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The Islands of the Blessed

In this sequel to The Land of the Silver Apples (BCCB 10/07), two years have passed and Thorgil and Jack are long overdue for new adventure, as they are both chafing under the limits of small-town life. What’s left after braving the underworld, traveling with Vikings, training with the best bard, and battling overzealous monks? Voyaging to an underwater world, Notland, that is nearly impossible to find and perilous in nature, and which is the original home to a restless spirit now endangering Jack’s home town. As the pair travels, the single quest is made more complex, expanding in scope to include rescues, new encounters with the undead, and the fight against a horrific and fast-moving illness that is threatening entire populations. This is the final volume of a trilogy that began with Jack and Thorgil as kids entirely unaware of their own powers and strengths and at odds with one another, and which ends with two deeply bonded teens who are each destined for greatness. For all the attention Farmer gives to topics such as the fragility of life, religions, familial responsibility, and to developing her extraordinary fantasy world, she never loses sight of her core protagonists, with whom readers have likely bonded at their first introductions. In spite of frequent references to the two earlier novels, the depth of many of the characters and their complex relationships and overlaps simply cannot be conveyed in this single volume. Fortunately, this weighty series will easily repay reading as a whole, and readers who’ve followed the first two adventures will be satisfied indeed with the final outing.