Dark Metropolis

Gr 7 Up—With her father missing and presumed dead and her mother becoming increasingly mentally unstable, 16-year-old Thea Holder must find work that will support the two of them. The waitressing job she finds at the Telephone Club introduces her to a mysterious boy, Freddy, and the sinister underworld with which he seems to be involved. When her best friend and co-worker, Nan, vanishes, the situation becomes increasingly perilous as Thea and Freddy discover that the city workers are literally dead men walking, kept alive through arcane magic. Reminiscent of Fritz Lang's 1927 sci-fi film Metropolis, this grim, pseudo magical world with hints of Jazz Age—esque features never completely comes together. Unfortunately, what could have been an interesting premise is marred by stilted dialogue and two-dimension paper doll—like characters. Two understated romances develop, including one between a zombie—turned—female photographer and an asexual fae teen who is willing to sacrifice herself for the cause. Teen readers would be better off reading Libba Bray's "Diviners" series (Little, Brown).—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK