When a boy who is tall for his age is kidnapped from
a camp, the chief suspects are members of a cult who fear the oncoming
apocalypse. Frank and Joe, however, think the head of the camp may be involved.
The cultists believe the boy was taken by the “devil,” whose minions are as “tall
as trees.” Meanwhile Fenton Hardy, our heroes' private eye dad, is trying to find a scientist who was
involved in dangerous genetic experiments. The fellows wind up deep in the
Canadian wilderness, where some of the frightened loggers actually believe in the stories
of Paul Bunyan, and his equally large son is supposedly ruling over the
territory. Undeterred, Frank and Joe proceed in finding Bunyan’s – or “the
devil’s” HQ – coming across outsized footprints and the like. As usual, there
is a more realistic explanation for things involving a race of supermen. This is an above-average latter-day
Hardy Boys adventure. Gary Lang’s cover illustration depicts Frank and Joe the
way they would actually look, like handsome young men who are mature-enough
looking to not only be taken seriously by those they question during their investigation but who certainly look as if they can
acquit themselves nicely in a fight with desperadoes.
Verdict: This has its silly aspects, but it's an exciting adventure story for kids of all ages. ***.
