Keeper of the Hourglass: Apius's Revenge - Book Review

A young adult suspense novel, Apius’s Revenge by G. L. Garrett, is an exciting sequel to the author’s first book, Keeper of the Hourglass, the Life and Death of Peter Nichols. This sequel can be read as a stand-alone tale, the back story from the previous book is well integrated into this new thriller through dreams, visions, and the reintroduction of significant characters. 

Peter, a fifteen-year-old, seemingly average high school student, has a secret past. Actually, two other past lives that previously converged in Heaven. At the present, Peter and his classmates are on a field trip to London. While visiting some of the historical places and museums, Peter discovers a mysterious symbol that is also carved into the bottom of a small dog sculpture that he had brought with him. 

Returning to the museum where he discovered the identical symbol, Peter encounters a docent who helps him with his investigation of the symbols. Through an accident that causes Peter a concussion and to lapse into a coma, he finds his mind in the world of his previous life. The remaining story quickly builds on his reaction to and interaction with this strange, intimidating, and horribly frightening world.

Peter is welcomed back to the enchanting world of the Conservatory. Here he learns that his nemesis, Apius, has gained the skills to take over Heaven and the souls that reside there. An Hourglass is like a time bomb, counting down to destruction. Peter is sent on a quest to find and destroy Apius. The strange and terrifying encounters Peter has to deal with will keep the reader up long into the night, glancing at shadows and straining to identify strange sounds. Peter, too, struggles to discern whether what is happening around him is reality or his imagination.

Peter is reunited with Emily, a soul from his previous visit. She enables him to intensify his search, as he is now under time constraints. Through a misadventure, Peter meets Bayo, a young boy who assists him in his search through his knowledge of a Diptych dial, a type of sundial. Meanwhile, the grains of sand in the Hourglass, held in strict security, are methodically slipping away. 

Undeparted souls, LifeBooks, a magic quill feather and magical ink, bottomless canyons, unfathomably slippery mountain cliffs, and inky black caverns enhance the mood of the story. Can Peter survive? Will he be able to return home? Does Peter’s story continue in a sequel?

Apius’s Revenge is quirky and odd with a good story and even a better plot filled with great characters. The imaginative visuals invoked by Garrett’s word pictures will remain in the reader’s mind. This is a book that would make an excellent animated movie.