Riven

This companion volume, or “sidequel,” to Prodigal retells many of the same events from the perspective of Ethan, a former (fictional) acolyte of villainous genius Nicola Tesla, but there are enough original events for the story to work for new readers. Ethan time-travels with the Hollows, individualists who oppose Tesla’s plan to control the time streams. When Ethan begins experiencing strange side effects of time travel, he learns that his role in the conflict between Tesla and the Hollows may be more complex than anyone imagined. Unfortunately, Ethan’s dilemma—whether to be the servant of the time stream or defiantly change it—isn’t interesting enough on its own. When the story moves to a dystopian setting in which all time travelers are hunted, the pace and engagement soar, as readers are introduced to a horrific, dust-laden future that might only be avoided by great sacrifice. Although the book has flaws, its rich description, moral questions, and complex plot threads make it worth reading and typify the series. [em](May) [/em]