Ariel fans waited twenty-six years for this sequel to a Changed world when technologies suddenly failed and magic took over, hardly an original theme now, but groundbreaking in 1983. In the decades since the Change, Pete Garey the teenaged hero of Ariel has become a father, settled in Del Mar. His son Fred is a teenager, part of the first generation to grow up after the Change with no understanding of his father’s youth when everyone was connected via the internet and cell phones. Fred finds his apprenticeship with the old local sorcerer a bore, nothing but meaningless chores and minor castings. He yearns for more and together with his best friend Yan, the two boys work out a way to make magic accessible to anyone.
The rift comes when Fred realizes his motives are very different from Yan who not only seeks power but also betrays him. Fred, Pete, Ariel and Yan’s father begin a quest to stop Yan and the series of events he set into motion that could potentially unmake the world they know.
This thoughtful coming of age apocalyptic tale is largely narrated by Fred with his abrupt manner of speaking and strange spelling which readers may find a bit challenging at first. It is interesting to see how Pete aged and weathered the intervening gap between the two books and a reappearance of Ariel, his old unicorn companion. In Elegy Beach , Boyett altered the timeline of Ariel and the Change to dovetail better with today’s current technologies such as the internet and iPods while presenting magic as a possible variation of computer language. While purists may find this change off-putting, it adds credibility to the storyline, which works on several levels. A worthy sequel that will leave readers hoping they won’t have to wait another twenty-six years for another book about the Change.
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