I love the first book in this series and even though I thought The Game of Sunken Places was fine without a sequel I still really enjoyed this. Its creepy, funny, weird, all good stuff. I really like the main characters so will probably pick up the other books in the series at some point in the future. ( )

A battle of alien civilisations - one peaceful and one parasitic - to cohabitate Earth. Friends Brian and Gregory are on a quest to save the mankind. A readable book with likeable characters. This is a continuation of "The Game of Sunken Places." However, it leaves you hanging, waiting for part three.
Recommended for readers who enjoy series. ( )

Received as a First Reads ARC.

I think it's reasonable to give the spoiler that while this second volume in the series that began with [b:The Game of Sunken Places|183272|The Game of Sunken Places|M.T. Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172516985s/183272.jpg|177116] stands alone in terms of resolving the immediate plot points that it introduces, it ends on a cliffhanger betokening a third novel. Brian and Gregory, having won the game of sunken places, are now in charge of designing the next game--that is, Brian won, and Gregory is somewhat testy about this. However, it seems that someone isn't playing fair, and the boys find themselves in a Vermont suburb, built with surprising rapidity on the ground where the previous game was played. While this volume has some of the horror elements present in the first book, it is better read as a parody of the genre, with many of Anderson's typically clever comments and asides leavening the mood. While Gregory's surliness is somewhat inexplicable, it does not detract from the action, which is, though somewhat more superficial than the first book, far more hilarious. ( )

The Suburb Beyond the Stars by M.T. Anderson is the sequel to The Game of Sunken Places. Brian and Gregory are enjoying planning the next round of the Game, when they discover that all is not well in Vermont, where they played the Game not long ago. When Cousin Prudence and Wee Sniggleping both go missing, the boys go to investigate, and find new and terrible monsters planning to take over the world.

I didn't like this book quite as well as its predecessor. Part of the problem is that it ends in a cliffhanger, but I don't really feel any desire to read the next book (which has not yet been published -- or even written, as far as I know). There's no real plot resolution at the end of this book. Moreover, the last book was a clever puzzle with some scary adventure thrown in; this book is more scary and less mysterious. People who like inventive horror (bizarre monsters and such) will probably enjoy this -- it's just not for me. ( )

The game goes on as the boys return to New Hampshire and find that the rules of the game have been changed. Now the Thussers have begun to invade neighborhoods and take over the people who live there. They are trying to grasp power back but the boys jump into the fray and the war begins again. ( )