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donnaadouglas's review against another edition
4.0
A really fitting conclusion to the Deptford Mice trilogy. These books were really enjoyable.
oldenglishrose's review against another edition
3.0
In The Final Reckoning the mice find themselves under threat not only from the army of rats that is massing under London but also from the mysterious eternal winter which has enveloped Deptford. Everything points to Jupiter being back and so the mice, together with the bats and the Starwife, must try to stay alive long enough to defeat him.
You may remember that one of my favourite things about Robin Jarvis’ writing is that he isn’t afraid to be dark even though he is writing for a younger age group, and this book was no exception. Often in children’s fiction, the forces of evil (whatever form they may take) are distant, incompetent or impotent or a combination of all three. Evil is usually active in a far off land to which the protagonist must journey to fight it, its plans fail fairly easily before they can be put into practice, and if a character is important and liked then Evil will frequently content itself with capturing rather than killing them. All in all, Evil often isn’t terribly threatening. However, the forces of evil in Jarvis’ books are immediate, powerful, bloodthirsty and indiscriminate in who they attack. Just because a character has a name and has been well developed does not mean that they are safe. I love that I can read a book for younger readers entitled The Final Reckoning with a final chapter also called ‘The Final Reckoning’ and do so with apprehension because I don’t know which, if any, of the characters will make it through to the end alive. There is real tension and anxiety in these books which I’ve not often found in children’s fantasy. Of course, this might be far more common in children’s literature now, I don’t know, but I still think Jarvis should be applauded for what he has done, particularly considering The Deptford Mice Trilogy is more than twenty years old.
You may remember that one of my favourite things about Robin Jarvis’ writing is that he isn’t afraid to be dark even though he is writing for a younger age group, and this book was no exception. Often in children’s fiction, the forces of evil (whatever form they may take) are distant, incompetent or impotent or a combination of all three. Evil is usually active in a far off land to which the protagonist must journey to fight it, its plans fail fairly easily before they can be put into practice, and if a character is important and liked then Evil will frequently content itself with capturing rather than killing them. All in all, Evil often isn’t terribly threatening. However, the forces of evil in Jarvis’ books are immediate, powerful, bloodthirsty and indiscriminate in who they attack. Just because a character has a name and has been well developed does not mean that they are safe. I love that I can read a book for younger readers entitled The Final Reckoning with a final chapter also called ‘The Final Reckoning’ and do so with apprehension because I don’t know which, if any, of the characters will make it through to the end alive. There is real tension and anxiety in these books which I’ve not often found in children’s fantasy. Of course, this might be far more common in children’s literature now, I don’t know, but I still think Jarvis should be applauded for what he has done, particularly considering The Deptford Mice Trilogy is more than twenty years old.
katy_bee's review against another edition
3.0
It was interesting to reread this series as an adult, having read it when I was in my early teens, some years ago.
It's driven more by action than character and it felt a bit as though I was taking it on faith that certain relationships had developed and the loss of characters was felt deeply by those left behind.
The antagonists were one dimensional throughout and I did find those parts a bit repetitive with lots of information about how the rats were disgusting and horrible and loved killing. Barker was a bit different to that, but very similar to Akkikuyu, in the main. The descriptions of rat deformities and missing limbs as being indicative of their twisted nature, and the repeated references to Oswald being albino also felt more problematic than in my first encounter. The ending felt a bit rushed, and I was sad that Twit never had a story resolution as I thought he was one of the more interesting characters early on.
Still, I'm no longer the target audience! The Starwife character and mythos was good and it's pretty pacey. A decent introduction to fantasy worlds for the age group and one I have some nostalgia for.
It's driven more by action than character and it felt a bit as though I was taking it on faith that certain relationships had developed and the loss of characters was felt deeply by those left behind.
The antagonists were one dimensional throughout and I did find those parts a bit repetitive with lots of information about how the rats were disgusting and horrible and loved killing. Barker was a bit different to that, but very similar to Akkikuyu, in the main. The descriptions of rat deformities and missing limbs as being indicative of their twisted nature, and the repeated references to Oswald being albino also felt more problematic than in my first encounter. The ending felt a bit rushed, and I was sad that Twit never had a story resolution as I thought he was one of the more interesting characters early on.
Still, I'm no longer the target audience! The Starwife character and mythos was good and it's pretty pacey. A decent introduction to fantasy worlds for the age group and one I have some nostalgia for.
thedayoflight's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
I like cats better than mice.
mes91's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This was a great ending to the trilogy, action packed from the beginning and kept up right to the last few pages. Really want to read the prequel books, this is a great world.
holomew151's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Cannibalism, Blood, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
While this book is aimed at children, it's content, while containing a very good story, is anything but, with murders nd blood abound.iceangel9's review against another edition
4.0
The final book in The Deptford Mice trilogy. The evil spirit of Jupiter has returned to encase the world in eternal winter. The Deptford mice feel his hatred. Then their allies are murdered, the bats flee, and the Starglass is stolen. Can Arthur, Audrey, Piccadilly, and Oswald save the world? Will any of them survive? A sad ending, but no battle against evil is won without cost. A great series!
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