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CM . . .
. Volume X Number 11 . . . . January 30, 2004
excerpt:
Secret of Light, sequel to Seeds of Time, by freelance writer K.C. Dyer, is a time slip fantasy novel for young adult readers. The 13-year-old protagonist, Darrell Connor, is about to begin another school year at the alternative art school Eagle Glen on the coast of British Columbia. Darrell looks forward to a new term where she can work on her skills as a painter and get reacquainted with her classmates Brodie, a budding paleontologist, and Kate, a computer geek. However, she is surprised to see that her nemesis, Conrad Kennedy, is a student at the school. When Darrell and her friends discover a portal to the past in an abandoned lighthouse, they are hurtled back in time to Renaissance Florence where they encounter a young Leonardo Da Vinci. Abandoned by his mother as a child, Leonardo “professed to have no use for women” and believed that “girls cannot be artists.” He shows Darrell one of his notebooks that includes sketches for a clock designed to run with the power of water and “a machine to make men fly into the skies above us and perhaps one day into the past or future.” When Darrell and her friends time travel back to present day Eagle Glen, Darrell resolves to return to the past to find out how much Leonardo knew about the secret of time and perhaps change her own past. She wants to prevent the accident that took the life of her father and resulted in the loss of her leg. In the process, Darrell begins to discover more about herself and learns that by trying to change the past, she may affect the present. The details of fifteenth century Italy are well researched and believable. While the portrayal of Leonardo is convincing, that of Conrad Kennedy, the bully, is less so. He is a one-dimensional figure who displays little character development throughout the novel. Eagle Glen is based on the European school model of terms and forms and is reminiscent of Hogwarts. Darrell’s pals also closely resemble Harry Potter’s chums, Ron and Hermione. One can also hear the crisp tone of Professor McGonagall and the wisdom of Professor Dumbledore in the words of the principal Professor Tooth. The many references to the previous adventures encountered by the trio of friends in the first book, Seeds of Time, are vague and may frustrate a reader who is not familiar with it. It is also not immediately apparent why Darrell has lost part of her leg and wears a prosthesis. Very little light is shed on Darrell’s relationship with her often absent physician mother who is involved with Doctors without Borders. While the links to the previous novel are weak and the characters are somewhat derivative and formulaic, the historical elements and the time travel/fantasy are skillfully executed and make Secret of Light a satisfying read. A recommended purchase for libraries owning Seeds of Time. K.C. Dyer is currently working on the final book of “The Seeds/Secret Trilogy.” Recommended.
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