Jeff Smith’s Bone is one of my favorite comic series. It’s a fantasy story that matches wonderful art and an original concept into an amazing story that is accessible to all ages. And since Smith has moved onto other stories, I was amazed to see that he has allowed others to play in his playground. Tom Sniegoski, who worked with Jeff Smith on BONE: Tall Tales, has started a prose series that covers events after the end of the original Bone series. The Quest for the Spark is aimed for a younger audience and is not anywhere close to the quality of the original series. But, it’s a fun little book that starts off what I assume is a trilogy that brings us back to the valley with a new cast of characters. So, let’s check out what it’s about.

Tom Elm is a simple boy. The son of turnip farmers, Tom dreams of being a hero and defending Queen Thorn. Tom’s best friend is a raccoon named Roderick (whose parents were killed by rat creatures during the great war described in the original series). When Tom finds a mysterious stone inside a turnip, his great adventure starts. His family and neighbors fall asleep, under the control of the Dreaming. The Dreaming has been conquered by an evil dragon named Nacht and Nacht is trying to extend his control into the waking world. The Dreaming has chosen Tom and given him a vision of how to save the world. Tom is also contacted by a earth spirit named Lorimar who encourages him to follow the vision.Across the valley is a Veni Yan warrior named Randolf, who lost his family and also has a vision. Unfortunately Randolf’s vision comes when he is in a bar and, when everyone thinks he is crazy, he gets him thrown in jail. And two rat creatures (later named Stinky and Smelly) had captured a dead squirrel which was taken from them by King Agak. They have the horrible idea to steal it back and, when their incompetence almost gets them caught, they start out on the run.

Back in Boneville, explorer Percival is getting ready to say goodbye to his nephew Barclay and niece Abbey. The twins parents disappeared trying to find the mysterious valley that only the Bone cousins have ever seen (and few believe them). Percival tries to hide the fact that he is going looking for the valley as well, but the twins catch on and, when a storm hits, end up on his adventure within his balloon ship. When all our heroes finally meet up, the quest is on to find the other pieces of the mysterious stone that Tom found, which will form the Spark and be able to defeat Nacht.

The story is decent, but not great and the characters are fairly loosely drawn. The plot is very standard with our heroes making their way to team up and a mysterious artifact that alone can defeat the new great evil. Don’t expect anything new or shocking, since Sniegoski stays fairly strictly to the lore established previously and only touches on the characters from the original briefly or in allusions. The book is not nearly as funny or exciting or nuanced as the original series and it really shouldn’t be compared to it. For a younger audience who enjoyed Bone, the book is a decent start to an adventure with familiar surroundings. It’s not a bad book, but is really only recommended for die-hard Bone fans and younger readers, since the book is more age appropriate. Mildly recommended.