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  • Saving Thanehaven by Catherine Jinks
  • Kate Quealy-Gainer
Jinks, Catherine . Saving Thanehaven. Egmont, 2013. 375p. Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-60684-274-4 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-60684-284-3 $17.99 Ad Gr. 5-8.

Noble the Slayer is yet again slogging through treacherous terrain in the great kingdom of Thanehaven when a scrawny kid named Rufus shows up and informs him that Noble could be in charge of his own destiny if he helps Rufus take down something called the operating system. Tired of blood and mayhem, Noble follows Rufus on what he believes to be an honorable quest—freeing other people (or unicorns, in one instance) trapped in other "programs," as Rufus refers to them. Each time he saves someone, though, the world becomes more unstable, resulting in the violent chaos that Noble was trying to stave off. Brief glimpses into the world outside the computer screen clue readers into what's going on: in the real world, Rufus has gotten mad at his best pal Mikey and has infected his computer with malware. The intriguing premise certainly makes for some amusing and imaginative scenarios, as when Noble meets a clothes-obsessed trio from Mikey's sister's fashion game, but it also backs the characters into a corner. Noble and his accrued set of virtual pals are by their very nature one-note, which makes it difficult to invest in the fight for independence that Noble eventually takes up as his own. The breakneck pace, with characters jumping from one game and even computer to another, may nonetheless compel readers, and gamers will [End Page 25] be particularly pleased with a few jargon-based jokes, so it may be worth keeping this on hand for gaming night.

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