Happenstance Found (The Books of Umber Series #1) by P. W. Catanese

Happenstance Found (The Books of Umber Series #1) by P. W. Catanese is about a strange twelve year old boy called Happenstance, Hap for short. Hap doesn't remember anything about his life before a man named Umber and his crew found him trapped in a cavern, deep under an explosive volcano. All he had with him was a note addressed to Umber. Hap is not like other people - he has strikingly green eyes which allow him to see perfectly at night (which is nice because he doesn't sleep) and he can jump higher than any human. He can also see "threads" that seem to link things together, but he can't quite figure out what to do with them. Umber takes Hap back to his home at Kurahaven. Hap is excited to be a part of something, but continues to wonder who he is and where he came from. He knows Umber holds some clues in that note, but Umber won't tell Hap anything. It doesn't take the group long to realize they are being followed. The Creep, called Occo, followed Hap across the sea and to Kurahaven. He even tried to attack Hap in the market one morning! Thankfully, Hap's special abilities allowed him to escape unharmed, but now everyone is afraid that Hap has brought unknown evil to their town. As he tries to fit in and learn more about himself, Umber withdraws into a deep depression. It seems as though everyone is against Hap and that he'll never know the answers to the questions he has about himself. That is, until he meets the evil queen, Occo returns, and Umber is kidnapped!

This was an excellent story! I can't wait to read the second book, Dragon Games, when it comes out in January of 2010. This story reminded me of a combination of P.W. Catanese's The Mirror's Tale, Christopher Paolini's Eragon, and Jane Yolen's The Wizard's Map. I love the way the author wove twists and turns into the story and filled it with adventure and mystery! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy!