by
Lynn Abbey
ISBN: 0-441-00831-3 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
More satisfying than its prequel, this fantasy ocassionally lags due to slow plot, but features a very realistic and sympathetic heroine.
Reviewed by David on July 06, 2001
Genre: Fantasy (Magic)
Synopsis: This is a sequel to Out of Time. Emma Merrigan is a fifty-year-old librarian, who despite her professional competence, close friends and affectionate step-children had struggled with loneliness and boredom.
Emma's divorced, her father has died a year ago, and her step-children are grown and have moved away. And University politics and library acquisitions do not truly satisfy Emma.
However, a few months ago, her life has changed—perhaps not for the better, but definitely for the less boring. Emma thought her mother, Eleanor died shortly after Emma's birth; now Eleanor showed up looking young enough to be Emma's daughter. A shadowy organization claimed Emma as one of them—a group of curse hunters. And malevolent and persistent magic—curses—threaten Emma from the Nether Lands.
Full Review: Emma is an extremely well portrayed character. An aging baby-boomer, she has raised a family and became a respected, and influencial library administrator. Her friends and colleagues are both realistic and, at time, likable. Her supernatural adventures are not a typical coming-of-age story, but Emma changes nonetheless. In this second book in the series, Emma is less confused by the supernatural rearrangement of her life, and becomes more motivated by duty, curiousity and excitement. The newcomers to her life—the curse-hunters, a suspicious Frenchman in the Nether Lands, and even her mostly-absent mother become fleshed out and interesting.
On the negative side, the plot is slow at times, and the supernatural element, while interesting, seems to provide less wonder and excitement than a fantasy really needs.
In many ways, this book has similarity to Abbey's The Guardians; but Emma is a more mature and a more interesting protagonist then that of the earlier novel. This book is enjoyable despite some slow moments, and the series promises to become even better with new installments.
Overall: 6; Plot: 6; Characters: 6; Style: 5.5; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 2001, Ace, July 2001, Mass-market, 296 pages
ISBN: 0-441-00831-3 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com