BIONICLE®: Legends #7 Prisoners of the Pit is no different than any of the Scholastic BIONICLE books that have come before it, and that’s its problem. Four years and a score of books after BIONICLE Chronicles started us off, I must be growing tired of the series.
It does not help matters that the BARRAKI are practically carbon-copies of the PIRAKA storywise: six powerful creatures allied to acquire the Mask of Life for their own evil purposes, but unable to avoid squabbling amongst themselves long enough to actually accomplish anything more than a few spurts of mayhem. Fortunately, the focus here is on the TOA MAHRI.
The TOA MAHRI, having been transformed by the Mask of Life (in yet another bid to save itself through whomever happens to be anywhere near it at the time) from the TOA INIKA, have new masks, new abilities, and new weapons to check out. The MATORAN of Mahri Nui aren’t exactly welcoming them with open arms either, not that it matters much since the TOA MAHRI can no longer breathe in air.
My main complaint with the book is a spoiler, covered in my review of the latest BIONICLE: Ignition comic, so I won’t be repeating it here. Suffice it to say that you need to read this book or the comic (or talk to a chatty friend who has) if you want to know what is going on.
The book does have one bright, shiny moment when MANTAX observes, “I have no friends … (o)nly enemies I haven’t killed yet.” The kicker though comes in the Epilogue with the TOA NUVA. There is more suspense and intrigue in this one brief chapter than the entire rest of the book.
I hate to have written another mostly critical review, and I must admit that I feel better about the book now than when I first finished reading it. There is additional light on the horizon in this comment from Greg Farshtey regarding my last review: “If you are looking for a good climax, you should be much happier with Book 8.”
Need additional encouragement? On the ” Story ” page of BIONICLE.com , it says this:
- Its a race to the finish to save the life of Mata Nui and before its over, the Toa Mahri will face their greatest challenge and a tragedy that will haunt them forever.
Now that’s a story I want to read!
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