Sara's Library: The Fire Chronicle

The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens
Book two of The Books of Beginning trilogy
Knopf 2012
C+

Summary from Goodreads: "It's been six months since Kate, Michael and Emma confronted the Dire Magnus, but the trail to their long-lost family remains cold. Then Michael and Emma find the man who was the last person to see them. He knows about a secret map of a distant, mysterious land - maybe this is the clue that will lead them to their parents...

"Meanwhile, Kate's connection to the Book of Time grows ever stronger, and when a dangerous trick traps her in the past, she must find new friends to help her return home. 

"Once more the children must embark on a daring and perilous quest to find the second Book of Beginning and harness its power. But will it be enough to save them all?"

Some readers may remember my enthusiastic review of the first installment of the series.  While that volume had some minor issues with genre tropes, it was a fast-paced entertaining ride that somehow felt genuine, rather than something cobbled together from better elements of fantasy literature.  Not so with The Fire Chronicle.  

I don't have a perfect memory of the last volume, but I thought Mr. Stephens's writing regressed here.  Telling comprised at least two-thirds of the book, rather than showing.  I realize this is a children's novel, but children are intelligent and intuitive.  They don't need the author to constantly reiterate the characters' feelings.  

This installment also read like every successful fantasy element was thrown into a blender in an attempt to sell books.  In addition to the time travel introduced previously, elves, dragons, an evil immortal wizard (a.k.a. Voldemort), and a book with the power to heal were all included, as well as the cast of Oliver Twist and an unnecessary star-crossed love interest for Kate.  I feel like Mr. Stephens should have chosen the most important elements and left out the rest because this really has an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink feeling to it.  I found it all to be rather disappointing, especially after the first book.

So what was good about book two?  Due to events that lead the three siblings to be separated, there's some decent character development, primarily with middle child Michael.  While he retains his geeky traits, he also matures and shows himself to be a confident, caring brother when given the opportunity.  For the most part, Kate is still the maternal figure and Emma is the loose cannon.  I think it's doubtful that this will be remedied in the final book, but at least there was some effort with Michael here.

Will I read The Black Reckoning?  Of course.  I've invested a decent amount of time into this series, and I'd like to see how it resolves itself.  That being said, it will not be with the same feelings of anticipation I  had after finishing The Emerald Atlas.  What once had great potential has become something merely mediocre.

Sara's Library: The Emerald Atlas

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
Book one in The Books of Beginning trilogy
Knopf 2011
A-

The P. orphans (surname unknown/withheld), Kate, Michael, and Emma, have been shuffled from orphanage to orphanage for as long as they can remember, ever since a deadly accident robbed them of their parents on a Christmas Eve ten years ago.  After being kicked out of their orphanage, the siblings are taken in by the mysterious Dr. Pym, who lives in a mansion in the dying town of Cambridge Falls.  While exploring the house, the kids discover a strange book and begin to uncover the secret behind the town's current status.  Eldest sibling, Kate, has the ability to time-travel via photographs, and through this new power, the group uncovers the sinister secrets behind the town's decay, including a Russian countess and vanishing children.

While the description of the book can sound a bit generic and there are definitely pieces borrowed from other children's fantasy novels (orphans, a stay at a mysterious house, a wise old benefactor who happens to be a wizard, etc.), Mr. Stephens weaves these tropes together expertly to create an ambitious introduction to his series, The Books of Beginning.  My only real complaint is that I had difficulties placing the time period in which the novel takes place.  The time-travel bits seem turn-of-the-century, but in the present the kids use a Polaroid camera.  I can understand not wanting to be too specific with the periods, but even a decade named would have helped me.

Honestly, I didn't have the highest of expectations when I began reading this for my book club, but I ended up reading it in one sitting.  The pacing is very good, in this regard; I never found myself being bored by useless or endless exposition.  Now, I will say, that I am very much a fan of fantasy, so being able to connect this work to predecessors in the genre wasn't the drawback for me that it may be to some.  It's not wholly original, but what it does, it does very well, and the way Mr. Stephens handles time-travel is intriguing.  And, anywhere there are Scottish dwarves, I'm there.  I would definitely recommend this to young fantasy readers who have finished Narnia and Harry Potter.