Everworld #11: Mystify The Magician - K.A. Applegate

Christopher and the EverWorld gang come upon EverWorld’s version of Ireland, complete with telegraphs, electricity, elves, half-elven princesses, giants, and all kinds of stuff that makes them not hate EverWorld for once. But then Senna gets loose and goes crazy, opening the gateway and bringing through her crazy bigoted militia, complete with machine guns. As strange and weird as EverWorld is, it doesn’t stand a chance against guns.

 

This is one of the best EverWorld books because right away the gang has a plan and you know what’s going to happen. Christopher and the others are determined to stop Senna from murdering them and EverWorld Ireland. Although they’re only half-successful, it does make the book easier to read when the gang isn’t just running away with no goals in mind. There’s even an elaborate stunt set in the real world involving Christopher, Jalil, blanks in a real gun, and April screaming – all to try to stop Senna.

 

What I like most about this book is Christopher’s realisation that the things he’s experienced in EverWorld have changed him, but not changed the real world him. The real world him is still a lazy racist horndog asshole. The EverWorld him is no longer racist and mostly has his libido under control, and although he’s not the hero-wannabe type, he actually likes who he’s become. You can see he prefers EverWorld to the real world, especially since he’s got no hope and no future in the real world. In EverWorld he is someone, even if that someone is still liable to fall under Senna’s spell and fuck everything up.

 

After the last book was a waste of time filler book where nothing happened, it’s great to see so much movement, even if half the cast is brand new. With the return of old allies, it’s time to stop Senna once and for all – even if it means the gateway will never open again and the gang may be trapped in EverWorld.