Délon City: Book Two of the Oz Chronicles

I really enjoyed this novel...even more than THE TAKERS which was great too. don't hesitate to go get these novels...its a great series unlike anything I've ever read before!

I loved this book. People can love F. Scott Fitzgerald, as our sacrificial friend Pepper Sands does, or people can love Stephen King, as Oz seems interested in The Stand, but it's rare you can talk about the two on the same page. King usually gets the credit for the hooks and suspense. Fitzgerald typically gets the credit for the incredible grasp of the interworkings of human psychology in interpersonal relationships. Ridley's nailed them both. Delon City is a reader's pleasure and an academic's dream. Lines like "Yeah, people say things" (Oz, 57), "Cruelty is the heartbeat of nature" and "You spend too much time denying your true nature"(Delon Roy, 64), and "You can't escape the collective" (Delon Roy, 192), all jump out of the context of the story to let us examine deeply complicated aspects of human nature. Why do people say things? Why are we so cruel - and should we be OK with it? Why do we put on the faces we do - what's it get us when the world forces us to be honest? Have we become such collectivists - an Ayn Rand nightmare on American soil - that we can't escape our own creation? The pages are, also, soaked in adolescent insecurity, and the reader stands between two mirrors reflecting each other as Oz literally falls to the confusion about his place in the world while battling Dali-esque time and possible insanity. While Ridley wins awards for adolescent literature, he continues to tell tales of humanity that adults should seriously examine. But there are so many layers. While time drips like a clock on a branch, Oz discovers there are no good and bad guys, there are only various people struggling for power. Questions raised by Oz's assumption that the Takers have a "duty as a creature of the night" and Newell's reliance on the way things have been "written" force a reader to go way beyond the action of the tale and consider the most essential philosophical questions about God, fate, and time. Here the Delons, though any of the other seven races of monsters work metaphorically as well, remind us simply that the illusion of power is that it's not eternal. It's not complete. Humanity may not be on top forever, and that's much more serious than purple monsters with spidery dread locks. Plus, the lack of a definite ending comes as existentially perfect for all of these motifs to work themselves together and create the truths that are in the tale. The Greeks used myth to explain existence. Delon City gives modern readers a fun read while allowing them to question their existence and find their own paths, their own purpose, and their own true selves in a world that, all too often, offers no answers, confusion, and cruel monsters.

What can I say but WOW! I thoroughly enjoyed the first novel, The Takers, but this new installment to the OZ Chronicles takes the horrifying action to new depths of complexity. I flew threw this novel...it just begs to be read. Without giving away any of the wonderful surprises you'll find in the book, let me just say, "The most tragic revelation was finding myself on the last page with a cliffhanger and realizing I'll have to wait for book 3 to get back into this awesome story!"--James Somers, Author: The Chronicles of Soone: "Heir to the King", and "The Rise of Lucin."

Another great one by R.W. Ridley. The characters draw you in and the imagery is amazingly creative. (Talk about taking a little sister to the extreme!) And the story will definitely keep you guessing. Can't wait for book 3!

After The Takers, I had big expectations for Delon City to live up to and it simply blew them out of the water. It's cliché, I know, but if you liked The Takers you'll love Delon City. Oz continues his adventures but with a variety of new characters and scenarios which makes for another exciting read. If you think you know where Book Two is going, guess again. It has taken a new turn with amazing results. I found it hard to put down Book One and almost impossible to put down Book Two. Richard's storytelling kept me glued to the pages (and for a hyperactive mind like mine that is quite a feat). The story had me intrigued from start to finish and culminated in an ending where I am again left wanting more. I can't wait for Book Three to come out to see what Oz does next. This is a must have series for anyone who enjoys horror or just plain good storytelling.