Children's Fiction Adaptations
The Lake in the Clouds
- Publisher
- Coteau Books
- Initial publish date
- May 2015
- Category
- Adaptations
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781550506167
- Publish Date
- May 2015
- List Price
- $14.95
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
In the third instalment of this modern take on Arthurian legends, Ariane — descendant of none other than the Lady of the Lake herself — is on the run and on her own. Using her powers to keep avoiding Rex Major's agents makes her too weak to detect the next Shard of the broken sword she must reunite. And her erstwhile best friend and sidekick Wally has switched allegiance and is living a pampered life at Rex Major's right hand.
Perhaps worst of all, the powerful Rex (aka Merlin) has thebiggest network in the world, and has used it to find Ariane's Aunt Phyllis — her mother's sister, and the person she's closest to.
With her aunt under threat, Ariane has no choice but to walk straight into Rex Major's trap. No longer using her powers to stay ahead of his spies, she can sense the third Shard. Now all she has to do is win back Wally's friendship, protect her aunt's life, figure out Major's next move — oh, and get to New Zealand and safely back with the Shard whose song is beginning to call her...
About the author
EDWARD WILLETT is the author of more than sixty books of science fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction for readers of all ages. Marseguro (DAW Books) won the Aurora Award (honouring Canadian science fiction and fantasy) for Best Long-Form Work in English; his young adult fantasy Spirit Singer won a Saskatchewan Book Award. Several other of his books have been shortlisted for those and other awards.
Ed's most recent novel is the far-future humorous outer-space adventure The Tangled Stars (DAW Books). Other recent titles include Star Song, a finalist for both the Aurora Award and Saskatchewan Book Award for Young Adult Literature, published by Shadowpaw Press; Blue Fire (written as E.C. Blake), also from Shadowpaw Press; and the Worldshapers series (Worldshaper, Master of the World, and The Moonlit World) from DAW. His nonfiction runs the gamut from science books to biographies to history. He hosts Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers podcast (theworldshapers.com), in which he talks to other science fiction and fantasy authors about their creative process, and has Kickstarted several Shapers of Worlds anthologies featuring guests of the podcast.
In addition to being a writer, Ed is a professional actor and singer who has performed in numerous plays, musicals, and operas, and sung in several auditioned choirs, including the Canadian Chamber Choir. He lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, with his wife, Margaret Anne Hodges, P. Eng., a past president of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan. They have one daughter, Alice, and a black Siberian cat, Shadowpaw. You can find Ed online at www.edwardwillett.com.
User Reviews
Lake in the Clouds
Lake in the Clouds is the third installment in the Shards of Excalibur series. If you haven’t read the first two books, beware of spoilers. You’ll want to read the entire series for continuity. When we last left Ariane and Wally, they had just been separated by the evil Merlin-turned-computer-tycoon, Rex. Wally has been taken in by Rex’s smooth talk and lies about Ariane and her ever-growing power. Wally is about to discover that Rex isn’t as nice as he pretends to be. What does Rex have planned for Wally?Ariane is busy sorting through her anger with Wally for betraying her and giving the second shard to Rex. She doesn’t have a clear direction without Wally but she’s determined to find the third shard anyways. Rex finds that he is at a standstill when it comes to finding the third shard and is left with no other option but to reach out to Ariane. However, that doesn’t stop him from threatening her family along the way. Will Ariane be able to find the third shard and keep her family safe?
Lake in the Clouds is a suspenseful read that keeps the pace moving. However, it doesn’t end on as much of a cliffhanger as the second book and we’re left wondering how long it will take them to find all five shards, when they’ve only found a few so far. Still, there’s some big developments hinted at in this book, so the fourth one promises to bring in some new characters that should shake things up a bit. Unassuming characters in the first and second books have already begun to reveal their more important roles in the story. Readers can remain hopeful that there will eventually be a payoff for all of this searching.
Wally and Ariane show themselves to be both independent and resourceful in this third book. Younger readers will find much to admire about these characters. Their many adventures take them all over the world, from Canada to Hawaii and New Zealand, although they never stray far from their strong moral compass.
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