The adventure Zone vol 5 by the mcelroys

Vol 5: The Eleventh Hour

​Magnus, Taako, and Merle are dispatched yet again for another Grand Relic. This next one is inside a small Western-style town in the desert that is currently protected by a bubble that keeps it separated from the rest of time. The relic they seek is a chalice that allows the wielded to control time itself. The three manage to pieces their way through the bubble and are immediately apprehended by a deputy, who is a suit of armor and a small talking bird. They are just becoming acquainted with the town when they are sent back to the beginning again, and they realize they’re stuck in a time loop!

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This is yet another fun, fantastic adventure for our three heroes, and yet again in an entirely different setting than any of the other four books thus far. This D&D campaign must have been ridiculously fun! Aside from the usual banter, sarcastic remarks from Taako, and general silliness, this book does have some depth to it. As with lots of twisty timey-wimey (©Doctor Who) stories, we get a few what-if's. In this case, the relic tempts all three of our heroes into going back and fixing their past mistakes, and does so by showing them the mistake they regret the most. This gives us some powerful insight to how these three came to be who they are, and it's not something we've gotten to see since the first volume. It's also a beautiful way to incorporate some flashback without bogging down the story. 

The art is, once again, spectacular, and honestly something that has made this book more appealing to the readers in my library. They come for the beautiful illustrations, and stay for the engaging story.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4

Publisher: First Second
Publication Date: February 21, 2023​
ISBN: 9781250793782 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: High School, Graphic Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Magic, Action Adventure​, Mystery, First Second