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Norumbegan Quartet #2
The Suburb Beyond the Stars
From bestselling and National Book Award-winning author M.T. Anderson, a return to the world of THE GAME OF SUNKEN PLACES
Something very strange is happening in Vermont. It's not The Game of Sunken Places - Brian and Gregory have been through that before, and there's not supposed to be another Game until they say there's a Game. But still . . . when they go to visit a relative in the Vermont woods, they find many things are . . . off. Like, people aren't where they're supposed to be. And houses are everywhere. In fact, the houses seem to be taking over.
Something very strange is happening in Vermont. It's not The Game of Sunken Places - Brian and Gregory have been through that before, and there's not supposed to be another Game until they say there's a Game. But still . . . when they go to visit a relative in the Vermont woods, they find many things are . . . off. Like, people aren't where they're supposed to be. And houses are everywhere. In fact, the houses seem to be taking over.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2010
4 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
About the author
M.T. Anderson
55 books1,253 followersMatthew Tobin Anderson (M. T. Anderson), (1968- ) is an author, primarily of picture books for children and novels for young adults. Anderson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The Game of Sunken Places, and Octavian Nothing. For middle grader readers, his novels include Whales on Stilts: M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales and its sequel, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen.
-Wikipedia
His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The Game of Sunken Places, and Octavian Nothing. For middle grader readers, his novels include Whales on Stilts: M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales and its sequel, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 6, 2010
Not nearly as fun as the first book in the series. I didn't mind the darker turn of the series, but I didn't like the open-ended conclusion that begs for a sequel. I left the first book satisfied and not particularly in need of more time with Brian and Gregory (whose characters I never really warmed too) but would have liked a little more time with Prudence. The dearth of female characters did grate on me and for some reason I got a bit tired of Anderson's prose (which at times felt a little clunky) and the formulaic arc of the short chapters that always seemed to end of cliffhangers, usually resolved in the first page of the following chapter. I did rush to the conclusion of this fast reading book, but I won't, sadly, rush out when the sure to come sequel arrives.
July 6, 2023
This was the really creepy one I remember from when I was a kid! The children trapped within the walls still gave me the chills
June 14, 2021
Remember the real estate developer from the first book? Sacrificed when he stumbled across the ancient rite that basically started the next round of game play, designed to be Gothic horror by Prudence, the game's previous winner?
Yeah, well, Milton Deatley's back -- and although he's a reanimated corpse, he's building homes and cul-de-sacs faster than Gregory or Brian can keep up. In fact, by the time the boys realize Prudence is missing and make it to Vermont to figure out what's going on, the Thusser have thrown the rule-book out the window.
Brian and Gregory are happy (sorta -- divisions between the two, jealousies, are arising) planning the next, and final, game. Brian technically gets to plan it, since he won the round for the elf-ish Norumbegans. The Norumbegans rented the boys a workshop in an old warehouse, and WeeSnig is building automatons to flesh out the noir mystery (think the old TV show, Mike Hammer) of Brian's design.
Someone or something tries to kill Brian on the subway. Then their half-built secretary tries to kill them with throwing stars. The Thusser are not playing games anymore. They're flat-out invading, creating time / space distortions that allow them to move into the new subdivision.
But first, they want to prep the human race. -- their thoughts and fears are easier for consumption that way.
The boys haven't heard from Prudence in two weeks, so they head off to the mansion in Vermont to figure out what's going on. They quickly discover the houses are absorbing their occupants.
Kalgrash shows up, leads them back to the mountain and the portal they almost stepped through in the game in the first book in the room with the creepy, scary arms growing on vines.
That's where the Norumbegans went, through the portal hundreds of years ago, and it's up to Greg and Brian to find them and tell them the Thusser are breaking the rules. Because there's no way humanity can stop them on their own, or at least, the boys don't think so.
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
Yeah, well, Milton Deatley's back -- and although he's a reanimated corpse, he's building homes and cul-de-sacs faster than Gregory or Brian can keep up. In fact, by the time the boys realize Prudence is missing and make it to Vermont to figure out what's going on, the Thusser have thrown the rule-book out the window.
Brian and Gregory are happy (sorta -- divisions between the two, jealousies, are arising) planning the next, and final, game. Brian technically gets to plan it, since he won the round for the elf-ish Norumbegans. The Norumbegans rented the boys a workshop in an old warehouse, and WeeSnig is building automatons to flesh out the noir mystery (think the old TV show, Mike Hammer) of Brian's design.
Someone or something tries to kill Brian on the subway. Then their half-built secretary tries to kill them with throwing stars. The Thusser are not playing games anymore. They're flat-out invading, creating time / space distortions that allow them to move into the new subdivision.
But first, they want to prep the human race. -- their thoughts and fears are easier for consumption that way.
The boys haven't heard from Prudence in two weeks, so they head off to the mansion in Vermont to figure out what's going on. They quickly discover the houses are absorbing their occupants.
Kalgrash shows up, leads them back to the mountain and the portal they almost stepped through in the game in the first book in the room with the creepy, scary arms growing on vines.
That's where the Norumbegans went, through the portal hundreds of years ago, and it's up to Greg and Brian to find them and tell them the Thusser are breaking the rules. Because there's no way humanity can stop them on their own, or at least, the boys don't think so.
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
June 12, 2013
Several years ago, during a visit to New York City's Books of Wonder, I picked up a copy of
The Game of Sunken Places
, by this author I had never heard of, and thought it was great. And though I've read a number of his other books, it was only quite recently that I found out that the above title is only the first book in the "Norumbegan Quartet." This second book in the series did not prove very easy to come by. Barnes and Noble will let you order it, but won't carry it on their shelves. I poked around the online catalog of my city's public library system and found exactly one copy of it, residing in the branch just down the street from where I live, its last-known status "on the shelf." So I put in a request for it, and nothing happened. I went to the branch in person and searched the shelves. Though I found a copy of the third book in the series (The Empire of Gut and Bone), I could not find this book. I alerted the library staff, and they did as thorough a search for it as is consistent with Public Library staff culture, but it never turned up. Recalling my brief experience as a library circulation tech, I applied the principle: "If it isn't where it's supposed to be, it's lost forever." So, thanks to me, the City of Saint Louis now lists this book as M.I.A. And thanks to this book, I now have a card for the Municipal Library Consortium and the power to request books from any of three library systems in the city and county of St. Louis. And, incidentally, I checked out this book (the Municipal Library's copy, that is). I read it in one day. And now I can't wait to read Book 3.
It's been a few years since my trip to New York, and so also since I read The Game of Sunken Places. If you haven't read that book, do so before reading any further. Even if you have, like me, you may need a refresher. In the first book of the series, best friends Gregory and Brian got caught up in a weird sort of game with monsters and magical creatures and spooky, gothic-novel atmospherics, amid the woods of the present-day Vermont mountains. Eventually they realized that they were actually playing against each other, as representatives of two magical races: the Norumbegans, whose elven empire had long coexisted with mankind, but who now lived in another dimension for the sake of peace; and the Thusser, beings of an unimaginably alien nature, who fought to control and colonize our world. The game, to be played once every generation by two young humans representing the parties in the conflict, is meant to settle which of the two races will finally win the right to live on Earth.
Brian, representing the Norumbegans, won the latest round. He has already begun to design the next round of the game, which he envisions as a hardboiled detective story combined with supernatural beings. But then he finds himself being followed by a menacing, red-faced figure—attacked and almost killed by a monster in Boston's underground railway—nearly stabbed by an automaton that was supposed to serve as part of his game design. Brian and Gregory hasten to Vermont to find out why they have lost touch with Gregory's cousin Prudence, who knows all about the game, and the dwarf engineer Wee Sniggleping, who has been building Brian's designs. But where the forested mountain used to be, they find a rapidly growing residential subdivision. The suburb that nightmares are made of.
When you visit Rumbling Elk Haven, you will be chilled by the horror that lurks beneath the manicured lawns and behind the cul-de-sac house-fronts. It is a suburb where confused adults pull out of their driveway every morning and drive out to a vacant field, where they lie in the mud and hallucinate about being at work all day; where children ride their tricycles in endless circles, even while crying from exhaustion; where time speeds up and slows down in a confusing manner; where newspaper articles, brochures, and websites change continually while you read them; where an unknown force is tampering with people's ability to remember a time before the neighborhood existed; and where, at the center of development, there lies a whirlpool of space-time leading to a terrible alien world. A world that is poised to invade ours, if it is not already too late to prevent it. And there's no one left to prevent it but stocky, brainy Brian, his goofy friend Gregory, and a clockwork troll in medieval armor. Which is to say, it's all on Brian.
You simply have to read this book. Otherwise, without giving up atrocious spoilers, I just don't know how to convey to you just how frightening, weird, and disturbing are the menaces that menace Brian, his friends, and the whole human race in this book. Or how movingly the bond between these friends overcomes the serious differences between them. Or how much fun it can be to try to visualize something so indescribable that it can only be suggested, when you're in the hands of an author who is as good at suggesting indescribable things as M. T. Anderson. To give you even a faint idea would take so many words of description that, as quickly as this book can be read, you would be just as far ahead to request it from your local library system, or via Inter-Library Loan, or to order it online and read it for yourself. That's what I plan to do with the remaining two books in the quartet. Let's see if we can't, together, move this book and its companions from the "never checked out" to the "always on request" category in our libraries' statistical metrics. They deserve it, and you'll enjoy it.
M. T. Anderson is also the author of the "Pals in Peril" adventures (five books at this writing), the two "Octavian Nothing" novels, and such tempting stand-alone titles as Burger Wuss, Thirsty, and Feed. Book 4 of the Norumbegan Quartet, by the way, is The Chamber in the Sky.
It's been a few years since my trip to New York, and so also since I read The Game of Sunken Places. If you haven't read that book, do so before reading any further. Even if you have, like me, you may need a refresher. In the first book of the series, best friends Gregory and Brian got caught up in a weird sort of game with monsters and magical creatures and spooky, gothic-novel atmospherics, amid the woods of the present-day Vermont mountains. Eventually they realized that they were actually playing against each other, as representatives of two magical races: the Norumbegans, whose elven empire had long coexisted with mankind, but who now lived in another dimension for the sake of peace; and the Thusser, beings of an unimaginably alien nature, who fought to control and colonize our world. The game, to be played once every generation by two young humans representing the parties in the conflict, is meant to settle which of the two races will finally win the right to live on Earth.
Brian, representing the Norumbegans, won the latest round. He has already begun to design the next round of the game, which he envisions as a hardboiled detective story combined with supernatural beings. But then he finds himself being followed by a menacing, red-faced figure—attacked and almost killed by a monster in Boston's underground railway—nearly stabbed by an automaton that was supposed to serve as part of his game design. Brian and Gregory hasten to Vermont to find out why they have lost touch with Gregory's cousin Prudence, who knows all about the game, and the dwarf engineer Wee Sniggleping, who has been building Brian's designs. But where the forested mountain used to be, they find a rapidly growing residential subdivision. The suburb that nightmares are made of.
When you visit Rumbling Elk Haven, you will be chilled by the horror that lurks beneath the manicured lawns and behind the cul-de-sac house-fronts. It is a suburb where confused adults pull out of their driveway every morning and drive out to a vacant field, where they lie in the mud and hallucinate about being at work all day; where children ride their tricycles in endless circles, even while crying from exhaustion; where time speeds up and slows down in a confusing manner; where newspaper articles, brochures, and websites change continually while you read them; where an unknown force is tampering with people's ability to remember a time before the neighborhood existed; and where, at the center of development, there lies a whirlpool of space-time leading to a terrible alien world. A world that is poised to invade ours, if it is not already too late to prevent it. And there's no one left to prevent it but stocky, brainy Brian, his goofy friend Gregory, and a clockwork troll in medieval armor. Which is to say, it's all on Brian.
You simply have to read this book. Otherwise, without giving up atrocious spoilers, I just don't know how to convey to you just how frightening, weird, and disturbing are the menaces that menace Brian, his friends, and the whole human race in this book. Or how movingly the bond between these friends overcomes the serious differences between them. Or how much fun it can be to try to visualize something so indescribable that it can only be suggested, when you're in the hands of an author who is as good at suggesting indescribable things as M. T. Anderson. To give you even a faint idea would take so many words of description that, as quickly as this book can be read, you would be just as far ahead to request it from your local library system, or via Inter-Library Loan, or to order it online and read it for yourself. That's what I plan to do with the remaining two books in the quartet. Let's see if we can't, together, move this book and its companions from the "never checked out" to the "always on request" category in our libraries' statistical metrics. They deserve it, and you'll enjoy it.
M. T. Anderson is also the author of the "Pals in Peril" adventures (five books at this writing), the two "Octavian Nothing" novels, and such tempting stand-alone titles as Burger Wuss, Thirsty, and Feed. Book 4 of the Norumbegan Quartet, by the way, is The Chamber in the Sky.
January 16, 2020
it was more exciting and thrilling than the previous one..I enjoyed it ,it has the scary and supernatural will mixed together...now i need to search for the third and fourth book, it is funny how I found this one in a used books tore and waited for nearly 3 years till I found the first one in ANOTHER used book store in a totally different country, I wonder if I will get lucky again, since I cant find them in my regular bookstores even as new...
March 21, 2022
This book was a mad dash of suspense from beginning to end. I feel like I just ran a marathon. The character development sprinkled throughout was a nice touch. I can't wait to read the next book in the series -- now I just have to find a way to get my hands on it. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for heart-pounding adventure with a bit of fantasy and science-fiction strewn in.
September 13, 2020
I liked the first book in the series but this was a hot mess. The author is one of my favorites and I already own the third book so I’ll probably keep reading, and hope the next one is better. I guess even the best authors are granted a dud.
April 20, 2018
This book is about a boy named Brian who plays the cello and has a best friend named Greg. That also, coincidentally, describes me perfectly. Needless to say, I had no trouble relating to this book. The Suburb Beyond the Stars is the second book in the Game of Sunken Places series. It is a low fantasy about two fantastical ancient races that use humanity as pawns in their eons-long games of strategy. Brian beat the game from the first book (spoilers) and so he is tasked with building and running the next game set. However, people aren't playing nice as fantastical assassins are sent to kill Brian before he can finish his work. Suburb is a fun and imaginative story, great for both a enjoyable afternoon read or to be consumed as a whole series.
January 1, 2025
This continuation was enjoyable, but it was also frustrating while I waited for more to happen (when reading with my daughter). I still love the humor and the characters.
November 15, 2011
The Norumbegans and the Thussar were at war for many years before deciding there was a more civilized way to settle their territory dispute: play a game. Each race chooses a human to represent them in the Game, a kind of labyrinth. The winner of the Game creates a new labyrinth for the next players. In the first of this series, The Game of Sunken Places, Brian and Gregory have been chosen to participate in the Game that Gregory's cousin, Prudence, has created. Brian was representing the Numrumbegans and Gregory was representing the Thussar and the boys worked out that they really, really wanted the Norumbegans to win. What with the Thussar being kind of really evil.
Now, Brian and Gregory are hard at work creating the next round of the Game, when an alien tries to kill Brian. Something seems to have gone wrong. The Thussar have become tired of the Game, and seem to be going for straight invasion. But sneakily. Brian and Gregory try to contact Prudence to find out what's going on, but Prudence has disappeared without a trace. The boys head back to Vermont to search for her, and find that the invasion is already well underway.
This was not quite my cup of tea. I have not actually read The Game of Sunken Places, and maybe that would have helped. There was enough explanation to get a pretty good idea of what had happened in the first book, but perhaps I would have understood the characters better. As it was, Brian seemed like an indecisive wimp and Gregory was an attention seeking, whinny, pain in the behind. My biggest issue with the book was that the writing seemed kind of...amateur. It was choppy, dragging in some places, speeding ahead in others, and the boy's dialogue was awkward and unrealistic. Reading this book and comparing it to Octavian Nothing is a considerable contrast, although they were obviously written for very different audiences.
However, this would an excellent choice for middle school boys. It has action, adventure, quests, war, aliens doing gross things, and boy heroes. It would also be a good high-low choice for a high school boy reading at a middle school level. It's quite short and zips right along, ending on a cliff hanger so clearly another book is coming.
Now, Brian and Gregory are hard at work creating the next round of the Game, when an alien tries to kill Brian. Something seems to have gone wrong. The Thussar have become tired of the Game, and seem to be going for straight invasion. But sneakily. Brian and Gregory try to contact Prudence to find out what's going on, but Prudence has disappeared without a trace. The boys head back to Vermont to search for her, and find that the invasion is already well underway.
This was not quite my cup of tea. I have not actually read The Game of Sunken Places, and maybe that would have helped. There was enough explanation to get a pretty good idea of what had happened in the first book, but perhaps I would have understood the characters better. As it was, Brian seemed like an indecisive wimp and Gregory was an attention seeking, whinny, pain in the behind. My biggest issue with the book was that the writing seemed kind of...amateur. It was choppy, dragging in some places, speeding ahead in others, and the boy's dialogue was awkward and unrealistic. Reading this book and comparing it to Octavian Nothing is a considerable contrast, although they were obviously written for very different audiences.
However, this would an excellent choice for middle school boys. It has action, adventure, quests, war, aliens doing gross things, and boy heroes. It would also be a good high-low choice for a high school boy reading at a middle school level. It's quite short and zips right along, ending on a cliff hanger so clearly another book is coming.
October 30, 2012
Watch out! The Thusser horde have built an evil suburb, and Brian, Gregory, and the troll Kalgrash are the only ones who can stop their plan to colonize the entire world with life-sucking three bedroom luxury units. Anderson revives the story of Brian, Gregory, and the netherworld contest between the magical Norumbegans and the wicked Thusser. Only, this time, it isn’t a game. It’s real, and the fate of humanity is at stake. This follow-up to “The Game of Sunken Places” is better developed and written than its predecessor. The relationship between our two heroes becomes more complicated, as Brian becomes the obvious leader and Gregory the follower in their new quest. There are plenty of thrills, dread, twists and turns, and humor, but the heart of the ongoing story is the boys’ friendship. It is challenged by jealousy and uncertainty as the boys face an evil beyond what they ever imagined. They must overcome their personal differences if they have any hope of defeating the Thusser and saving humanity.
Anderson is one of the best at creating disturbing fantasy worlds. As with his young adult novels, he also offers up social criticism through his characters and settings. However, he is not heavy handed with it; nothing gets in the way of a rollicking good, pulse pounding adventure. The series continues to be age appropriate and one that I would recommend to middle readers seeking quality fantasy, especially boys. Anderson is such a good writer and original storyteller that parents will also enjoy reading the Nurembegan Chronicles along with their kids. I did not waste anytime in requesting book 3, "The Empire of Gut and Bone," from my local library.
Anderson is one of the best at creating disturbing fantasy worlds. As with his young adult novels, he also offers up social criticism through his characters and settings. However, he is not heavy handed with it; nothing gets in the way of a rollicking good, pulse pounding adventure. The series continues to be age appropriate and one that I would recommend to middle readers seeking quality fantasy, especially boys. Anderson is such a good writer and original storyteller that parents will also enjoy reading the Nurembegan Chronicles along with their kids. I did not waste anytime in requesting book 3, "The Empire of Gut and Bone," from my local library.
April 12, 2018
FANTASY, REQUIRED AUTHOR M. T. ANDERSON
This type of book is not my cup of tea, and for the first third or so, I was disinterested. But M. T. Anderson has a way of writing that brings to life not only the image of what is happening, but the feeling associated with it. He makes creepy things almost unbearable in this way, as well as heightening suspense. There were a few times where there were shifts in point of view that jarred me a bit and pulled me out of the story, but ultimately I thought it all was very engaging and creative.
Brian and Gregory are two best friends who recently finished being players in a Game, a Game set up by two races of different worlds - the Thussers and the Norumbegans - to help them decide who would take over a certain area of Earth. As winner of the last Game, Brian is in charge of designing the next one, which won't happen for a while. But some things are happening now. Brian is attacked by something with multiple heads and a gaping mouth; Gregory's cousin Prudence goes missing; and Brian's designs for the next Game have been destroyed or tampered with. When the two boys travel to Prudence's house to try to find her, they find that a challenge much bigger than a Game is before them, with the future of the whole human race depending on these two boys.
This type of book is not my cup of tea, and for the first third or so, I was disinterested. But M. T. Anderson has a way of writing that brings to life not only the image of what is happening, but the feeling associated with it. He makes creepy things almost unbearable in this way, as well as heightening suspense. There were a few times where there were shifts in point of view that jarred me a bit and pulled me out of the story, but ultimately I thought it all was very engaging and creative.
Brian and Gregory are two best friends who recently finished being players in a Game, a Game set up by two races of different worlds - the Thussers and the Norumbegans - to help them decide who would take over a certain area of Earth. As winner of the last Game, Brian is in charge of designing the next one, which won't happen for a while. But some things are happening now. Brian is attacked by something with multiple heads and a gaping mouth; Gregory's cousin Prudence goes missing; and Brian's designs for the next Game have been destroyed or tampered with. When the two boys travel to Prudence's house to try to find her, they find that a challenge much bigger than a Game is before them, with the future of the whole human race depending on these two boys.
January 23, 2017
Holy CRUD this was unexpectedly dark for the kids' section of the library! The previous book in the series was basically a fantasy-adventure with a twist - a number of enemies and a certain amount of impending doom, but still somewhat standard fare up until the end. This was - a dramatic genre switch. Which makes a certain amount of sense given the premise, but still, transitioning from a Hero's Quest story to "Oh, it's basically the apocalypse. Also, have some body horror" was not what I was expecting.
I still liked it, to some extent - "Everything is doomed but we're going to cling to the slim chance of saving the day by our fingernails with ferocious determination" is a storyline I can get behind. Also, I can get a kick out of the Very Surreal, and some of the surreal elements were done effectively to my mind. But parts of it were a little more gross than my preference, and it was a LONG stretch of "yep, we're probably doomed" without my connecting enough emotionally to the characters to get a large payoff from seeing them banding together and figuring out how to make it. So I guess all in all it's too hard for me to untangle my feelings about this to give it a higher rating than "it was ok."
I still liked it, to some extent - "Everything is doomed but we're going to cling to the slim chance of saving the day by our fingernails with ferocious determination" is a storyline I can get behind. Also, I can get a kick out of the Very Surreal, and some of the surreal elements were done effectively to my mind. But parts of it were a little more gross than my preference, and it was a LONG stretch of "yep, we're probably doomed" without my connecting enough emotionally to the characters to get a large payoff from seeing them banding together and figuring out how to make it. So I guess all in all it's too hard for me to untangle my feelings about this to give it a higher rating than "it was ok."
December 9, 2010
sci-fi/fantasy
A strange book that follows the adventures of Brian and Gregory, who are supposed to be planning the next Game of Sunken places for the Thusser and the Norumbegans. However, when they go to find Gregory's cousin in the woods, they realize that the Thusser are not playing by the rules. Instead, they find a community where the houses are taking over, literally taking over the lives of the residents in preparation for a Thusser occupation. At the end of the novel Brian and Gregory finally figure out what is going on, and set off to try to fix it. I think this is definitely a novel that needs to be read after the prequel. It did not stand on its own very well, and frankly kind of freaked me out. I'm not easily disturbed by novels, but something about the houses consuming people made me extremely uncomfortable. I didn't identify with either of the characters, and it was difficult at times to figure out what was going on without having read the other book. I didn't enjoy this book at all.
A strange book that follows the adventures of Brian and Gregory, who are supposed to be planning the next Game of Sunken places for the Thusser and the Norumbegans. However, when they go to find Gregory's cousin in the woods, they realize that the Thusser are not playing by the rules. Instead, they find a community where the houses are taking over, literally taking over the lives of the residents in preparation for a Thusser occupation. At the end of the novel Brian and Gregory finally figure out what is going on, and set off to try to fix it. I think this is definitely a novel that needs to be read after the prequel. It did not stand on its own very well, and frankly kind of freaked me out. I'm not easily disturbed by novels, but something about the houses consuming people made me extremely uncomfortable. I didn't identify with either of the characters, and it was difficult at times to figure out what was going on without having read the other book. I didn't enjoy this book at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2012
I didn't know this book was a sequel, but it was still an enjoyable book. Brian and Gregory look forward to some peace after winning the game of the sunken places. But, the boys are in charge of designing the next game, only to find that things are not what they should be. As they try to make sens of things in a rapidly expanding suburb in Vermont (on the very ground of the old game). After Brian is victim of a super-natural attempt on his life, the boys realize that the games are over and the that the Thussar have decided to invade. The boys must go and look for their cousin Prudence-- only to discover that she has disappeared and that the invasion in Vermont has already begun.
Simplistic in style, a more middle-grade book, and not MT Anderson's best work. The plot is okay, the characters are entertaining and the snide style of Anderson makes this book appealing. However, mature teen readers would not be interested.
Simplistic in style, a more middle-grade book, and not MT Anderson's best work. The plot is okay, the characters are entertaining and the snide style of Anderson makes this book appealing. However, mature teen readers would not be interested.
July 23, 2016
As a reader, I find M.T. Anderson a bit all over the map. I tend to see his strongest work as aimed at the older crowd, while his children’s novels tend to leave me a bit cold. That was the case with The Game of Sunken Places, a children’s fantasy involving two boys playing a Game of high stakes involving trolls, ogres, etc. M.T. Anderson hadn’t done enough with the relatively “humdrum” concepts and his plotting and characters were a bit muddled. I’m sorry to say that I have the same reaction to his second book in the series, The Suburb Beyond the Stars.
The same two boys, Brian and Gregory, are at work designing the next version of the Game (thanks to Brian having won the last time in book one), but their work is interrupted by a murderous attack on Brian by a monster, and... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
The same two boys, Brian and Gregory, are at work designing the next version of the Game (thanks to Brian having won the last time in book one), but their work is interrupted by a murderous attack on Brian by a monster, and... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
July 5, 2010
Wonderful! "The Suburb Beyond the Stars" is just as great as the first book in this series, "The Game of Sunken Places." M.T. Anderson's imagination is delightfully horrifying, and the creatures he brings to life in this book are disturbing and original. The author also kept me laughing through even the most brutal and suspenseful scenes. This series is a masterful blend of horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and comedy. I also appreciate that even through the chaos and fear, this is still a story about friendship. I can't wait to see what happens to Brian and Gregory next!
August 11, 2016
The second book in The Game of Sunken Places series. Brian and Gregory return to Vermont and discover that strange things are happening. Cousin Prudence has disappeared, a mysterious suburb seems to be springing up, and time doesn't seem to be working normally. When it becomes clear the Thusser are breaking the rules of the Game and trying to take over the world, Brian & Gregory must stop them and summon the Norumbegans. This installment sets up well for the next book in this fun, but creepy, series.
June 18, 2010
This book is simplistically written and a quick read. However, the storyline is incredible and the prose is very descriptive. I found myself at the end really wanting to read the next one. It is the story of when two guys go to visit a relative in the Vermont woods; they find many things are different. Like, people aren't where they're supposed to be. And houses are everywhere. In fact, the houses seem to be taking over…
February 7, 2012
This was so very different from the first book and yet in many ways similar. Deliciously creepy!!! At times I found myself shaking my head (huh?) and rereading the last few paragraphs, and then, the "oh" factor kicked in. I just wasn't getting it but the reread allowed my head to wrap around the idea. Remember, this is for young teens... don't read too deeply into the bizarre. Rather, just sit back and enjoy it.
October 12, 2012
Boo. Good premise. Second in a series, but what was awful is that it doesn't end. I mean that the book stops before the story ends. Yes, books can be in a series, and the action can continue, but there has to be a satisfactory end to something. Harry Potter, you knew it was going to continue, but there was a satisfying end to some of the action. You felt there was a conclusion. This one was just the drop on the roller coaster and the ride stopped midway. Boo.
April 22, 2010
I read this book as an ARC through work.
The Suburb Beyond the Stars is a children's middle reader, which I didn't realize when I picked it up, so it's simplistically written and a quick read. However, the storyline is incredible and the prose is very descriptive. I found myself at the end really wanting to read the next one, which unfortunately will not be out for quite some time.
The Suburb Beyond the Stars is a children's middle reader, which I didn't realize when I picked it up, so it's simplistically written and a quick read. However, the storyline is incredible and the prose is very descriptive. I found myself at the end really wanting to read the next one, which unfortunately will not be out for quite some time.
July 21, 2010
This is way scarier than the first installment. Because the Rules of the Game have been ignored, Brian and Gregory are freed from the plotting constraints of said game, and the suburb that is a time-warped fever dream is super well done. It freaked me out. Good on ya, M.T. Anderson. And it has a great book trailer. Look it on up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2010
Just as compellingly creepy as the first (in fact, possibly more so: who would have thought a newly developed suburb more unnervingly eerie than uninhabited woods & an isolated mansion), & with an ending promising more to come. The sly back-and-forth wordplay between the two main characters, especially Gregory, is very amusing.
September 15, 2010
Pretty good-it definitely continued the action in The Game of Sunken Places and sets up the reader for what appears to be the climax in a book to follow. I enjoyed following the story of a suburb populated with "programmed" children and vague, clueless adults with monsters prowling about. I'm definitely looking forward to the continuing action.
November 14, 2010
Less complicated follow-up book, but a bit creepier, especially for some YA books. Sets up the next book with quite a strong cliff-hanger. Character development of the main characters is a little shallow, though hints at relational dysfunction start to give a stronger sense of the deeper emotions.
July 5, 2015
We liked it. It wasn't as good as the first book though. Less humor and more tense. For us, the first book had a better balance of these things. It was nice to see our favorite character Kalgrash back, but there weren't any other interesting characters. It was a more insular book, in mostly one setting, with just a few characters.
January 18, 2016
I love the first book in this series and even though I thought The Game of Sunken Places was fine without a sequel I still really enjoyed this. Its creepy, funny, weird, all good stuff. I really like the main characters so will probably pick up the other books in the series at some point in the future.
March 30, 2010
I didn't realize when I started reading this that it is the sequel to Anderson's Game of Sunken Places - but it certainly made me want to read the first one. Maybe after I do so, I'll come back and revise my opinion of this one.
March 1, 2010
fun story with plenty of action and magical creatures. a quick, undemanding read.
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