Heir to Fire
Rob Worley and Mike Dubish
Actionopolis, Oct 2006, $12.95, 186 pp.
ISBN 0774280372

In Gila Flats, fourteen year old shy teen Ryan Morales with his friend Donut finds a spider that has never before been discovered before. Both boys go to Corrine’s pool party where somehow Ryan make the water turn hot. His faints and when he comes to he is told by his parents that he always had an affinity for fire and heat. They also tell him he was adopted as his father found him in the desert with an amulet near him and a protective circle drawn around him.

When Ryan goes to see his friend Donut, he acts strange and sees the new spider around his neck just like the ones that are attached to the necks of the townsfolk except for Corrine. They go to the Oobakka house where they find the humanoid spider king who has come to earth to kill the fire prince of the world of Akasalon. The spider king and his minions conquered Ryan’s former world and they want to do away with the last heir to the throne; Ryan doesn’t know how to stop them but Corrine feels he will find a way.

Targeted for middle school pre-teens, HEIR TO FIRE is an exciting horror story in which young readers will identify with the reluctant hero, a reticent teen who tries to do his best to defeat evil. The characters are realistic and the audience will find themselves rooting for the hero to defeat the monsters. The illustrations are well drawn enhancing the fascinating storyline.

Harriet Klausner