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A review by val_z
3 Below by Patrick Carman
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
When I first read Floors in the Internet Archive last January, I found it a delight. It was like reading a whimsical Roald Dahl story for modern times. Imagine crossing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, and you get the idea. The mysterious character of Merganzer D. Whippet resembles Willy Wonka in many ways. He’s eccentric, cryptic and always seems to have a backup plan. And Leo and Remi are just kids along for the adventure. 3 Below is the sequel to Floors and picks up pretty much where the last novel left off. Leo and Remi’s parents have married and now they are stepbrothers.
Leo is running the hotel, but things are far from perfect. The governor has told the hotel owner that he has to pay about 700,000 in back taxes. So, much like the last novel, Leo and Remi must follow the various clues Whippet leaves them in order to save the hotel. Meanwhile, Ms Sparks has returned and is hatching a plan to auction off the hotel while Leo and Remi are on their adventure. This is a pretty whimsical children’s book. You have mutant monkeys, giant ants, and robot dogs. Unfortunately, I have the same problem with this sequel as I did with the previous book: there are way too many characters.
The one character, Rickenbacker, who disguises himself as Batman, could have been left out altogether. The same can be said about Phipps, the gardener. But it’s neither here or there, as new characters are introduced. There’s Dr. Flart, a mad scientist; Ingrid, a strange woman who lives in a tree house; and Mr. Carp, a man hired by Ms Sparks to keep an eye on Leo and Remi. The book culminates with Leo and Remi discovering a secret diamond mine under the hotel. And if I remember correctly, they have about $ 10 million worth of diamonds. Of course, Leo and Remi manage to foil Ms Sparks’ dastardly plan to auction off the hotel.
And it turns out Mr. Carp works for Whippet. Talk about a billionaire with a lot of contingencies. Anyway I digress; the novel ends with Leo and Remi sailing off in an airship with Whippet for another adventure. I highly recommend reading 3 Below on Internet Archive. It's a fun read, and it's only 234 pages. And if you're an average reader like me, you can read through it in four days of less. And I'm not going to lie: I wish Patrick Carman's book series would get film adaptions. Of course, if they did, they would be pretty expensive. These books are pretty fantastical it won't be cheap. And I am looking forward to reading the last book in his Floor series, The Field of Wacky Inventions. Enough Said.