Saturday Shorts: King of Marbury by Andrew Smith

Marbury is another world, a dark world that best friends Jack Whitmore and Conner Kirk have fallen into before. A stranger had given Jack a pair of glasses – it’s through the lenses that the boys get to Marbury. Told through Conner’s point of view, THE KING OF MARBURY asks whether Marbury is only in Jack and Conner’s minds, or if it might actually be real. You decide.

King of Marbury takes places in between The Marbury Lens and Passenger. It is told from the perspective of Conner, Jack’s best friend. It was interesting to be in Conner’s head, though he did not remind me of the Conner in The Marbury Lens. Of course, we saw Conner through Jack’s eyes. I think Conner is more subdued than we originally thought and probably showing off most of the time, as guys often do. In this novella, Conner is seeking out answers to that damn lens that transported them to Marbury, and doing it behind Jack’s back. I think Conner’s intent is to save Jack from more mayhem, but he may have brought on more torturous knowledge for himself.

This story was…interesting. I wanted more, which shows that it definitely entertained me. As with the end of The Marbury Lens, I’m still left wondering if this is all a big, fat, insane ride on the Cuckoo Express or if there is some reality to their experiences. It appears to be leaning one way, but I’m hoping Passenger clears some things up. Or maybe I’m not. I think I love this series so much because it is psychologically off-the-rocker crazy awesome, and maybe I want to be left to figure things out for myself. It’s book like these that I think about for years.

For those interested in read King of Marbury, you can read it for free on Tor.com or buy it for $.99 on ebook.

Quotes

I turned my eyes down and stared at my feet. It felt like I was balancing on a surfboard.

A shark-infested monster break, Jack.

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• Tags: Andrew Smith, The Marbury Lens•