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Reviewed by:
  • Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher
  • Alaine Martaus
Fisher, Catherine . Obsidian Mirror. Dial, 2013. 378p. ISBN 978-0-8037-3969-7 $17.99 R* Gr. 7- 12.

Jake Wilde has finally managed to get himself expelled from his Swiss boarding school, and he is headed home to seek revenge for his father's death on his reclusive guardian, Oberon Venn. Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old, feeling from mysterious pursuers, is hired to assist Venn with his secret experiment at his isolated mansion in the Devonshire countryside. Jake's unexpected arrival throws Venn's work into chaos, and Sarah, who isn't the girl everyone thinks she is, finds her plans thwarted as well. Instead, the young people get dragged into Venn's obsession with an obsidian mirror that warps space and time and threatens the very future of humanity. After Jake and Venn tumble through the mirror and vanish, a whole new adventure begins as Sarah attempts to get them back and Jake scours the streets of Victorian London, looking for a way home. With an impressive cast of intriguing characters and interwoven plotlines, this marvelous novel blends science fiction, fantasy, time travel, mystery, and adventure. Secrets, lies, and hidden intentions create narrative layers for the reader to unfold and make each character an enigma. So many elements could result in a confusing, frustrating mess, but Fisher deftly crafts each scene to create a gradually emerging puzzle with lots of tiny pieces. Quotes from pseudo-historical texts, folktales, poems, and biographies at the beginning of each chapter provide clues for readers looking to piece together the puzzle more quickly, but plenty is left unexplained as a set-up for planned sequels. Significantly different in focus and tone from Fisher's Incarceron (BCCB 2/10), this novel will still please fans who appreciate her style and pacing, while those who loved the genre-mixing fun of Colfer's Artemis Fowl (BCCB 7/01) will find this to be right up their alley.

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