| Starred Review.
Grade 7 Up—This lyrical and complex tale of adventure and betrayal set in
sixth-century Africa continues the story of 12-year-old Telemakos, who is
recovering from the mental and physical abuse he suffered as a government spy
in The Sunbird (Viking, 2004). His troubles are nowhere near done—he's
attacked by one of the emperor's pet lions and loses an arm. His cover may
have been blown as well. He and his baby sister are sent to live with Abreha,
ruler of Himyar—once the enemy of the Aksumites, now possibly an ally, but
definitely not to be completely trusted, as the young prince soon learns.
Much of this story is based on events in The Sunbird and earlier stories in
the saga, and names, places, and relationships are sometimes difficult to
understand. That said, the writing is powerful and the characters are strong
and memorable. Telemakos is a fascinating character: intelligent, loving,
deeply scarred, and yet almost extraordinarily brave. There's a fairly
graphic description of a crucifixion midway through. This is a challenging
story complete with a cliff-hanger ending. Readers who make the effort (and
start with the earlier book) will be richly rewarded.—Mara Alpert, Los
Angeles Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of
Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. |
