The Far Dawn

July 15, 2014
The eventful conclusion to the Atlanteans series.Jumping right into the action three days after the events of The Dark Shore (2013), the narration gives a minimal recap of the complicated events and large cast. Owen and Lilly, newly revealed to be the Medium of the Three Atlantean descendants prophesied to save the world, desperately race on to beat villainous Paul to both the Paintbrush of the Gods (a powerful tool that can restore the failing climate and rapidly dying planet) and the Terra (a personified spirit of the Earth). However, the Terra has a message for Owen: The prophecy of the Three's a lie, and they will fail. Owen must discover what that means and why he can communicate with the Terra even though he isn't the Medium. On the action-packed journey, he encounters a strange ally who enables an extended flashback to the original Atlantean Three in the days leading up to their disaster and the history of the Paintbrush of the Gods-the sequence takes readers away from the main plot for a long time, and much of it reads like an infodump, but it's necessary information containing surprising revelations. A thematic buildup leads to a choice between saving the world and saving personal love-the execution's surprising, believable and refreshingly true to the characters. The ending more than satisfies without being too tidy.A winning combination of high stakes, sacrifice and heroism. (Science fantasy. 12-18)

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September 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Owen Parker, one of three Atlantean descendants, races to find and protect the lost Atlantis from the traitor Paul and the Project Elysium group, who are bent on using it for their own greedy purpose. With the help of his love Lily, the powerful teen must journey through time and space in this pulsating and heartbreaking final chapter of this postapocalyptic series.

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