The Palace of Memory

Mysterium #2

by Julian Sedgwick, Patricia Moffett (Illustrator)

Danny Woo has just escaped from the jaws of death. But he's still haunted by the suspicious deaths of his parents, who were the star performers in a radical traveling circus, the Mysterium. When he discovers that the Mysterium is re-forming in Barcelona―without him―he's devastated. But after learning that the Mysterium's enemies may be active in Barcelona, he rushes to warn his friends.

Could there be a traitor within the company itself? If Danny wants to live long enough to find the answers, he will need all the skills his parents taught him. He senses that everything is linked to his parents' deaths . . . and to the clues they left behind.

Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 2014

About the author

Julian Sedgwick is a writer of many books for children, including the Mysterium trilogy, the Ghosts of Shanghai trilogy, and the graphic novel Dark Satanic Mills, cowritten with his brother, Marcus Sedgwick, and illustrated by John Higgins and Marc Olivent. Julian Sedgwick lives in England.

Reviews

[Mark Buxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My name is Sing Sing, and we still don't have any idea why the Forty-Nine want Danny dead. I found him in Barcelona where the Mysterium circus is being revived, and now someone has attempted to kill his best friend Zamora, the strongman dwarf. Danny is convinced the same person who killed his father is responsible, and he thinks decoding his father's messages will help solve the mystery. Danny also thinks someone in the Mysterium is involved; I agree his suspicions about the Klown may be correct. It wasn't until later that we learned a hired assassin has been stalking Danny, and she has never failed an assignment. However, the secret uncovered in his father's hidden stash is a life-changer!

I think followers of Alex Rider and Young James Bond will enjoy this series too. Danny is a normal kid with unusual talents who is caught up in dangerous adventure. He's developed his skills by growing up in the circus family, and his abilities to escape locks, mesmerize people, and notice details come in very handy when solving the mystery. The book doesn't utilize the special weapons of Alex Rider novels, but Danny's talents seem almost magical. Zamora was his main sidekick in the previous book, but Sing Sing fills the role this time. She was raised by an "uncle" and learned to practice kung fu, but she has unknown circus talents too that are useful. She doesn't say much about her family, but this book uncovers a big secret about her mother. The resolution of the plot still doesn't explain why the Forty-Nine are so determined to kill Danny, so it looks like that will be the on-going conflict throughout the series. It looks like the books were actually released in Great Britain, but they're slowly being published now in the United States. I recommend the series, but I'm not sure when the next book will be available.

[Meimei2805 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein spannender zweiter Teil der Mysteriums Reihe! Ich fand ihn noch spannender als den ersten Band, die Action hing erneut wieder viel mit den Zirkusfähigkeiten, die die Charaktere besitzen, zusammen. Mehrmals geht es um Leben und Tod und nicht immer geht es gut aus.
Danny erfährt weitere Details über den Abend des Brandes, in dem seine Eltern starben, der fehlgeschlagenen Probe für einen Auftritt, aber immer noch nicht die ganze Wahrheit bzw er erhält nicht alle Puzzlestücke. Er beginnt mit der Dekodierung der Notizen seines Vaters, die ihn erste Hinweise liefern (der Rest kommt im dritten Teil nehme ich an).
Seine in Hong Kong gewonnene Freundin ist ebenfalls mit von der Partie und hier lüftet sich ein großes Geheimnis (es wird zwar etwas angedeutet zu Beginn des Bandes, worum es sich handeln könnte, aber ich denke für jüngere Leser kommt es vielleicht trotzdem als Überraschung).
Das ganze Abenteuer ist ein bisschen offen; am Ende meiner Ausgabe folgt das Kapitel des folgenden Bandes und da wird etwas deutlicher, wie offen das eigentlich ist.
Gut gefällt mit der im Anhang angefügte Glossar, der wichtige Frendworte bzw Fachbgeriffe der Zirkuswelt und historische Persönlichkeiten kurz erklärt bzw. vorstellt.

[Hillary Dillon]

circus, enemies, traitors, stalkers, sequel to the Black Dragon

[Melusine Parry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less intense but more cleverly political than the first one, the second Mysterium book takes Danny to Barcelona to try to solve the mystery of his parents' deaths. Very enjoyable.

[Kim Gontarz]

Danny is caught up in something and he strives to find the answers especially about the death of his parents. Will the circus continue to be a part of his life?