Lionboy: The Chase (Corder, Zizou. Lionboy,)

Rating:
Summary: EXCITEMENT APLENTY IN THIS READING
Review: Adventure abounds with the return of young, fearless Charlie Ashanti in Book Two of this proposed Lionboy trilogy. He's outwitted many foes (most notably a dreadful lion tamer) in the past, helping lions to escape the wretched confinement of a circus train. Together, they've managed to make their way from Paris to Venice.

Now, challenges begin with Charlie and the lions stuck on a train in a snowstorm. Yet, as Charlie says he "felt as close to safe as he had felt in weeks. The beautiful lions were lying in a pile around him: the three lionesses resting after their chase; the oldest lion calmly triumphant at their escape; Elsina, the young girl lion still weak from their adventures on the train's roof but so excited to be out in the real world; and the young lion, Charlie's friend, fast asleep with his head in Charlie's lap."

Yes, that's the picture listeners are able to see through the mellifluent voice of British actor Simon Jones (who won acclaim for his performance of the first book). With pauses, inflections, and remarkable range Jones engages listeners as we hear from a cast of both human and animal characters.

It seems Charlie is feeling pretty relaxed, believing that King Boris will offer them a safe haven. However, what was supposed to be refuge in King Boris's small palazzo on the Grand Canal, Palazzo Bulgaria, may not be protection at all. What should Charlie have thought when he saw that the second floor balcony on this structure "was supported by carvings of lions"?
And, did he really think he had seen the last of the evil lion tamer, Maccomo?

Listen and discover the secrets Charlie finds hidden in this old building. "Lionboy The Chase" is a blend of intrigue and humor resulting in topnotch entertainment.

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: A HUGE step up from the First Book!
Review: The second Lionboy book from the trilogy, Lionboy: The Chase, I have to say was a major step up from the first book, Lionboy. The dialogue was smoother, the plot was much more interesting and held my attention much better, and the characters are even more memorable. My new favorite character has to be Sergei, the rangy North English feline who has a very peculiar accent and very funny, dry humor. I don't like to give much away on the plot of books, but here it goes. The only reason that I didn't give this book five stars is that in the beginning, when Charlie is trapped in the Palazzo Bulgaria, this whole segment of the book and meeting the Bulgarian King and Edward seems quite pointless and doesn't further the plot. But, after this rough segment of the book, you finally find out what allergenies are and what Primo the mysterious cat is there for. My only nag is that most of the time in Venice (from the reader's point of view) seemed completely pointless in furthering the plot. Now, on to the ending. At first for the ending, I was almost screaming no because it was only the 2nd book in the trilogy and how could it have such a happy, kiddish ending where everything turns out great. Well, to my happiness, it doesn't! The last paragraph is the most tantalizing thing that Zizou Corder has offered in this book other than those cruel, last three words ; to be continued ...
I cannot wait for the 3rd book in this rising series!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully entertaining
Review: When readers last saw Charlie Ashanti, the boy who can talk to cats, at the end of LIONBOY, he had liberated a band of lions from Major Thibaudet's floating circus and was rocketing through Europe on the Orient Express, heading to find his imprisoned parents. LIONBOY: THE CHASE picks up right where the first book in this wonderfully entertaining trilogy left off, and the pace of this engaging sequel keeps right up with the speed of an express train.

Charlie is off to Venice with the aid of King Boris of Bulgaria, hoping to find where his scientist parents, who seemed to be on the verge of finding a cure for asthma, are being kept prisoner. What he doesn't know is that his parents aren't in Venice --- they're in Vence, in the south of France. There his brilliant parents slowly are being brainwashed, their independence and free thinking sucked out of them by the evil corporation that is holding them hostage.

Soon Charlie, too, is a prisoner in the Palazzo Bulgaria in the heart of a ruined Venice. King Boris's right hand man has his own plans for Charlie's lions, especially the mysterious and sad lion Primo. With the help of his lions and an optimistic gondolier, Charlie must hatch a plan to escape and return his lions to their rightful home.

All this adventure has a nostalgic feel, complete with sheet music, painstakingly detailed line drawings, and maps and diagrams. Although the book is set in the future, readers will also learn a lot about Venice's past and (according to the book) its uncertain future.

Since LIONBOY: THE CHASE is book two in a trilogy, it's probably no surprise that it doesn't quite have a happy ending. The lion tamer Maccomo is still hot on their tail, as is the money-hungry Rafi Sadler. When readers see those three maddening words --- "To be continued" --- on the last page, they'll be growling with impatience until they can find out how Charlie's adventures will come to an end.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl