Heir of Mystery: The Second Unlikely Exploit

Unlikely Exploits #2

by Philip Ardagh, David Roberts (Illustrator)

First and foremost, this is a book about death. Okay, so it doesn't start with an actual death like the Unlikely Exploit which precedes it . . . but you'll find a lot of it about. Life's like that, though, I'm afraid. Then again, if we didn't have death, this little planet would be a very overcrowded place. Not only that, most buildings would be old people's homes and entire continents would be taken up with retirement village after retirement village, populated by some very old and wrinkled people indeed.

The second in the darkly hilarious new series that started with The Fall of Fergal

In this, the second Unlikely Exploit, Fergal McNally's brain-last seen in a pickling jar in the basement of the Sacred Heart Hospital-is stolen, and the remaining McNally children are mysteriously drawn to Fishbone Forest and the forgotten crumbling mansion which lies at its heart. Here they meet the terrifying teddy-bear-clutching Mr. Maggs who is planning to make sweeping changes to the world . . . which is all rather unlikely, isn't it?

Packed with humor and excitement, this is another surefire winner.

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Juvenile, Middle Grade, Young Adult

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Over six-and-a-half feet tall, with a bushy beard, Philip Ardagh is not only very big but also very hairy. He is the author of the Eddie Dickens Trilogy and when not writing silly books, Mr. Ardagh is quite serious and frowns a great deal. He lives in a seaside town somewhere in England with his wife and their son, Fred.

Reviews

[Jinnat Shaikh]

Heir of Mystery by Philip Ardagh is a story filled with mystery and dark humour. First and foremost, this is a book about death, though it does not begin with an actual death but with an unusual event involving young Fergal McNally. The story is full of strange and mysterious situations that keep the reader curious.

The book is interesting because it mixes humour with a serious theme. The writing style is unique and engaging, and the characters, especially Fergal McNally, are memorable. Some parts may feel confusing, but overall it is an entertaining read.

My favourite line is “the wind whistling past his sticky-out ears”. The main characters include grandparents, schoolies, The Lion King, Mr Nally and Murchs.

Overall, it is a good read for those who enjoy mystery with a touch of humour.

[Gauri Kamble]

Heir of Mystery by Philip Ardagh is a story filled with mystery and dark humour. First and foremost, this is a book about death, though it does not begin with an actual death but with an unusual event involving young Fergal McNally. The story is full of strange and mysterious situations that keep the reader curious.

The book is interesting because it mixes humour with a serious theme. The writing style is unique and engaging, and the characters, especially Fergal McNally, are memorable. Some parts may feel confusing, but overall it is an entertaining read.

My favourite line is “the wind whistling past his sticky-out ears”. The main characters include grandparents, schoolies, The Lion King, Mr Nally and Murchs.

Overall, it is a good read for those who enjoy mystery with a touch of humour.

[juLiA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heir of Mystery (Unlikely Exploit #2)
By Philip Ardragh
Recommend to age 8~11
It is not the type of book that I would usually read, since I have never actually quite liked any humourous books. Things are very weird in the book but it’s still good.
LiA@

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book two gets a little more complicated -- still highly entertaining (thanks in large part to the excellent audiobook narrator), but it leads into the messy final book.

[Anaika · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[iga · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5⭐

[Rob Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book at a book sale and decided to grab it for 20p because it looked like children's horror and as a horror fanatic I do enjoy the odd bit of child horror. It's a welcome little refresher to the horror genre and they can normally be quite funny.

What I found was a delightful little story that I've read three or four times.

The author's approach to this story is absolutely wonderful; it's a style that I hadn't yet seen before, and one that I found quite humourous - the author interrupts his own story to actually explain what's going on in the story to the readers.

I hadn't read the first in the series but with the author constantly recapping I found myself easily caught up and able to understand book 2 without any difficulty whatsoever.

This book had me in stitches almost all the way through, and I really recommend it to anyone who's looking for a funny book.


The whole concept - a sort of modern day, funny take on Frankenstein is highly interesting and I loved what the author did with it.

5/5; I can't wait to read it again.

[Kaylee Melendez]

In Heir Of Mystery a lot of strange things are going on. One of them is that Fergal McNally's brain has gone missing. It was last seen in a pickling jar and it was in the basement of the Sacred Heart Hospital. The McNally children go off to find it and they seem to be drawn to the Fishbone Forest. There they find an abandoned old creepy house. In that house they find a scary teddy-bear-clutching Mr.Maggs, he has a plan to make big changes to the world. Read the book to find what happens next in this book.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still good. Maybe not quite as good as the first, but still worth reading. This would be a funny little mystery series for 3rd or 4th grade thru maybe 6th or 7th. In this book, the McNally kids have to venture into the creepy Fishbone Forest to rescue the brain of their dearly departed youngest brother, Fergal. Ready for the final installment!

[Caitie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember my fifth-grade self finding this book incoherent and confusing, but it was worth a read to find out what had happened after 'The Fall of Fergal.' However, I did end up giving up on the series after this book, and I don't really have a desire to go back and try and read them now or to recommend them to students.

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is amazing because the author stops the story and tells you what is going on in the story. The story is about two girls and two boys trying to get a brain back from a forest. The children then go in to the forest and something bad tries to stop them. At the end something good happens to them. i will recommend this book to people who like mysteries.

[Doralyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second volume in the series was quite funny. Very dark, however.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good Philip Ardagh... not his best... but I love anything written by him. This series in general is not nearly as good as the Eddie Dicken's Trilogy though.

[Ally Kwok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the unlucky exploits!!

[Leah Adamowicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading aloud with my 4th grader. She loves the stories but too many big words and unusual sentence structure for her to read alone. :)

[Mitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read- a sort of Frankenstein combination of humor and creepiness and weirdness all sown together. I enjoyed it, but am not inclined to seek out more. A convenient read~

[Caroline]

i already read the first unlikely exploit so now i want 2 read the second