The Shadow Academy

Cole, author of The Omaran Saga, returns with a tale set in a dystopian future. After the Plague Wars, a ravaged Grand Britannia has slipped into a new Dark Age. Ruling through coercion and fear of an imminent invasion from Evropa, the Authority has a stranglehold on society. In an effort to maintain power, information about the past is suppressed and militarism is rampant. Londonborough is the centre of power, but it looks to extend its powers into the untamed hinterlands. In Dumnoniorum is Petra, a distant outpost, where Chad Mundy has been sent as a replacement for a mysteriously murdered teacher. Both men are members of the secretive Historical Society, and as Chad learns more about the murder, events unfold that destabilize the region. The book benefits from strong characterization. Readers witness, for example, the school caretaker Skellbow's psychological deterioration. The book, however, abounds in clich%C3%A9s and deficient plot mechanisms. These become even less satisfying as, after a painstaking amount of narrative building, events unfold somewhat precipitately. Enjoyable in parts, the story feels procrustean. Perhaps torn between authorial design and editorial demands, the story fails to convince. Agent: Richard Curtis. (Sept.)