“Often does good come out of evil” is a quote by Mahatma Ghandi that perfectly sums up this book. Nyroc has rejected the evil and bigotry fed to him as a chick and fled the Pure Ones. I’m so excited to see where his journey takes him in Beyond the Beyond!

Read: Apr. 10 – Apr. 11, 2025

Genre: Fantasy, Fable
Audience: Children, Middle-grade
Book contains: outcast, referenced criminals, intended filicide, depiction of rabies, fire, deformity

Purchase a copy from Indigo.ca

---

A True Journey of Self-Discovery

On the run from the Pure Ones, and resembling his parents too much to be at peace with the owl community, Nyroc is an outcast, and as all outcasts do, he goes to Beyond the Beyond. The destiny he finds there is something great and has been foretold for a thousand years.

Nyroc is just such a good character that you want to root for him, even though his life isn’t really going the way you want it to. He lost his best friend, the Pure Ones are after him, and the rest of the owl world looks at him and only sees his mother, thus fleeing in terror. He’s somewhat alone in the world, and while help is coming, he must adapt and be independent. It’s a great metaphor for growing up, in a way.

This novel follows Nyroc and a few other characters, including Nyra, Gwyndor, and some minor characters in relation to the former mentioned. Once again, no new owl depictions are shown on the inside covers, which is unfortunate, but we do get a new frontispiece depicting an owl and some wolves—as we know dire wolves to live in Beyond the Beyond. The structure is the same as the other books, in chronological order through many shorter chapters.

I mostly read this in the early mornings or in bed at night. It was something very new that we haven’t seen before, and we learn so much more about the legends of Ga’Hoole as Nyroc gets more and more snippets of the stories that enthrall him.

Nyroc is one of those main characters that’s just naturally good at everything, and while you want to hate him for it, he’s too humble to really be hated. The only things not going for him are his tyrant parents and the ignorance that he has—the assumptions he makes in his innocence. The characters around him are generally good or bad, not much grey area, but I suppose it’s at that point in a war that there are only really two sides: good and evil.

Nyroc and Nyra are the main focus of this book aside from Nyroc’s own relationship with his destiny and what he thinks that is. The mother-son relationship went from praise and brutal training now only to sheer hate on Nyra’s side. He betrayed her, and now she wants to kill him. She truly is evil and doesn’t see beyond her own power-hungry goals. Nyroc, however, has his own goals and is making his own way in the world. He finds allies, but even he laments in the book that everyone he grows to care bout leaves him or he must leave them. It’s quite a sad existence, but he bears it for the greater good. I believe the allegory of “the second coming” is not outlandish here, minus the tyrant parents, of course.

I continue to enjoy Lasky’s writing style, though I was upset to find quite a few typos in this one. Nonetheless, there is depth hidden behind the simplistic middle-grade audience writing. There are important lessons of nobility, free will, and the power of choices that are valuable for young readers, broadcast in an entertaining way.

Truly, the pacing was quite good. There are other worldbuilding things added here to make the story longer, but it’s still a great length. The set-ups and pay-offs are elegantly put in, and there’s enough action or intrigue between the longer talking bits that it’s not boring.

If you like adventure and intrigue, and you’ve been enjoying this series so far, I definitely recommend reading this book.

Related Reviews:

The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 1: The Capture by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 2: The Journey by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 3: The Rescue by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 4: The Siege by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 5: The Shattering by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 6: The Burning by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 7: The Hatchling by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 8: The Outcast by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 9: The First Collier by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 10: The Coming of Hoole by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 11: To Be a King by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 12: The Golden Tree by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 13: The River of Wind by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 14: Exile by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 15: The War of the Ember by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole: Lost Tales of Ga’Hoole by Kathryn Lasky
The Tale of Despereaux, a Junior Novelization by Jamie Michalak
How to Train Your Dragon Book 1: How to train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Dragon Rider Book 1: Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke