Book Review: The Nine Pound Hammer

 

Summary: What if John Henry had a son? 
  Twelve-year-old Ray is haunted by the strangest memories of his father, whom Ray swears could speak to animals. Now an orphan, Ray jumps from a train going through the American South and falls in with a medicine show train and its stable of sideshow performers. The performers turn out to be heroes, defenders of the wild, including the son of John Henry. They are hiding the last of the mythical Swamp Sirens from an ancient evil known as the Gog. Why the Gog wants the Siren, they can’t be sure, but they know it has something to do with rebuilding a monstrous machine that John Henry gave his life destroying years before, a machine that will allow the Gog to control the will of men and spread darkness throughout the world.

 Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book! The whole premise of America's tall-tale heroes coupled with something reminiscent of King Arthur and his knights was enough to get my attention but this surpassed all expectations!
 The plot is unique and eye-catching but ensures to still appeal to audiences with familiar humor and the expected sort of action for the time period such as train chases and gun fights. 
 The cast are true gems and I quickly came to love all of them! They are easy to empathize with and believe in and you can't help cheering for them all.

Content: Magic, fantasy violence, a little blood, some mildly frightening scenes.
 All in all, I would say this is appropriate for almost every age!