Monday, October 29, 2007

The Lighthouse War

In The Lighthouse War, Jamie and Ramsay return to the planet
Altair. In order to do so, however, they need to convince
Ramsay's older brother to help them recharge the Salmon used
to travel between worlds. With his help, they break into a
power plant and recharge it. Brian, Ramsay's brother, then
orders that he goes first. He comes back to say that men in
hoods, and a lady attacked him. Then, Jamie's mother gets grabbed (the second time), after coming to the lighthouse. Sheand Brian are captured, while Ramsay and Jamie get away. They travel back and land on the Sacred Isle, where Alkhavansoldiers are attempting to take down the lighthouse.
However, the Oraland soldiers, lead by Lorca, drive them
off. It is then that Jamie discovers that, after the year
of his absence, Wishaway had married Lorca. Ksar has by
then become the leader of Alkhava, with his sister the Witch
Queen. Lorca convinces his grandfather to lend him ships
and soldiers to help rescue Jamie's family from the Witch
Queen. Ksar knows of his attempt, and plans an ambush.
During this time, Jamie has tried, unsuccessfully, to talk
to Wishaway. She is angry that he continues to talk about
her marriage. When they arrive in Balanmanik, the Witch
Queen's home city with the glacier to the north, the Witch
Queen herself meets them. Brian and Anna, Jamie's mother,
are brought out. Jamie and Lorca take them and are about to
ride off when the entire Alkhavan army attacks. Once the
battle is lost, Brian, Anna, Jamie, Ramsay, Wishaway, and
Lorca run off on top of the glacier to escape. The
Alkhavans then pursue them.After several days, they reach
a spot where the ice thins. After a few hours, the ice has
faded and it is much warmer. The Alkhavans are getting
close. Finally, the group reaches what the Alkhavans call
the Tomb of the Ice Gods. Those members of the group from
Earth, however, realize it's a space ship.After opening it
with the Salmon, Brian and Ramsay work on opening it. The
others gather berries to eat and snow to melt and drink.
However, once they figure out how to work it, Lorca decides
not to go to Earth. Wishaway, however, refuses to surrender
to the Alkhavans. Lorca leaves and tells the Alkhavans
everything he knows. They attack while Jamie and Wishaway
are gathering berries. Ksar attacks Jamie and Wishaway, who
manage to stop him. Lorca, meanwhile, realizes what he had
done and attacked and killed the Witch Queen, himself dying
in the process. Jamie and the others escape to Earth, but
Ksar sneaks on and hides in the ceiling. When he attacks
them, they overpower him and Ksar dies. On Earth, they
crash land the ship off the Scottish coast and are picked up
by a radio station barge. No one knows that they came on a
spaceship, having been told it was a light aircraft.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10

This book was, if possible, better than the first. It
was nonstop action, with some romance thrown in to spice it
up. The characters were dynamic and changed with every
twist of the plot. They were round and you ended up crying
and laughing with them. There was even plenty of comic
relief. The Lighthouse War gets a ten out of ten from me.

Violence

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country:
Chambersburg, PA US