So far, this is my favorite book of the year. And not just because it involves the comic book industry; it's been over 15 years since I've collected comic serials, after all, and from what I've seen of them I've no desire to go back. This book stands on it's own and transcends the label of fan publication to become one of the best contemporary novels I've ever read.

There's so much here that it's hard to summarize; a heartbreaking story of a young man's escape from Austria in 1937 to New York, and the frustration of his every attempt to send for the doomed family that purchased his freedom; a young boy's fascination for escapes and magic; the early years of the comic book industry and its role in American thought at the start of the Second World War. There are also nailbiting sequences of survival in Antarctica and bombs in high-rises, rococo explorations of Manhattan high-society in the 1930s, and a few nifty explanations of complex magic tricks. It covers almost 20 years in the lives of three characters, and I was welded to the page the entire time.

Jon Sciesza, author of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, has written that many of the books students are asked to read in K-12 education these days are not appreciated by boys. In his article, he states, "I think schools and parents sometimes handicap their efforts to get boys reading by not offering boys the books that will inspire them to want to read. So many required reading lists and favored books in schools reflect women's reading tastes." I think Sciesza leans a little too hard on gender stereotypes, but if ever there was a book to combat this, a book that can be appreciated by everyone because it delivers a great yarn with beautiful prose, this is that book. An exceptional acheivement, and I recommend it unreservedly to anyone who might be reading these pages.