Seven young heroes, together at last and diverse in many ways, tackle armies of monsters as well as a cycle of warfare that has turned for thousands of years."League of Seven—full steam ahead!" In this headlong climax, Gratz adds the final two members to his intrepid band of world savers: tattooed, gray-skinned "science-pirate" Martine, whose synesthetic perceptions come in handy more than once; and Gonzalo, a blind young Texas Ranger with a talkative, intelligent raygun dubbed Señor X. Colorful as these and the other League members are, both in the story and in Helquist's stylish portraits at each chapter's head, the central figure remains Archie Dent, a superstrong lad snow-white of skin and hair and made from solid rock. Here, as previously, Archie's internal struggles with rage and guilt parallel a string of awesomely destructive battles he and his allies have with the immortal Mangleborn and part-human Manglespawn led by tentacled archnemesis Philomena Moffett. Following a climactic battle at Gettysburg and a final dust-up with Moffett atop the great statue of Hiawatha in the harbor of New Rome (this is a very alternate, clockwork America), it only remains to expose the secret Septemberist Society, whose suppression of scientific research has misguidedly perpetuated the Mangleborn's cyclical return down through the centuries.A fitting capstone to an epic adventure replete with monsters, huge explosions, clever twists, and just deserts. (map) (Steampunk. 11-13)

The final novel in The League of Seven series takes readers back into the alternative world of 1875 American where Archie Dent and his band of superheroes are trying to save the world from a new threat. Besides dealing with the mysterious issues regarding his birth and the return of monsters, Archie has to find the last two members of the league before it is too late to stop Philomena Moffett complete her reign of terror and take innocent lives. As the new league joins together, the members track Philomena across the world, battling creatures worse than they ever imagined, and are finally forced to confront what truly makes a person honorable and worthy.Gratz is a masterful storyteller, and this story has elements that will appeal to multiple genres of readers, from steampunk to fantasy to action and adventure. He manages to blend historical events, cultural references, scientific terms, and character diversity effortlessly as he takes readers from one action-packed scene to another. This is a satisfying ending to the trilogy that will fascinate boys and girls of all ages. There is a map of 1875 included at the beginning of the book, as well as some black-and-white illustrations by Brett Helquist placed at the beginning of each chapter. Suggest this to fans of the Matt Cruse series by Kenneth Oppel or the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfield.Valerie Burleigh.