future books.
-
The Great Ga’Hoole Tree. It is to this series
what Hogwarts is to Harry Potter,
giving the characters and plot a point around which they can revolve. Like
Hogwarts, the Tree enables the characters to be forced into a variety of
company, stumble on mysteries, and mix adventure with everyday life. Adult
figures are present, but stay out of the picture enough so as to let the
protagonists gallivant about irresponsibly. There are rules, but they can easily
be broken. Co-existence within this huge community is recommended but
idealistic, and there are rivalries and feuds – there’s always something
happening when a lot of characters are packed together in a small space. Finally,
every child can relate to Soren and friends essentially having to go to school,
and only have adventures in their spare time. Therefore, in these ways, both Guardians of Ga’Hoole and Harry Potter tap into a rich source of
possibility.
Pippa’s rating: 8/10
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