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5 Worlds #3
The Red Maze
Think Star Wars meets Avatar: The Last Airbender!
In book 3, Oona Lee is determined to light Moon Yatta’s beacon and continue her quest to save the galaxy. But reaching the red beacon means navigating an impossible maze of pipes and facing devious enemies at every turn. Luckily, her friend Jax Amboy has returned from his adventures transformed! Now he must confront the owner of his former starball team, a ruthless businessman who will stop at nothing to get his best player back on the field . . . and who can grant them access to the beacon. Meanwhile, Oona and An Tzu find a mysterious rebel leader and release a surprising power within Oona’s magic. Will they make it in time to stop the evil force seeking to rule the 5 Worlds?
In book 3, Oona Lee is determined to light Moon Yatta’s beacon and continue her quest to save the galaxy. But reaching the red beacon means navigating an impossible maze of pipes and facing devious enemies at every turn. Luckily, her friend Jax Amboy has returned from his adventures transformed! Now he must confront the owner of his former starball team, a ruthless businessman who will stop at nothing to get his best player back on the field . . . and who can grant them access to the beacon. Meanwhile, Oona and An Tzu find a mysterious rebel leader and release a surprising power within Oona’s magic. Will they make it in time to stop the evil force seeking to rule the 5 Worlds?
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2019
152 people are currently reading
2715 people want to read
About the author
Mark Siegel
21 books351 followersMark Siegel was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, grew up in Paris, France, and now lives in New York. A graduate of Brown University, he is the author and illustrator of several award-winning picture books, including the graphic novel, SAILOR TWAIN, and the 5 WORLDS series. Mark is also founded First Second Books—Macmillan's prestigious graphic novel publisher.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
March 11, 2023
I think that this series just keeps getting better and better. The character development, plot development, and artwork are just mind blowing. I'm so sad that there are only 2 volumes left for me to read.
There isn't much that I can specifically discuss about this volume in the 5 worlds series, but readers do get to see the return of a favorite that disappears in volume 3. This volume definitely contains a level of complexity in terms of the plot that I didn't see in previous volumes. Oona is still dealing with/battling grief, yet she's forced to push that to the back burner as she attempts to light Moon Yatta's beacon. For this reason alone, I grew to respect her even more as a character. Instead of solely being focused on herself, she is determined to save all of the words and their inhabitants. The world building in this was also great. It's almost as though Siegel unravels the secret history of each world layer by layer and how they are interconnected in unexpected. There is also some interesting correlation to real word issues in this volume that I didn't expect. With fantastic writing and brilliant art, it is no surprise that these never stay on the library shelves.
There isn't much that I can specifically discuss about this volume in the 5 worlds series, but readers do get to see the return of a favorite that disappears in volume 3. This volume definitely contains a level of complexity in terms of the plot that I didn't see in previous volumes. Oona is still dealing with/battling grief, yet she's forced to push that to the back burner as she attempts to light Moon Yatta's beacon. For this reason alone, I grew to respect her even more as a character. Instead of solely being focused on herself, she is determined to save all of the words and their inhabitants. The world building in this was also great. It's almost as though Siegel unravels the secret history of each world layer by layer and how they are interconnected in unexpected. There is also some interesting correlation to real word issues in this volume that I didn't expect. With fantastic writing and brilliant art, it is no surprise that these never stay on the library shelves.
April 21, 2019
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review*
2.5/5 Stars
This is the third book in the 5 world series where Oona and her friends must light the Red beacon. I found this installment to be a bit boring and slow. I did like the introduction of the new character, Zelle and would have liked to know more about her. I still do like the colourful panels but I wish there was more to the story then what I was given.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review*
2.5/5 Stars
This is the third book in the 5 world series where Oona and her friends must light the Red beacon. I found this installment to be a bit boring and slow. I did like the introduction of the new character, Zelle and would have liked to know more about her. I still do like the colourful panels but I wish there was more to the story then what I was given.
January 27, 2019
5 Worlds 3 - WOW! The visuals are stunning - bustling cityscapes, wide expanses of desert, and the starball stadium of dreams - and the characters are brimming with life on every page. It is such a joy to follow our brave trio as they navigate the literal and figurative mazes of Yatta and within themselves. We feel with Jax as he experiences emotions for the first time, and he articulates them with a graceful clarity that impacts everyone around him. Kindhearted An Tzu supports his friends with fierce loyalty, sometimes in ways that surprise even himself. And Oona finds joy and meaning in this seemingly impossible task she’s undertaken, with the loving guidance of her friends, old and new, here and gone. With a crew of new characters (including Zelle, the masterful sand dancing rebel, and the misfit teenybopper team), a political system teeming with corruption, and a whole new world to get lost in, 5W3 is a riveting read - a powerful mirror for modern strife and the love we all need to overcome it.
July 14, 2019
It's rare that I find a series where my enjoyment doesn't go down with each subsequent installment. But I'm still enjoying this journey through the 5 Worlds!
In The Red Maze, Oona is trying to light the red beacon on Moon Yatta. Unlike in some of the previous books, I felt like there was definitely some real-world commentary going on. Moon Yatta is pretty much like the current United States, a superpower with a newly elected populist government, a greed-driven obsession with the economy (at the expense of the environment), and even a for-profit health care system. I'm not sure if all middle graders will pick up on the parallels, but older readers will. I'm not always a fan of politics in fiction, but in this case it isn't too intrusive, and it's quite necessary for the plot. Oona needs to light the red beacon... but the Moon Yattans have encased it in a maze so they can draw on its power. Fear-mongering abounds as the leadership tries to convince the population that if the beacon is lit, their economy will collapse. (Never mind that the beacons need to be lit to prevent an interplanetary environmental catastrophe!)
There's more nice character development here, and some helpful refreshers about past events. (I couldn't remember why Oona was blue, but we were given a quick recap.) An Tzu is still suffering from vanishing disease, although the kids have found a workaround for the moment. And Jax... well, Jax has probably changed the most out of any of them (except maybe Oona). He's an interesting character, and it's fun to watch his growth.
I'm still as enthused about this series as I was after I read the first book. So I'll be eagerly awaiting the next one, The Amber Anthem. Do we really have to wait until 2020?
In The Red Maze, Oona is trying to light the red beacon on Moon Yatta. Unlike in some of the previous books, I felt like there was definitely some real-world commentary going on. Moon Yatta is pretty much like the current United States, a superpower with a newly elected populist government, a greed-driven obsession with the economy (at the expense of the environment), and even a for-profit health care system. I'm not sure if all middle graders will pick up on the parallels, but older readers will. I'm not always a fan of politics in fiction, but in this case it isn't too intrusive, and it's quite necessary for the plot. Oona needs to light the red beacon... but the Moon Yattans have encased it in a maze so they can draw on its power. Fear-mongering abounds as the leadership tries to convince the population that if the beacon is lit, their economy will collapse. (Never mind that the beacons need to be lit to prevent an interplanetary environmental catastrophe!)
There's more nice character development here, and some helpful refreshers about past events. (I couldn't remember why Oona was blue, but we were given a quick recap.) An Tzu is still suffering from vanishing disease, although the kids have found a workaround for the moment. And Jax... well, Jax has probably changed the most out of any of them (except maybe Oona). He's an interesting character, and it's fun to watch his growth.
I'm still as enthused about this series as I was after I read the first book. So I'll be eagerly awaiting the next one, The Amber Anthem. Do we really have to wait until 2020?
July 26, 2019
4.75 Stars
September 1, 2024
I need to read the rest of this series like NOW!!!!!!!!
June 10, 2022
Delightful, as always. There’s a lot of things to love about 5W3—here are two:
1) The poetry of an android built with an intentional blank space at his center, the reason why he feels a very human longing.
2) The critique of unfettered capitalism. Gotta love any book that intentionally parallels Trump’s election to president.
1) The poetry of an android built with an intentional blank space at his center, the reason why he feels a very human longing.
2) The critique of unfettered capitalism. Gotta love any book that intentionally parallels Trump’s election to president.
May 11, 2019
Great fantasy series for kids and teens; engaging characters and an epic quest with good vs. evil. Fun to read.
January 5, 2020
I absolutely love the world building in this series! Can't wait for book 4.
April 2, 2019
i do not have a review
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2019
What really bumped this up to a four-star from me is the fact that the worldbuilding continues to be so amazing, I can't help but love this book. I want to store every page detailing the world in my brain forever. Moon Yatta is right up my alley as far as futuristic magical worlds go - fancy clothes! High-tech utopias! Seedy underbellies and desert wastelands! The world in this volume reminded me strongly of the Finder series (which is one of my all-time favorites), right down to the deserts.
The downside is I'm still not that attached to the characters, and while the plot progressed much more quickly in this volume, it's still a little slow. There was a lot of downtime, and I wasn't sure how much time was passing - was Oona with the rebels for a day? A week? Longer? I can't be sure. To top it off, a character was introduced that I actually found very interesting - but he dies before the volume is out. RIP :/
I do look forward to the next volume, though. Again, man... That worldbuilding. I want to know more.
The downside is I'm still not that attached to the characters, and while the plot progressed much more quickly in this volume, it's still a little slow. There was a lot of downtime, and I wasn't sure how much time was passing - was Oona with the rebels for a day? A week? Longer? I can't be sure. To top it off, a character was introduced that I actually found very interesting - but he dies before the volume is out. RIP :/
I do look forward to the next volume, though. Again, man... That worldbuilding. I want to know more.
December 10, 2022
The third volume of the amazing 5 Worlds series deals with corporatism, racism, and media manipulation. Reading this for the first time during Trump's tenure as PotUS hit differently but I mean what's really changed since then? And the Alex Jones parody is still hilarious.
September 2, 2019
Amazing addition to this series. It just keeps getting better. The art and plot are increasingly complex. This time the went to Moon Yatta: where a popular entertainer has assumed the presidency promising to crack down on foreigners. 4.5 stars really.
July 2, 2019
Really intense and political! Can't wait for the next one!
July 4, 2019
I'm still really enjoying this series--the art's still really pretty and the story is going some interesting places. Looking forward to book 4!
December 18, 2021
The Red Maze is a graphic novel co-written by Mark Siegel and Alexis Siegel and co-illustrated by Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller, and Boya Sun and the third book in the 5 Worlds series. In their continuing quest to rekindle the giant beacons that will save their worlds from eco-catastrophe, sand dancer Oona Lee and friends travel to Moon Yatta, an industrialized superpower that is being taken over by a corrupt demagogue.
Oona Lee, An Tzu, and Jax Amboy travel to another distinctive world inhabited by a polychrome array of residents both humanoid and far otherwise. Though significant portions of the information-filled endpapers are covered by jacket flaps, the interior panels depict fully realized settings ranging from inner-city neighborhoods to remote desert, and they lay out a complex tapestry of local practices, politics, and values – many of which come into play as Election Day approaches.
One candidate in particular, tycoon Stan Moon, whips up fears of both foreigners and a reviled minority group of shape-changers. To accomplish her mission Oona must penetrate the well-defended jungle of power stations that have grown up to feed off the beacon while staying out of Moon's clutches.
The Red Maze is written and constructed rather well. The sub-plots in this volume were especially strong, focusing on Jax's evolution from android to something more and on the plight of the Yattan Shapeshifters, who have been cruelly subjugated in recent decades. As usual, the artistic direction is incredible with more exotic locales and a furthering of an extravagantly diverse cast.
All in all, The Red Maze is a wonderful continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderfully series.
Oona Lee, An Tzu, and Jax Amboy travel to another distinctive world inhabited by a polychrome array of residents both humanoid and far otherwise. Though significant portions of the information-filled endpapers are covered by jacket flaps, the interior panels depict fully realized settings ranging from inner-city neighborhoods to remote desert, and they lay out a complex tapestry of local practices, politics, and values – many of which come into play as Election Day approaches.
One candidate in particular, tycoon Stan Moon, whips up fears of both foreigners and a reviled minority group of shape-changers. To accomplish her mission Oona must penetrate the well-defended jungle of power stations that have grown up to feed off the beacon while staying out of Moon's clutches.
The Red Maze is written and constructed rather well. The sub-plots in this volume were especially strong, focusing on Jax's evolution from android to something more and on the plight of the Yattan Shapeshifters, who have been cruelly subjugated in recent decades. As usual, the artistic direction is incredible with more exotic locales and a furthering of an extravagantly diverse cast.
All in all, The Red Maze is a wonderful continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderfully series.
May 29, 2022
Was this middle grades fantasy graphic novel an unexpected and searing indictment of America's corporate greed and mistreatment of the indigenous and the planet as a whole? Yes. And it was fantastic. Here for it. Glad to see my child getting a taste for all of this in a story full of brave and goodhearted characters, that also primes her for important conversations to come. The way the Mimic (ahem, Satan, anyone?) acts through politics, figure heads, and news outlets is absolutely relevant, as well. And the art was once again just stunning. Bravo.
January 25, 2020
5 Worlds Book 3: The Red Maze by Mark Siegel, Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller, & Boya Sun is the continuation of the series that I started back in December 2018. [Reviews for Book 1 and Book 2] It's such a fun read but because it's a collaborative project there's a long break in between publishing dates. Therefore, if you're waiting for the next book in the series you're going to be waiting until later this year for it. 😭 More of the mystery of what exactly Jax is becomes clear but with that revelation comes a threat to his very individuality and existence. Our heroes head to Yalta to light the red beacon but the Mimic is ready for them and banishes them to the Red Desert where they meet other magical outcasts. While the team is stranded in the Red Desert, Oona's powers are expanded and An Tzu discovers he has heretofore untapped potential. (I imagine this will be explored further in the next book.) All in all, a great continuation of a story which I wouldn't mind owning in an omnibus edition once it's completed. 10/10
July 9, 2023
I’m still really enjoying this series, but this one was a little too fast paced and jumped around more than the others. I feel like they tried to cram too much into one book. They should have just made the book or even the series longer. I look forward to the next book.
May 9, 2019
Oona and friends are off to light the Red Beacon on Moon Yatta. They discovered the beacons have to be lit in order, which is why they were unable to light the Blue Beacon. Jax is taken back to the starball team he played for before and its nefarious owners. Oona and An Tzu attempt to reach the beacon which is covered in machinery. The Mimic is on this planet too in the form of Stan Moon, a powerful individual who controls much of the planet. They must navigate the red maze around the beacon, rescue Jax and light the beacon all while under the eye of the Mimic.
I love this series and will be sorry to see it end. I enjoy the growth of all three of our main characters. Oona learns even more about sand dancing and creating portals from Zelle, rebel of Moon Yatta. An Tzu becomes less visible, but gains a prostethic arm and leg. And we learn that Jax has merged with a sacred spirit and become more human and less android. Fantastic storytelling and illustrations.
I love this series and will be sorry to see it end. I enjoy the growth of all three of our main characters. Oona learns even more about sand dancing and creating portals from Zelle, rebel of Moon Yatta. An Tzu becomes less visible, but gains a prostethic arm and leg. And we learn that Jax has merged with a sacred spirit and become more human and less android. Fantastic storytelling and illustrations.
March 2, 2021
Great world building and character development. I'm excited to see where the series goes next.
March 5, 2021
Wow a book just could not but down amazing and fun to read. I read it really quick and I hope you find interest in reading it
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May 14, 2023
This one was the best yet. The world building is starting to feel fully fleshed and the characters are growing and learning. I loved the aspect of the shape shifters. And the world of Yatta was eerily and most definitely intentionally mirroring our own. The rebels were awesome and the redemptions of some of the minor antagonists showed that it’s never too late to do the right thing.
September 19, 2023
4.5 stars
Such a fantastic series. Action and adventure as well as heartfelt interactions between the main characters. And the most glorious artwork. I love this more with each book!
Such a fantastic series. Action and adventure as well as heartfelt interactions between the main characters. And the most glorious artwork. I love this more with each book!
May 13, 2023
Incredible satire of late-stage American capitalism and the political system it engenders. Of corporate-manipulated democracy, the prioritization of profit over environmental justice and human welfare, propaganda tactics, and governmental suppression of non-conformist (non-binary?) identities. Sharp, witty, heartfelt, and (trust me) undeniably fun. Plus wonderful expansion of the 5 worlds’ magic system!
previous volumes:
1. The Sand Warrior - 5 stars
2. The Cobalt Prince - 5 stars
previous volumes:
1. The Sand Warrior - 5 stars
2. The Cobalt Prince - 5 stars
January 5, 2024
I've loved every novel in the series, gorgeous artwork and storytelling, and can't wait to read the next one!
October 20, 2023
Really enjoyed the plot twists in this one! There were a few elements of illustration that were particularly interesting in this installment as well. Looking forward to keep reading!
January 15, 2019
First off thanks to the publishers for a digital ARC!
Oona and her friends explore a new world with new challenges in their quest to light the beacons on all five worlds. The plots developed in the first two volumes intertwine and deepen when confronted by a less overt manifestation of the Mimic. Big changes are in store for Jax and An Tzu as the band of friends overcomes difficulties separately and meets a different kind of sand dancer. Oona learns some problems require less physical strength and more a change in the point of view. All in all the action ticks along at a good clip. I'll be looking forward the next volume!
Oona and her friends explore a new world with new challenges in their quest to light the beacons on all five worlds. The plots developed in the first two volumes intertwine and deepen when confronted by a less overt manifestation of the Mimic. Big changes are in store for Jax and An Tzu as the band of friends overcomes difficulties separately and meets a different kind of sand dancer. Oona learns some problems require less physical strength and more a change in the point of view. All in all the action ticks along at a good clip. I'll be looking forward the next volume!
January 18, 2020
Two thumbs up!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews