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Searching... Salem Main Library | J Sappingfield, E. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Guardians of the Galaxy meets The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in this wild, warm-hearted, and hilarious sci-fi companion to A Problematic Paradox.
Nikola Kross has battled aliens and won. But her father, who was kidnapped by evil extraterrestrials, is still missing, and now it's up to Nikola and her friends to find and rescue him before it's too late. He could be anywhere in the known universe, and they have little to go on except a desperate secret communication--"Kindly rescue me at your earliest convenience"--and an unhelpful clue that he is in a secure facility somewhere deep underground. But the extraterrestrials are still determined to capture Nikola. And if she gets abducted, she won't have to wonder where her father is . . . because she'll already be there. In this funny and exciting sequel, Nikola and her friends discover new and unexpected allies and come face-to-face with a strange and mysterious enemy, one so powerful and so dangerous, they dare not speak his name.
Author Notes
Eliot Sappingfield was last seen wearing a blue shirt and khaki pants in the vicinity of his home in Missouri. He is known to appreciate stories, science, and various other geeky things. He may or may not be accompanied by his wife, his two daughters (when they don't have anything better to do), or a goofy basset hound. He is considered unarmed and not terribly dangerous. The Unspeakable Unknown is the sequel to his hilarious debut novel, A Problematic Paradox.
Reviews (3)
Horn Book Review
Six months ago, evil, foul-smelling, interdimensional aliens called the Old Ones kidnapped Nikolas father (A Problematic Paradox, rev. 7/18). Now in hiding from the extraterrestrials, Nikola has settled into her new life at the Plaskington International Laboratory School of Scientific Research and Technological Advancement, alongside her parahuman classmates and a handful of uber-intelligent humans like herself. Much to her delight, Nikola is about to embark on her first unscheduled off-site practical exam session, a.k.a. a field trip. During this excursion, Sappingfield layers some nuance into his well-built, wacky sci-fi world. He introduces a not-so-bad Old One: a teenager named Darleeen, who later lends a helping hand when Nikola finds her father. On a second field tripto a mall!Nikola learns that the father of two of her parahuman friends works for the Old Ones. And yes, other parahumans have sided with them, too. Its heavy stuff for Nikola to grapple with, but Sappingfield balances it all with plenty of humor, dishing up inventive sci-fi fare with a whopping side of silliness. tanya d. auger (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In this sequel to A Problematic Paradox (2018), even superscience schools have field trips!In between explosively rigorous pop quizzes and mad science hijinks, Nikola gets to go on not one but two of the very special school's rare field trips. One sends the students in her electronic-combat class to the Ozarks to track down a suspected parahuman and invite them to the school. The other, for urban-camouflage class, is to practice blending in at a mall. These out-of-school adventures open up opportunities for deepening the lore of the worldbuilding and introduce the idea of a horrific new antagonist. They also allow the text to broach uncomfortable (in a good way) discussions on sources of privilege and murky loyalties, both artfully enough to avoid bogging down the action-oriented plotswhich introduce new friends and foes and extensively progress storylines left over from the first book (namely, the fate of Nikola's father and the identity of the traitor at the school). Some of the best humor comes through educational moments, and only occasionally do the wry jokes tread too deeply into far less effective, too-edgy territory. While the nonhuman characters (Old Ones and parahumans) outnumber ordinary humans, human characters tend to lack racial descriptors, seemingly defaulting to white. The well-developed denouement provides solid closure while plot tentacles set up the next story.Lots of fun, packing both wacky humor and meaningful plot movement. (Science fiction. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Nikola is back in action in this sequel to A Problematic Paradox (2018), ready to find and save her father from the Old Ones, just after she aces a few classes at her secret school. At least, that was the plan, up until she meets a highly unlikely ally and makes new enemies that lead her right into a subterranean lair where she finds all the answers to her questions about her father's whereabouts and why she, too, is being pursued. Specifically, they want her brain. Written in the same funny manner as the first, this book also explores the topic of accepting and trusting a person whom others fear or hate. Sappingfield gives Nikola an entertainingly witty voice, letting her somewhat stream-of-consciousness style of narration give readers a clear view of the events unfolding and the people around her, friends and otherwise. It's heartwarming without being too heavy or sappy, and the adventure wraps up tidily, but a last-minute cliff-hanger ending opens the door to further adventures.