(3) YA Shepherd's trilogy following the female descendants of mad scientists ripped from nineteenth-century horror novels (The Island of Dr. Moreau and Frankenstein) concludes elegantly as Juliet and Montgomery take refuge in a Scottish manor and struggle to untangle questions of moral and biological heritage that have shaped their lives. Full measures of suspense, action, and romance are employed to tie up every loose end.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) YA While Juliet Moreau (The Madman's Daughter)--back in London after escaping her father's island--struggles to find a cure for herself and the other victims of her father's work, she discovers a shocking conspiracy amongst London's most powerful men. Shepherd hybridizes famous horror stories by H. G. Wells and Robert Louis Stevenson to create her own romance-tinged tale of monsters and murder.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) YA Juliet Moreau leaves Victorian London to reunite with her estranged father on an island, where she's drawn to Montgomery, her father's assistant, and Edward, a mysterious castaway. As the dangers of the bestial creatures her father creates grow more threatening, Juliet confronts horrifying truths. Shepherd sticks fairly close to Wells's Island of Dr. Moreau but furthers her story's appeal with sweeping romance.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) 4-6 Graphic Planet: Graphic Horror series. Illustrated by Ben Dunn. These brief adaptations of classic horror tales may engage comic book fans. For the most part, the shadowy cartoon-panel illustrations and simplified language attempt to stay true to the time periods and creepy atmospheres of the original stories. Awkward text placement is a drawback. Review covers these Graphic Planet: Graphic Horror titles: The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Invisible Man, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Tell-Tale Heart.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Santoro & Christopher Santoro. This fast-paced book describes the events of October 30, 1938, when an Orson Welles radio production of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds caused a nationwide panic. Featuring humorous black-and-white images, the entertaining narrative offers explanations--e.g., the era's breakneck technological developments--for why some listeners believed that an alien invasion was plausible. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA World Writers series. This biography of the prophetic English writer ably demonstrates how his working-class background, atheism, and socialism informed his prose. Boerst plucks useful information and illustrative details from Wells's autobiographical work; however, some tidbits (such as the length of Wells's wife's first labor) seem haphazard. Black-and-white photos of key players in Wells's life are featured. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram