Le Livre des Etoiles, Tome 2 : Le Seigneur Sha

Summary: Robin is back on The Lost Isle, studying magic, coping with his new-found celebrity, and wondering about his father, who left The Lost Isle before he was born. The Sorcerer's Guild is convinced that there are dark things afoot in the Uncertain World, but after a raid on the Shadow goes horribly wrong, Quadehar begins to suspect that there is a traitor within the Guild. Meanwhile, the mysterious Lord Sha - who is rumored to be looking for his long-lost son - manages to infiltrate the monastery where Robin is studying.

Review: Like the first book, this is still an exciting and fun fantasy adventure, but unfortunately, it's also still skewed pretty juvenile. There's no real moral complexity or gray area, characters don't have a whole lot of depth, and the writing is overly enamored of the exclamation point. (It's not just the dialogue, either - most characters tend to think in exclamations, too. (!)) On the plus side, the plot has gotten somewhat more complicated, with at least one twist I didn't see coming amongst the several I did. I'm finally well enough hooked in that I want to know the answers to the mystery of Robin's parentage, destiny, etc., so I'll read the last book, but seeing as that represents a time commitment of a few hours at most, it's not exactly a ringing endorsement. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Still probably best for youngish fantasy-adventure fans (probably boys); it's a bit too simplistic for older readers. ( )

This is the second book in the series and is quite a good bridging book, with a good quick summary of what's gone on before to remind you of what's happening. There's a lot of setup and politics going on with Lord Sha being blamed for a lot, but who is Lord Sha and what does he want with Robin? Who is Robin's father? Is there more going on than is obvious? It's a book that made me want to read both book 1, to recap what had gone before better and book 3 to find out what's going on. The teenage heroes are becoming an interesting team and it will be a sorry moment when I have to leave them. ( )