34 Book Two, Chapter Four

Published: Jan. 10, 2008, 2:30 p.m.

"Assam & Darjeeling" is the story of two children who set out to rescue their dead mother from the Underworld -- a nightmare place where the mythological desperately tries to keep pace with the world above. The children encounter cell-phone carrying demons, forgotten deities from defunct pantheons waiting tables, and one nasty character called Juniper who takes a particular, personal interest in their quest. In the fourth chapter of Book Two, Assam has many things explained to him and understands hardly any of it at all.