Kay (The Last Light of the Sun
) departs from his usual historical fantasies to connect the ancient, violent history of France to the present day in this entrancing contemporary fantasy. Fifteen-year-old Canadian Ned Marriner accompanies his famous photographer father, Edward, on a shoot at Aix-en-Provence's Saint-Saveur Cathedral while his physician mother, Meghan, braves the civil war zone in Sudan with Doctors Without Borders. As Ned explores the old cathedral, he meets Kate Wenger, a geeky but attractive American girl who's a walking encyclopedia of history. In the ancient baptistry, the pair are surprised by a mysterious, scarred man wielding a knife who warns that they've "blundered into a corner of a very old story. It is no place for children." But Ned and Kate can't avoid becoming dangerously entangled in a 2,500-year-old love triangle among mythic figures. Kay also weaves in a secondary mystery about Ned's family and his mother's motivation behind her risky, noble work. The author's historical detail, evocative writing and fascinating characters—both ancient and modern—will enthrall mainstream as well as fantasy readers. (Feb.)
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Reviewed on: 11/20/2006
Genre: Fiction
Hardcover - 400 pages - 978-0-7432-5250-8
Mass Market Paperbound - 528 pages - 978-0-14-317449-3
Mass Market Paperbound - 528 pages - 978-0-14-301669-4
Open Ebook - 432 pages - 978-1-4295-2809-2
Open Ebook - 978-1-101-05286-0
Paperback - 432 pages - 978-0-451-46190-2
Paperback - 522 pages - 978-0-00-734203-7
Paperback - 448 pages - 978-0-14-319409-5
Peanut Press/Palm Reader - 432 pages - 978-1-4295-2810-8