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Dreamland Chronicles Book Two    by Scott Christian Sava Amazon.com order for
Dreamland Chronicles Book Two
by Scott Christian Sava
Order:  USA  Can
IDW Publishing, 2008 (2008)
Softcover
* *   Reviewed by Lance Victor Eaton

Whenever Alexander falls asleep, he is whisked away into the world of Dreamland, where he morphs from a slightly awkward teenager into a knightly adventurer traveling the lands with a magic sword and an eclectic band of friends who manage to keep him out of too much trouble.

At the onset of this second volume, Alexander has been captured by Nicodemus, the Ruler of Dreamland who also just happens to be a dragon. Thrown in prison with nothing to protect him but his magical elven armor, Alexander isn't sure how he's going to get out before Nicodemus gets bored and slays him. But hope comes in the form of a cat-girl and co-prisoner, Felicity, who uses her own power to help Alexander escape. However, his friends - Nastajia Ashenheart, the Queen of the Elves, and Paddington Rumblebottom the Third - remain skeptical about Felicity. Before anything is settled, Alexander is catapulted back into the castle to rescue his other friend, Kiwi, the fairy. Soon, the group is trekking across the kingdom to find safety among the elves, but their journey brings them to the most unlikely places.

In all his adventures, before Alexander can get too involved with them, he finds himself awake in the real world, stranded away from his friends and mission. Alexander uses his waking time resourcefully, often employing his brother and others to help him research and figure out what his relationship to this Dreamland is, and how he can improve the situation.

Sava provides an easy and enjoyable tale that readers, young and old, can follow. The story is not so complex that jumping on board with the second volume is impossible. Most interesting about this graphic novel is Sava's art. With computer generated rendering, the art comes across as stills of the popular CGI animation seen in recent movies such as Shrek and Ice Age. While the art is crisp, colorful, and clear, it lacks any hint of movement. Overall though, the story and art will impress readers more than the stillness will distract.

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