Robots of Mars - The Well of Doom
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
This four-part series set on a planet populated entirely by robots is an adventure story about a group of friends struggling to keep their civilization safe from evil forces!
Kids will meet a host of memorable and vibrant characters such as Mad Doctor, the wacky genius who creates the other robots on Mars; Sparky, Mad Doctor’s newest robot creation and the hero of our series; Blasto, Sparky’s one-wheeled robotic sidekick; and Melody, a wisecracking robot bird.
Along the way, readers will accompany our three heroes; Sparky, Blasto, and Melody on missions to protect their planet and stop the evil Supervisor of Mars from taking supreme power!
Part 2 - The Well of Doom: This time on a mission to the Well of Doom, Sparky must retrieve the Jewel of Power from an ancient Martian who is surrounded by Guardian Skeletons protecting the jewel. In the Well, Sparky is confronted by the Supervisor of Mars who is intent on taking the jewel for himself. Will Sparky make it out of the Well of Doom? Find out!
Customer Reviews
Robots of Mars - The Well of Doom
The Well of Doom is the second book in a trilogy about the robots of Mars. In the first book, we learn about the creation of Sparky by the Mad Doctor, a robotic Dr. Frankenstein. Sparky is sent on a mission in the previous book that we now learn was a test run for the actual mission: retrieving the Jewel of Power from the Well of Doom. But first we are introduced to the villain of the piece, the Supervisor, who features aspects from both Darth Vader and the Phantom of the Opera. The hero of the piece is Sparky, who accepts his mission without question: Go to the Well of Doom and bring back the Jewel of Power before the Supervisor can get his hands on it. Does Sparky succeed in his mission? Does the Supervisor succeed in his evil scheme? (Hint: there is a third book in the series.)
A strong suit for these books are the visuals. For example, each pipe in the Supervisor’s pipe organ has a unique head that hints at its own distinctive personality. We get only a brief glimpse of these pipes, but the detail lavished on these brief, background characters demonstrates the care and rigor expressed in the graphics on every page. The three books in this series are a spin-off from an animated film, and indeed each page has the richness of a frame from a motion picture.
In this book, as well as in the first book (The Robot Factory), we are provided just enough information about the robotic civilization to propel the story forward. The thoughtful reader can ponder any number of unanswered questions that can stimulate a child’s imagination. For example, how did the robots (at least, these robots) win a war with humans? What happened to the native Martians? Is Sparky the first robot that the Mad Doctor has sent to retrieve the Jewel of Power?
Of course, the reader need not dwell on such questions to appreciate the classic confrontation displayed in this book between an unblemished hero and pure evil lacking in any redeeming qualities, whatsoever. (If you are looking for a story with a morality lesson for a child, you are better off searching elsewhere.) I highly recommend this book for any young reader, particularly those who appreciate how the story is told as well as what is being told.