Rick Brant #8 Caves of Fear and #9 Stairway to Danger

In Rick Brant #8, The Caves of Fear, Chahda sends a coded telegram to Spindrift Island.  After decoding the message, the boys discover that Chahda is in danger and that he needs their help.  Rick, Scotty, and Zircon travel to Hong Kong to follow the clues that Chahda provided.

While science plays a role as always, I did not find it distracting.  This book has no lengthy descriptions of scientific concepts.

I found this story to be very engaging, especially once the group arrives in Hong Kong.  I read this book much faster than I did the previous book.  The books I enjoy the most are ones that provide adventure without including an overabundance of tedious detail.  This book fit both conditions, so I enjoyed it greatly. 

In Rick Brant #9, Stairway to Danger, the scientists from Spindrift Island are building a robotic bulldozer for the government.  Meanwhile, Jerry and Barby's vehicle is struck by a hit-and-run driver.  Rick and Scotty are determined to find the culprit and soon believe that the culprit is hiding in an amusement park next to the building where the Spindrift scientists are working on the robot.

After Jerry and Barby are struck by the hit-and-run driver, the state police can't help much because they are looking for an escaped convict.  I drew the immediate conclusion that the escaped convict was the hit-and-run driver.  Who else would it be?  Series books are so predictable.

I find the cover art to be lacking.  The author's name is obscured by the background colors.  The villain looks so strange wearing what appears to be a beret.  Rick's pose disturbs me.  His left leg doesn't look right to me.  Last, the Tractosaur, or robotic bulldozer, looks like a funky flying saucer hovering over the ground. 

The climax of the book, which is the scene depicted on the cover, is hilarious.  You could also say that the cover art is unintentionally hilarious.

This book had some lengthy scientific descriptions that were boring to me.  I skimmed through those passages.  Other than those scattered parts, I found the story to be very engaging, and I read the book rather quickly.