Publisher's Weekly Review
Hanks (Captain Moxley and the Embers of the Empire) combines sci-fi and fantasy elements into an energetic cross-genre romp. As teens, friends Cisco, Jake, Dorothy, and Michelle saved the town of Dark Peak, England, from the villainous Deadman's Grin--though they have little memory of how. Single father Cisco, now in his 40s and recently divorced, returns to Dark Peak to reunite with his friends and unravel the lingering mystery from 32 years ago. But the forces of darkness are stirring once more, led by a returned Deadman's Grin. As strange phenomena sweep the town, Cisco and friends must draw on vague memories of their previous encounter with the Deadman's Grin to vanquish evil once more. But this task is complicated as the four find that "this saving the world stuff just too hard as an adult" and struggle to balance their mission with their parenting duties. Hanks's worldbuilding incorporates a plethora of '80s pop culture references and borrowed ideas from genre classics. The result is a fun if familiar backdrop to the entertaining characters and their well-wrought relationships, but the story suffers from some glaring plot holes--including why these four are the chosen ones at all. Still, readers willing to overlook the flaws are in for a quirky adventure. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary. (Nov.)
Booklist Review
What if you and your friends saved your town from monsters as teens but afterwards no one remembered that it really happened but you? This is the world Cisco has faced for 30 years, having narrowly defeated the terrifying Deadman's Grin only to have everyone believe the whole thing was a mass hallucination due to a gas leak. Now he and his friends must remember the past, strap on the game console weapons they made in the '80s, and try to save the world--again--all while balancing demands of adult life, parenthood, and outrunning possessed Christmas décor with fortysomething backs and knees complaining. References to contemporary political issues sit alongside nostalgic name drops of Ghostbusters, Star Wars, and The Goonies. The '80s trivia strikes a similar vibe to Ready Player One (2011), but here it's a window into the fantastical worlds that sit alongside our own. A heartfelt, wacky tale beginning a potential series for fans of Stephen King's IT (1986) and anyone who's wondered why there are so many unsupervised children in fantasy.
Library Journal Review
In Hanks's (Captain Moxley and the Embers of the Empire) contemporary fantasy, Cisco Collins returns to his childhood home in Dark Peak, England, to raise his son, reconnect to old friends, and revisit the truth about the Halloween night in 1989 when Cisco, Doc, Michelle, and Jake saved Dark Peak from the evil Deadman's Grin. Cisco seems to be the only one who remembers that night, though even his recall is spotty; now in their 40s, all four of the friends are dealing with their own kids and lost memories of their youth. When strange things start to happen again in Dark Peak, Cisco is convinced that the evil of Deadman's Grin is back. Now the four friends have one more responsibility to juggle, as they try to remember how they saved the town decades ago. Quirky characters and worldbuilding, lots of 1980s pop culture references, and themes of childhood and friendship combine in Hanks's interesting mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and coming-of-age-(again) story. VERDICT A fun romp, ideal for fans of the cultural references and humor of Ghostbusters and Ernest Cline's Ready Player One.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton
