Between Books - The Deadliest Cast Member: Season Two

I often judge an episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. by my tension level.  The more tense I am by the end of the episode the more I liked it due to the action and suspense.  So when I received my review copy of the latest installment in the Deadliest Cast Member saga I shot off an email to the author noting my worry he would kill off a character or two like he has done in the earlier offering. Before I even cracked the cover I was worried!

The Deadliest Cast Member: Season Two by Kelly Ryan Johns takes hero Jack Duncan and his partner Kendall Shepherd back to 2005.  Johns walks his readers through the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland, the day in which Duncan lost his wife and became a true national hero when former Soviet spy Nikolai Grusov held the park hostage.  Readers follow Jack throughout his day as he attempts to both protect the park and his family.  And as readers know the price is high since Duncan's life was changed forever this day.  The conspiracy against the park and the Duncan family is more complex than one might believe.  Along with following our heroes, readers also join guests and media being held hostage in the park.  While Jack and Kendall try to protect Disneyland and its guests, two pairs of time travelers also work to impact the final outcome.  One pair, Jack's father Stan and a companion close to the history of the park worry that changing the events of the fateful day could leave a larger scar on the timeline.  And the others, a pair of highly trained operatives from the future use futuristic gadgets and weapons to make a change that could have ramifications for the Duncan family in the far off 2035.

Early in this installment of the franchise the science fiction element is laid out.  While there is an action story being played out in front of us, there are time travellers in the park which are attempting to change or not change the story.  One of these characters is an adult version of one of the kids from the Voyageers' series of books by Johns.  And you do feel like this could be the grown-up character as you watch their personality and determination in action.  The other is one you start to believe has a more complex back story than time traveling criminal, and of course he does!

Really it is Jack and Kendall that I find myself most attracted to when I grab this book.  And this Jack seems more violent and less fatherly than the version that we met in the first installment set in the future.  That Jack is a father who has been raising his kids alone as a widower.  This Jack is freshly out of the military and just now starting a new job at Disneyland.  He literally has no idea who he can can trust other than a close circle that includes Kendall and his father.  He is focused and willing to do everything he can to protect his family and his beloved Disneyland.  Basically you can see this Jack as a earlier version of what we saw in the first volume.  One can see how the Jack we were introduced to grew from this man.  Of course Kendall is Kendall, he is solid, caring, and the best friend one can have.

Overall the book is easy to read and clear.  The story is written as an hourly log of events.  It did take me awhile to get myself into the book, or would that be hours as one reads it.  I was distracted by trying to keep track of who was who and trying to remember who I was introduced to before.  Though even when this was happening I was still able to enjoy the book while reading it at a fast pace.  But by the time I got into the last 40 percent, tension had risen.  I found I could no longer put the book down without being frustrated by my need to end the tension and find out what was happening next.  For a book that should have a set outcome I knew was going to happen, Johns found ways to bring me doubt to my certainty.

Will Jack Duncan return?  Johns makes it clear that is up to the fans and how they receive the story.  I for one hope to see a sequel to The Deadliest Cast Member: Season Two as Johns has some unfinished business for all his characters.  And I would really like to see if Jack Duncan or the man from 2035 is the greatest warrior of all time! 

Oh and yes, look for the post-credit scene Marvel Cinematic Universe fans!

Review Copy Provided By Author

Between Books - Voyageers: The Multiplaner

Who would not love to live in Disneyland?  And who would not want their childhood to be defined by Disneyland?  Kelly Ryan Johns in The Deadliest Cast Member provided a fictional account of an adult living within the Disneyland Resort.  In Voyageers: The Multiplaner, Johns moves his characters onto Main Street and provides the childhood fantasy of living within the Disneyland Park right there on Main Street U.S.A.. 

In Voyageers: The Multiplaner Kelly Ryan Johns introduces young readers to Christa and Thomas two sibling orphans who have had a rough go since their parents passed away.  The duo are recruited into the Voyageers program, a secret society created by Walt Disney, where the children are trained to be cast members who make magic for guests and correct the wrongs within the park throughout time. The children enter a world where they interact with Disney Legends, many who have passed away in our world, and the Protector himself Jack Duncan from The  Deadliest Cast Member.  The kids are recruited for a time hopping mission that takes them into their past in Disneyland to reclaim Walt Disney's greatest innovation the Multiplaner from a terrorist who has evil plans that go beyond the resort.  Can the kids save the day or will their actions disrupt time itself?

First of foremost this is a book for tweens and teenagers.  It is clear and easy for a teen reader to dive into.  And I think the story is one that a young Disney fan, like the Between Tween, would enjoy.  It is speculative fiction that makes a young Disney fan ask what if.  For an adult it is a nice adventure, but is not as tense or as adult as Johns' earlier work.  Johns really is reaching the audience he intended to.   

Probably one of the most interesting aspects is the fact that this text is part of a shared universe with The Deadliest Cast Member.  Events for Johns' earlier book are referenced.  And though Jack Duncan does not appear often, his presence is felt as the Protector.  And if the kids entered a dangerous situation knowing Duncan's abilities and character does help put a reader slightly at ease when considering the possible fates of the children.  Additionally, this story feels like a continuation of the Duncan story since it mentions items from the end of the earlier book.  It feels like this story includes part of the next steps of Duncan's world since he was not the Protector in his original story.  Though I will admit it did take me some time to re-orient myself into Johns' fantastical universe.

Probably one of the more interesting aspects of this book is the merging of fact and fiction.  Disney Legends interact with the kids, such as Ray Van de Warker.  The use of this character did lead me to do some quick research to confirm that he was both real and discover why he had a Main Street window.  I love how Johns' work leads me to look more deeply into Disneyland history. Van de Warker and other late legends interact with the kids in the very fictional Voyageers realm.  It is a fantastic place, right above our eyes, in the real park.  Though this place does not exist one really does feel like it is the sort of magic that should exist in a Disney park.  And the blending of fact with fiction helps the reader go with Johns in his fictional tale. 

Voyageers: The Multiplaner is a part science-fiction and part magic.  It would be a good reading option, especially in summer, for youth who enjoy Disneyland and Disney history.  In the end it is a fun romp with fantastical elements that helps one believe in the real Magic of Disney.

 Review Copy Provided by Publisher