The three books that constitute Tony DiTerlizzi's futuristic classic chart an unforgettable journey, masterfully told. Its conclusion is well worth the wait.
In The Search for WondLa, heroine Eva Nine appeared to be the last human in a world of creatures, raised in an underground Sanctuary by a robot. She learns there's a city of humans when teenage pilot Hailey Turner takes her to New Attica in A Hero for WondLa. But the beautiful future promised her comes with a price. This final installment finds Eva and Hailey on the run from the warbots of visionary Cadmus Pryde, and the two are immediately in danger from a hungry beast in the wilds. Alongside this cinematic action, DiTerlizzi prepares readers for the moral dilemmas to come with his overarching themes of trust and truth. Eva and Hailey meet an artifact collector, Caruncle, an alien who joins them on their quest to prevent Cadmus Pryde and the otherworldly Loroc from enacting the Age of Man.
Eva Nine has matured in DiTerlizzi's black-and-orange illustrations. Readers will detect her distress on the page, as she faces situations that call for sacrifice and evaluating her morality ("What is 'right'? What might be 'right' for me may not be 'right' for you?"). Readers will cheer on Eva as her expression switches to determination during her final battle to preserve a harmonious coexistence between humankind and aliens. The end to Eva's search for her WondLa is deeply touching. Victory has never looked this good. --Adam Silvera, children's bookseller