Overview
A fantastic Steampunk adventure in the deepsTransforming his appearance and stealing secret documents from the French is all in a day’s work for fourteen-year-old Modo, a British secret agent. But his latest mission—to uncover the underwater mystery of something called the Ictíneo—seems impossible. There are rumors of a sea monster and a fish as big as a ship. French spies are after it, and Mr. Socrates, Modo’s master, wants to find it first. Modo and his fellow secret agent, Octavia, begin their mission in New York City, then take a steamship across the North Atlantic. During the voyage, Modo uncovers an astounding secret.
The Dark Deeps, the second book in Arthur Slade’s Hunchback Assignments series, is set in a fascinating Steampunk Victorian world. Modo’s underwater adventures and his encounters with the young French spy Colette Brunet, the fearless Captain Monturiol, and the dreaded Clockwork Guild guarantee a gripping read filled with danger, suspense, and brilliant inventions.
From the Hardcover edition.
Synopsis
A fantastic Steampunk adventure in the deeps
Transforming his appearance and stealing secret documents from the French is all in a day’s work for fourteen-year-old Modo, a British secret agent. But his latest mission—to uncover the underwater mystery of something called the Ictíneo—seems impossible. There are rumors of a sea monster and a fish as big as a ship. French spies are after it, and Mr. Socrates, Modo’s master, wants to find it first. Modo and his fellow secret agent, Octavia, begin their mission in New York City, then take a steamship across the North Atlantic. During the voyage, Modo uncovers an astounding secret.
The Dark Deeps, the second book in Arthur Slade’s Hunchback Assignments series, is set in a fascinating Steampunk Victorian world. Modo’s underwater adventures and his encounters with the young French spy Colette Brunet, the fearless Captain Monturiol, and the dreaded Clockwork Guild guarantee a gripping read filled with danger, suspense, and brilliant inventions.
VOYA
Modo is a talented fourteen-year-old British spy with the ability to transform his appearance at will. At the outset of this adventure, Mr. Socrates sends Modo and Octavia on a mission to locate a French spy named Colette Brunet, and to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Ictineo, a high-tech submarine cleverly designed to look like a large fish. Using the coordinates where Ictineo was last seen, Modo and Octavia successfully locate the submarine that then attacks their ship, causing Modo to fall overboard. He saves himself by entering the submarine, which is home to the Icarians, a group of people who have built an astonishing underwater utopian world. To Modo's surprise, Ms. Brunet is also on board but Modo is unsure about whether to trust her. When the ruthless Clockwork Guild attacks the submarine, the two spies must work together in an attempt to save all that the Icarians have worked so hard to create. The second installment in Slade's Hunchback Assignments is a suspenseful deep-sea adventure with Steampunk flair. The Dark Deeps begins a new adventure so readers new to the series can enjoy this one on its own. Readers will be holding their breath as they voraciously read to the final pages to discover how Modo and Brunet manage to escape the clutches of the Clockwork Guild and Griff, the invisible man. During each brush with death, readers will surely be cheering for Modo, Octavia, and Brunet. Reviewer: Amy Wyckoff
Editorials
VOYA -
Modo is a talented fourteen-year-old British spy with the ability to transform his appearance at will. At the outset of this adventure, Mr. Socrates sends Modo and Octavia on a mission to locate a French spy named Colette Brunet, and to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Ictineo, a high-tech submarine cleverly designed to look like a large fish. Using the coordinates where Ictineo was last seen, Modo and Octavia successfully locate the submarine that then attacks their ship, causing Modo to fall overboard. He saves himself by entering the submarine, which is home to the Icarians, a group of people who have built an astonishing underwater utopian world. To Modo's surprise, Ms. Brunet is also on board but Modo is unsure about whether to trust her. When the ruthless Clockwork Guild attacks the submarine, the two spies must work together in an attempt to save all that the Icarians have worked so hard to create. The second installment in Slade's Hunchback Assignments is a suspenseful deep-sea adventure with Steampunk flair. The Dark Deeps begins a new adventure so readers new to the series can enjoy this one on its own. Readers will be holding their breath as they voraciously read to the final pages to discover how Modo and Brunet manage to escape the clutches of the Clockwork Guild and Griff, the invisible man. During each brush with death, readers will surely be cheering for Modo, Octavia, and Brunet. Reviewer: Amy WyckoffChildren's Literature -
Fourteen-year-old Modo is a disfigured, shape-shifting spy for England's Permanent Association. In this second steampunk adventure of "The Hunchback Assignments" series, Mr. Socrates sends him and slightly older Octavia to New York to track down a missing British agent as well as French spy Colette Brunet. Information garnered sends the pair to the seas near Iceland as they try to identify the sea monster mysteriously attacking ships there. When the "monster" rams their ship, Modo falls overboard and rescues himself by boarding the attacker, the mysterious Ictineo, a submarine from the underwater utopian city Icaria, commanded by intelligent, fearless Captain Delfina Monturiol. Also onboard is another captive, the French spy Colette. Griff, an invisible agent of the Clockwork Guild who was tailing Modo, also slips aboard. Modo and Colette plot to gain their freedom; Griff tries to convince Modo he is another agent of Mr. Socrates; and all three seek to be first to inform their leaders of their discovery. When the Clockwork Guild attacks the Ictineo, Modo and Colette join the battle to preserve what the Icarians have built. This exciting tale offers an exciting underwater world, conflicted characters, romance, and thrilling, bold undertakings. Slade's creation of the undersea world is fascinating and thought provoking. The inclusion of a sketch of a pen and ink sketch of the Ictineo is most helpful. Viewpoints shift seamlessly between chapters, although Octavia's and Mr. Socrates roles are greatly diminished from Book One. Certainly themes of appearance and loyalty are explored, but let us be clear: this is primarily a rip-roaring adventure, which can be read independently of Book One. Reviewer: Peg GlissonKirkus Reviews
Volume two of Slade's steampunk series starts with a shipwreck, the lone survivor of which is raised by the evil Clockwork Guild and transformed into Modo's perfect nemesis: The one doesn't dare show his true face, and the other has been rendered invisible and has no face to show. But the meditation on how appearance and personality intersect is secondary to the fabulous Jules Verne–inspired underseas adventure. Ships are vanishing, and Modo and the beautiful Octavia's investigation results in Modo and rival French agent Colette (another stunning teen) landing aboard the Ictinéo, a submarine whose crew come from an astounding underwater Utopia (geothermal springs, massive amounts of rivets and metal plates feature prominently; citizens are comrades, and even the disabled and old are considered valuable members of society). Even as Modo seeks his freedom and races Colette to tell his supervisors of the submarine, the Clockwork Guild seeks the Ictinéo, and in the end a battle is inevitable. Slade's dialogue continues to be clunky, but the adventure continues to soar—anyone who hasn't started the series yet should grab both volumes right now. (Steampunk. 10 & up)