Buy it here

Title:  Recast #2

Author:  Seung-Hui Kye

Publisher:  TOKYOPOP

ISBN:  9781598166651

May Contain Spoilers

JD’s journey to see Blaise, his grandfather’s friend, is rudely interrupted by Du Mascara, a nasty bounty hunter who’s after his head!  The Under-6 squad distracts the puppet long enough for JD to escape.  Too bad the escape involved falling from the cable car and almost drowning.  Saved again, this time by a giant seal/tortoise combo thingy, he learns the alarming truth about Blaise.  The lord of the Jade region is a vampire!

This volume degenerated into a rather mindless action tale.  JD finds himself landing in hot water again and again, only to be rescued just in the nick of time by conveniently positioned minor characters.  He picks up a traveling companion, the monster hunter Blackmon, a jaunty follower of the goddess Eomaia.  He’s a show-off with a really large axe and really freaky whirly eyes.  I won’t even mention his questionable taste in hairstyles.

There are some intriguing  undertones drifting through the plot.  The power struggle between the Fourth and Sixth Worlds was briefly  explored, casting doubt on whether Eomaia truly has the good of her worshippers in mind.  Du Mascara warns that the beings of the Sixth World feast on the souls of humans!  The puppets of the Fourth World know the horrible truth, and that’s why they’ve been labeled demons by the Sixth World.  Eomaia’s worshippers sure are a blood-thirsty lot.  I would not want to meet the vicious commander of the Under-6 squad in a dark alley - never mind that - I don’t want meet him at all!  Maybe the puppets aren’t so bad?

For a light read featuring standard action fare, Recast fits the bill.  The pages fly by and JD finds himself in plenty of scrapes.  His escapes aren’t very creative, and overall, neither is the plot, but there’s a weird charm to the title.  Maybe it’s like an attraction to bright lights.  With the riot of activity unfolding on the pages, the reader just gets swept up in the turmoil and has to helplessly keep flipping the pages. 

Grade: C+

Rated for