The Obsidian Blade
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4.3 • 14 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Kicking off a riveting sci-fi trilogy, National Book Award winner Pete Hautman plunges us into a world where time is a tool - and the question is, who will control it? The first time his father disappeared, Tucker Feye had just turned thirteen. The Reverend Feye simply climbed on the roof to fix a shingle, let out a scream, and vanished - only to walk up the driveway an hour later, looking older and worn, with a strange girl named Lahlia in tow. In the months that followed, Tucker watched his father grow distant and his once loving mother slide into madness. But then both of his parents disappear. Now in the care of his wild Uncle Kosh, Tucker begins to suspect that the disks of shimmering air he keeps seeing - one right on top of the roof - hold the answer to restoring his family. And when he dares to step into one, he's launched on a time-twisting journey- from a small Midwestern town to a futuristic hospital run by digitally augmented healers, from the death of an ancient prophet to a forest at the end of time. Inevitably, Tucker's actions alter the past and future, changing his world forever.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this thrilling first volume of the Klaatu Diskos trilogy, 13-year-old Tucker Feye's ordinary life in smalltown Minnesota changes dramatically when his father, a preacher, disappears through a mysterious disk near the roof of their house. He reappears an hour later, without his religious faith, but with Lahlia, an awkward young woman who he claims is from Bulgaria. When, a year later, Tucker's parents both vanish, he sets out to find them, aided by Lahlia and his biker uncle, Kosh. Tucker discovers that the "diskos," which were created by a noncorporeal artist from the distant future, allow travel between time and place. The result is a whirlwind tour of some unpleasant societies and moments in human history, some of which (such as the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers) are jaw-dropping this might be Hautman's most daring book yet. Throughout, Hautman (The Big Crunch) raises significant issues concerning family, faith, and destiny. Well-developed and complex characters, a fascinating time travel framework (including dispatches from the far future), and a heart-stopping conclusion will leave readers looking forward to the next book. Ages 12 up.
Customer Reviews
Fantastic! But complicated...
I don't write reviews often... So bear with me please.
The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman is a great story with plenty of conflict and enough plot twists to keep anyone entertained for a while. It basically starts by jumping right in, telling how Tucker Feye's father disappeared from the roof of their house, then how he came back later with a strange girl in tow. Tucker believes that the girl is the source of changed taking place in both of his parents - his father becomes more withdrawn and, although he is a preacher, loses faith in God, while his mother seems to be losing his mind.
Tucker is also connecting the events to a floating shimmery disk hovering above his house, which he later discovers is a disko.
I won't give any more of the story away! Anyways, my overall opinion is that the book is fascinating but, there is time travel, and it's not just mentioned in passing - the ability of the diskos to transport people to different places and eras is a main part of the plot. This makes the story extremely complicated and a little hard to follow at times, due to Tucker and the other characters going to multiple places and finding strange patterns and connections with occurrences that take place millennia apart. I wouldn't recommend for under the age of about middle school, because of this difficult plot (which is why I took a star off my rating) and also because of minor usage of language. Other than that, there are no problems and this is a great read!
Good
Good
Review
One of the best books I've read in a while. The Obsidian Blade kept me up and turning pages till the very end.