The Beast – Ally Condie (2019)

The Beast by Ally Condie, published in 2019, is the thrilling sequel to The Darkdeep, and part of the co-authored series created with Brendan Reichs. Set in the eerie coastal town of Timbers, this middle-grade fantasy continues to follow a group of unlikely friends – Nico, Opal, Tyler, Emma, and Logan – as they contend with the mysterious, otherworldly phenomena linked to the Darkdeep, a strange black pool with the power to manifest figments from people’s imaginations. In this installment, the kids face new dangers, uncover ancient secrets, and struggle to protect their town from threats both monstrous and human.

Plot Summary

The wind swept across Still Cove like a secret, curling through pine trees and brushing against the water’s inky surface. Nico Holland felt the storm before he heard it – a creature not born of nature, but imagination. A figment. The beast before him, red-scaled and blazing, had no place in the real world, yet here it stood, its tail a furnace and eyes lit with alien intelligence. It was a Charmeleon – Tyler’s Pokémon-obsessed brain had named it – but none of them had imagined it into existence. That could only mean one thing: someone else had found the Darkdeep.

Nico, Opal, Tyler, Emma, and Logan were Torchbearers now, sworn protectors of the island and the swirling pool beneath the old houseboat. The Darkdeep wasn’t merely a strange hole in the world. It was a gateway, a mirror, a nightmare engine that breathed life into daydreams and fears. The kids had sealed it weeks ago, after figments nearly destroyed their town during the radish festival. But now, monsters were slipping through again. Worse – they had no idea how.

The Charmeleon wasn’t the first. It was the third. And the most dangerous. They fought it back with M&M’s and courage, but the victory was thin. The deeper worry lingered – the Darkdeep was supposed to be asleep.

Emma suggested a return visit to the houseboat, where the air still reeked faintly of sulfur and secrets. In the murky lair beneath, they stared down at the glassy surface of the well. It was motionless. Peaceful. Ominous. Yet Emma swore she felt something stirring below. And Opal… Opal heard a whisper, not in words, but in something older. A call, or maybe a memory.

The call guided her hand to a forgotten lunchbox, tucked beside dusty sketchbooks and relics. Inside lay a World War II medal and a quiet pull toward a place few dared visit – Fort Bulloch. It was a tangle of moss-covered bunkers and rusting fences, high on the cliffs of Razor Point. Bridger, the smooth-talking host of Freakshow, was heading there too, drawn by rumors of the Beast – a sea monster blamed for the festival chaos.

Opal convinced the others to ride out to the fort. It wasn’t just about the medal. Something inside told her they’d find answers there. They slipped past the fences and into the ruins, moving through shadowed tunnels and windblown courts, until a plaque stopped Opal cold. Among the names of fallen airmen was one she recognized – Charles Dixon – and next to it, the emblem of the Torchbearers. Not the symbol carved into their wooden necklaces, but a variation: the same hand holding a torch, but the flame curled like a vortex.

They had always assumed the Torchbearers were a recent legacy. This proved otherwise. They weren’t just kids fighting figments. They were inheritors of a duty stretching back generations, embedded even in the bones of war heroes. But why the change in the torch? What did the swirling fire mean?

Before they could find more, Bridger’s crew arrived, cameras rolling, hunting the myth of the Beast. The kids escaped over bunker rooftops, dodging sightlines and questions. From their high perch, they saw the ocean bloom red. A massive algae bloom – a red tide – pulsed near Razor Point. The unnatural color shimmered like blood beneath the clouds. Something was waking, or reacting. Nature itself was twisting.

Back at the houseboat, unease thickened. The pond around the boat turned rust-red and boiled sulfur into the air. The Darkdeep wasn’t swirling, but it was dreaming. And its dreams were leaking.

Emma, ever the thrill-chaser, secured a job as a grip with Freakshow, infiltrating Bridger’s set under the guise of eager assistant. While she fetched coffee and coiled cables, she kept one eye on their schedule. Bridger had questions – about the Beast, the radish disaster, and the kids who might have caused it. He wanted drama, not truth. Worse, Mayor Hayt and Sheriff Ritchie were starting to take notice. Interviews were being conducted. Questions asked. Fingers pointed.

Meanwhile, Tyler obsessed over the Beast. His fascination with monsters wasn’t just about curiosity anymore. He believed. Maybe not in the folklore version carved into tourist T-shirts, but in something older, deeper – a creature or presence beneath Still Cove, linked to the figments, the Darkdeep, and everything spiraling out of control.

Logan, despite his swagger and entrepreneurial spirit, grew more serious. He patched up the broken houseboat and dug into the old Torchbearer texts. He wanted to help, even if his family’s legacy – a timber empire at odds with Nico’s conservationist father – hung over him like a storm cloud.

Their unity was tested as figments appeared faster, stronger, stranger. A phantom Beast soared through the skies, trailed by laughter and panic. Tourists bought Beastburgers and Beast mugs, while the real danger slipped through the cracks. Opal heard voices in her head again – not hallucinations, but calls, like echoes from the past.

Drawn by instinct, the group returned to Fort Bulloch. Emma discovered another tunnel, Opal another forgotten relic – a different torchbearer symbol etched into a wall. It wasn’t just the past trying to reach them. Something was trying to prepare them.

The final threads pulled tight when the figments began to act independently. They didn’t just lash out. They sought. They remembered. They knew. A figment appeared that no one recognized – not from any game, movie, or dream. It wasn’t born of their imagination. That meant someone else had entered the Darkdeep.

Someone unknown.

They weren’t just containing old echoes anymore. They were in a new game – one without rules, where imagination wasn’t just leaking, it was infecting. The line between real and unreal shimmered like heat on black water.

As Halloween loomed and Timbers transformed into a carnival of fake monsters and real danger, the Torchbearers stood at the center of a growing storm. The town was laughing, cheering, eating radish-flavored burgers. But beneath the surface – beneath the Cove – something was shifting.

The Darkdeep was not asleep. It was watching.

And it was not alone.

Main Characters

• Nico Holland – The de facto leader of the group, Nico is brave, thoughtful, and deeply loyal to his friends. His connection to nature and his rational demeanor often ground the group, though he struggles with the pressure of leadership and the mysterious tension between his and Logan’s families.

• Opal Walsh – Intelligent, intuitive, and introspective, Opal is deeply attuned to the mysteries surrounding the Darkdeep. Her instincts often guide the group, especially as they confront ancient secrets. She shares a complex bond with both Nico and Logan, and her internal compass is vital in driving the story forward.

• Emma Fairington – Outgoing and exuberant, Emma is a movie and effects enthusiast who thrives on creativity and excitement. Initially fascinated with creating figments, her experiences have made her more cautious. She adds levity but also insight, especially as she infiltrates the paranormal investigation show Freakshow.

• Tyler Watson – Nervous but sharp, Tyler is the comic relief who often voices the group’s collective fears. He has a deep fascination with myths and monsters, especially the legendary Beast of Still Cove, and provides encyclopedic knowledge that sometimes proves vital.

• Logan Nantes – The group’s most reluctant member, Logan has a privileged background and a turbulent history with Nico due to their fathers’ rivalry. Over time, he evolves from self-centered to self-sacrificing, proving a loyal ally. His business-minded approach often contrasts with the others’ urgency.

• Colton Bridger – A charismatic and opportunistic host of the sensationalist online show Freakshow, Bridger arrives in Timbers to investigate the Beast mythos. His presence poses a threat to the Torchbearers’ secrecy, and his motives, while masked in charm, are driven by fame.

Theme

• Imagination vs. Reality: The Darkdeep turns imagination into reality, manifesting figments that can become dangerously autonomous. This theme explores the consequences of unchecked creativity and the responsibility of creators to manage their visions.

• Coming of Age: Each character navigates personal growth, grappling with fear, identity, and purpose. Their evolving responsibilities as Torchbearers symbolize the shift from childhood curiosity to mature vigilance.

• Friendship and Loyalty: The core group faces numerous external threats but remains united through trust and shared experience. Their bonds are tested repeatedly, but the story emphasizes how genuine connection can overcome fear and division.

• Secrets and Legacy: As the Torchbearers uncover artifacts and clues from past generations, they inherit not only the tools but also the burdens of those before them. This motif underscores how history, when hidden or misunderstood, can breed danger and misunderstanding.

• Truth vs. Sensationalism: The arrival of Freakshow introduces the tension between authenticity and performance. The characters must protect the truth about the Darkdeep while navigating a world eager for sensational explanations, even if false.

Writing Style and Tone

Ally Condie’s writing in The Beast is dynamic and cinematic, blending sharp dialogue with fast-paced action. Her prose leans heavily on sensory detail, particularly in moments of tension, evoking a tactile sense of setting – from the rainy woods of Timbers to the murky allure of the Darkdeep. This grounded description juxtaposed with fantastical occurrences roots the supernatural in believable reality, enhancing the story’s suspense.

The tone oscillates between humorous and foreboding, maintaining a balance that suits its middle-grade audience. Light-hearted banter and pop culture references, especially through Tyler and Emma, keep the mood buoyant. However, the looming dread of the Darkdeep and the growing realization that the town’s fate may rest in the hands of a few seventh graders inject weight and urgency. This duality – the wonder of discovery coupled with the threat of catastrophe – defines the book’s emotional core.