In her 11th affecting fantasy novel for young adults, Newbery Medal-winning author Susan Cooper (The Dark Is Rising sequence) writes again of the clash between good and evil. Bahamians Trey, age 12, and his mute brother Lou, 7, find themselves tugged between two parallel worlds: their own happy island life, threatened by big-business developers, and a murky, sinister otherworld called Pangaia, entered accidentally through a magical window between worlds. In a series of journeys between the two realms, Lou is saluted by underground rebels as their mythic savior Lugh, and the siblings are asked to lead the Greenwar against the Government ("the destroyers"). Along the way, Trey and Lou encounter hideous mutant insects, murderous floods in tunnels, helicopter attacks, and capture by the pro-progress, high-tech Government. Although the plot is occasionally convoluted, Susan Cooper fans will be drawn deep into the story, with its zealous Luddite-styled green guerrillas and the equally ardent progress extremists. Lou and Trey are enormously likeable, and the tropical island setting is beautifully portrayed. Ultimately, nature, myth, and destiny crash together in a breathtaking climax that will leave readers of all ages contemplating the direction our own world is taking. (Ages 9 to 13)
--Emilie Coulter
