LUKA AND THE FIRE OF LIFE

The childhood fantasy of saving the life of a parent plays out against the backdrop of an alternative video-game-based universe. Narrated with a modulated tone and perfect pacing by Lyndam Gregory, this quasi-sequel to Rushdie’s first young readers novel, HAROUN AND THE SEA OF STORIES, brims with clever puns and imaginative plot twists. Gregory affects a childlike sense of wonder as Luka, the young hero who must save his father and avoid video-game hazards. This is not the next masterpiece from the renowned literary genius, but it’s involving and entertaining for the whole family, especially as enhanced by the talented Gregory. R.O. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2011]