On a ravaged future earth, technology-hungry aliens called pipers scour the planet for salvage, leaving behind a landscape riddled with spherical gouges, as if earth was suddenly Swiss cheese. One cadre of humans is trying to preserve the earth's culture by scavenging for any remaining technology, but it's dangerous work, especially when three kids rata, Auger, and Inby umble on a hidden cavern packed with untouched robots, including a beautiful mechanical horse. Strata's determined to bring the horse back to their caravan, but their discovery catches the attention of a horde of pipers, and their journey home gets a lot more complicated. Hale imbues his latest with pathos, action, and perfectly timed moments of comedy, but it's the imaginative landscape, spot-on visual pacing, and confident line work that make this adventure tale really zing. The pipers are a particular treat ey're elaborate, insectoid creatures with menacing, globular features and pendulous tendrils, ready to grab and annihilate anything they touch. Though it's over a bit too neatly, the suspenseful chase plot and lively characters will entrance plenty of readers.

In this dystopian graphic novel (rendered in grayscale with effective yellow accents), Strata becomes fiercely devoted to a robot horse she excavates on a salvage expedition. Her discovery sets off a chain of events that ultimately threatens not only Strata and horse Kleidi but Strata's family--and humanity's very existence. An engaging, racially diverse cast and a brave heroine give this high-stakes epic adventure wide appeal.

In the future, the extraterrestrial Pipers devour electrical devices while threatening human lives and forcing them to regress to pre-electrical technology. Strata, her brother, Auger, and his wisecracking friend, Inby, find a sleeping robot pony named Kleidi buried in sand one day while exploring some ruins. Waking Kleidi, however, triggers activity and attracts numerous unwanted encounters with the Pipers, huge and terrifying tentacled beings; fleeing, they become lost. While on the run, the group meets a young woman, Pick, from a different tribe, which is hiding from "ferals," or bandits and outlaws. Together they go on a quest in search of the Caravan—the trio's mobile home, which houses the remaining digital archives: robots, literature, music, movies, along with all memory of previous human civilizations. Serving as a leitmotif throughout the story is the tale of the "Pied Piper of Hamelin": the children, in this future, are represented by technology; as Pick explains, "they are stealing our future." Hale generously offers texture and intricate details in his panels—often zooming in and out and back in—while offering balance with illustrations rendered in black, white, and gray with yellow accents. In this future, humans are divided into clans but do not maintain present-day racial distinctions; all the main characters appear to be children of color. Hale blends adventure, aliens, an apocalyptic future, and folklore into an easy-to-read stand-alone. (Graphic science fiction. 8-12)

Earth has been conquered; families traveling in caravans preserve civilization-s digital archives while avoiding bioparasites called pipers that slurp up robots and other metals. Strata, Auger, and Inby, three young nomads, stumble on a cache of robots; the best prize is Kleidi, a working robotic horse. The robots call forth a lethal swarm of pipers, but Strata won-t abandon Kleidi. Auger and Inby make it home with the help of Pick, a self-possessed girl from outside the caravan, and Strata and Kleidi take on the pipers, then confront their pompous overlords. Hale (the Nathan Hale-s Hazardous Tales series) pours imaginative detail and intensity into the ruins of the destroyed world, the icky details of the pipers, and his human characters. He draws in grayscale with yellow highlights, giving all things robotic and metallic a particular glow. The dialogue is distinctive, too: -You eat pigs, do you not?- one of Earth-s overlords asks Strata. -Have you taken the time to converse with a pig-a small pig-as we are conversing with you now?- Hale gives his post-apocalyptic scenario special sauce, and readers will hope for more. Ages 8-12. Agency: Shannon Associates. (Mar.)

Gr 3-6 In a futuristic world where hostile aliens eat and destroy all technology, three young people are out searching for machinery to salvage. They succeed when they find a cache of robots, including a robot pony, which sets off a wild chase and confrontation with bands of roaming humans, aliens, and more. Set in a land that blends Stone Age elements and highly advanced technology, this graphic novel adventure features the same mix of humor and derring-do that makes Hale's "Hazardous Tales" so popular. The artwork is in black-and-white, with shades and pops of yellow. While many aspects of the book (for instance, aliens who use bubbles as weapons) might seem cartoony, the illustrations of this epic fantasy are sophisticated, and Hale's world-building is detailed. The violence is free of gore, making this a safer choice for younger readers. VERDICT A great option for fantasy and adventure fans. Elizabeth Nicolai, Anchorage Public Library, AK

In a world devastated by technology-stealing aliens, humans struggle to survive. A group of teens scavenges the world for technology, trying to avoid the evil aliens called Pipers. The Pipers blow bubbles to capture electricity and can snatch body parts if someone gets in the way. No one knows why the aliens are there. Strata and her friends find a robot pony that leads them to a secret cache of robots and technology hidden from the Pipers. When the pony is activated, the Pipers come out in droves, capturing all the secret technology and attempting to hunt down Strata and the pony. While running from the aliens, Strata and her friends are captured by the ferals—humans with no tech. The group promises cows and alpacas to the ferals in exchange for their lives. Knowing she must separate from her friends to save the pony she has come to love, Strata tries to find the caravan of digital rescuers that her dad, unbeknownst to her, has moved in order to hide from the Pipers. Strata is eventually captured and taken to the aliens’ spaceship where she discovers their plans to eat all the tech on Earth and then eat the humans. The pony sacrifices itself and chokes the aliens, saving the Earth and the humans. Hale shows amazing talent and humor in this futuristic alien-invasion story. Readers can feel the urgency in the struggle to preserve human history in the face of disaster. The plot builds to a short, sweet, and satisfying resolution. Hale’s illustrations are textured and visually move the story forward, while his original storyline effortlessly combines aliens, adventure, and apocalyptic fun.—Barbara Allen.