Phoebe Plumm and Micah Tanner are a long way from home and entrenched in a war with no end in sight. The Foundry, an all-powerful company that profits off the living resources of Mehk, is prepared to unleash a wave of devastating attacks to quell the growing resistance among the mehkans, and capture Phoebe and Micah, dead or alive. But the ancient Creator of Mehk, Makina, has plans for young Phoebe. She is tasked with seeking the Occulyth, an object they hope can turn the tide against the Foundry. With her father gone, Phoebe’s once unshakable determination is broken, and while Micah tries his best to uphold her father’s wish and protect her, their enemies are closing in and time is running out. Authors Cam Baity and Benny Zelkowicz raise the stakes in the epic follow-up to The First Book of Ore: The Foundry’s Edge.
Books of Ore
As the ruthless Foundry tightens its grip, Phoebe and Micah race against time on a desperate mission: To find the sacred object that might be Mehk’s only hope.
Summary
Reviews
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Cam Baity & Benny Zelkowicz have created an absolutely original, mind-blowing, wholly original world that is filled with both peril and beauty. The mettle is in the metal in this universe. I found myself traveling through it in constant awe while getting lost in the unique imaginations of these two gifted writers.
D.J. MacHale, bestselling author of the Pendragon series and the SYLO Chronicles trilogy
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Phoebe Plumm and Micah Tanner bravely search for the mysterious Occulyth, which they hope will resolve all of their challenges in this second of the Books of Ore. Phoebe blames herself for the loss of her father, Dr. Jules Plumm, a former key employee of the Foundry, the powerful Meridian-based technology company that exploits the metal creatures of Mehk. Meanwhile the Covenant, the resistance army made up of disaffected mehkans, is fighting back against the Foundry’s imperialism and looking to Phoebe and Micah to help. Phoebe, who turns 13 in this installment, is thrust into the limelight, seeking an illuminated path and wondering how to act around ardent warriors who treat her like a saint. Baity and Zelkowicz, both animators, enter into some heavy-duty world-building in this volume, complete with an origin story, new allies and enemies, and an extensive original vocabulary. They even create a whole religion—including excerpts from Scripture—that is refreshingly female-dominated. The novel explores themes of political, environmental, and even spiritual plundering as well as what it means to be Waybound. Phoebe insists: “People will change….They’ll have to.” A brainy, action-packed fantasy outing even more complex and sophisticated than series opener THE FOUNDRY’S EDGE (2014). (Fantasy. 11-14)
Kirkus Reviews
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Phoebe and Micah just barely survived the final battle in THE FOUNDRY’S EDGE (2014), and now they’re in the depths of the land of Mekh, contemplating their next moves. The mystical leader of the Covenant, a religious group fighting back against the Foundry, has given Phoebe a special, dangerous task. She must find an object that will ensure the Covenant’s victory. But the directions are a riddle, and the evil Foundry is hot on her tail. Baity and Zelkowicz’s world building is as vivid and cinematic as in the series opener, though readers unfamiliar with that title will be hopelessly lost. A cliffhanger ending guarantees at least one more volume.
Booklist
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Orphaned Phoebe Plumm is far from her prosperous home of Meridian, and she and her servant Micah Tanner are engaged in a seemingly endless, hopeless battle. The Foundry, a ruthless global monopoly, exploits the metallic creatures of Mekh for its economic gain. Like the Empire in The Empire Strikes Back, the Foundry has recovered from the uprising in THE FOUNDRY’S EDGE: THE FIRST BOOK OF ORE (Hyperion, 2014/VOYA April 2014), and is responding with a vengeance. Its brutal attacks on the rebel mekhan army, known as the Covenant, are aimed at neutralizing Phoebe and Micah. Like Zeus in The Matrix, the Covenant is convinced that Phoebe has been selected by their god, Makina, for a reason. Like Lord of the Rings, there is a mysterious item known as the Occulyth that can neutralize the Foundry, if Makina can find it and harness its power. But Phoebe’s confidence is shaken, and she will need significant help from Micah, who, not unlike Tolkien’s Samwise Gamgee, is sworn to protect her. That is the foundation for Cam Baity and Benny Zelkowicz’s WAYBOUND: THE SECOND BOOK OF ORE.
If all this sounds complex, it is, and that will appeal to readers who prefer to immerse themselves in complicated, imaginative worlds that draw upon classic sci-fi/fantasy motifs as touchstones. Baity and Zelkowicz’s living world of metal is distinctive, and fans will find much to like. While the sequel will not win new devotees to the series, or to science fiction, those already immersed in this rich mythology will not be disappointed.
VOYA Magazine
Art & Maps
Authors
Cam Baity
Cam was born during a nasty heat wave in Richardson, Texas. He has been drawing ever since he figured out how to use his hands, and in second grade he wrote his first book about an adventurous wombat in fluorescent high-top sneakers named “Mr. Cuzul.” In fourth grade, he got his first taste of celluloid when he starred in an independent feature penned by Pulitzer Prize winning writer, Tracy Letts. Fortunately for Cam, the film was never completed.
He discovered Dungeons & Dragons in middle school and soon became obsessed with making art and telling stories. Attending the Arts Magnet High School in Dallas, Cam won accolades for his work including First Place in Painting at the 1996 Visual Arts Guild Exhibit. His obsessions with art and story collided when he studied animation at The School of Visual Arts in Manhattan as well as CalArts. He made short films, which screened around the world at festivals like Cinequest, Anima Mundi, and the BBC British Short Film Festival. With eighteen years of experience in the film industry, his credits include major motion pictures such as TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE and popular television series like SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS and ROBOT CHICKEN, for which he won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation.
Most recently, Cam has written on Dreamworks TV’s TROLLS, and he is completing his trilogy of fantasy novels published by Disney, THE BOOKS OF ORE. In his spare time, he has returned to the passion of his youth, threatening the livelihood of adventurers as their beloved and oft feared “Dungeon Master.”
Benny Zelkowicz
Born in Ottawa, Canada to professional musicians, Benny bucked family tradition to pursue a sensible career in the hard sciences. While studying biopsychology at Oberlin College, he spent countless hours in the lab, carefully analyzing the tiny brains of the African knifefish.
By the time he graduated, he realized that his own brain was consumed not with his research, but with the film he was animating in his spare time. So Benny left the poor fish alone and earned an MFA at CalArts, where he developed a special love for stop-motion, clay, and sand animation. His award-winning film, The ErlKing, screened at Sundance, Annecy, and The New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center. Benny directed the BBC/CBC animated series Lunar Jim and provided the voice for the title character.
Over the past seventeen years, Benny has worked on tons of commercials, music videos, feature films, and TV shows, and is the co-author of the acclaimed BOOKS OF ORE trilogy, published by Disney-Hyperion. He lives in Ohio.
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Sample
Here is a sample of the first three chapters of WAYBOUND.
News & Updates
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The Third Book of Ore: Blaze of Embers
February 1, 2017The final book of our trilogy is coming! It will be available on April 12th, and here is a peek at what it looks like:
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Mysterious Galaxy Birthday Bash
April 19, 201623 years of “Martians, Murder, Magic, and Mayhem” will be celebrated on May 7th – and that fits us to a T! We are honored to have been invited to the greatest bookstore with the greatest staff on the greatest day. Come join the festivities! Here are the details.
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WAYBOUND Event at Pages
April 11, 2016We will be at the amazing book store Pages in Manhattan Beach on April 13th at 6:30 – come heckle us! Details are here.