CITY OF TIME

Strange occurrences alert the two main characters from The Navigator (2007) that their enemies, the Harsh, are active and messing with time. Together with the inventive Dr. Diamond, they travel to the City of Time to find a fix for the problem and restore Earth to the proper passage of time. Favorite characters resurface while an appealing street tough named Rosie and a wise, oracular Yeati join the good guys. Surprises abound, characters aren’t always what they seem and McNamee has added a truck run by magnetic power and a sailing ship that negotiates the roads of time to his sort-of slipstream collection of conveyances. But although the characters are engaging, it is the quick-paced, riveting plot that drives this vehicle. Wonders never do cease: Here’s a second novel in a trilogy that doesn’t suffer from middle-book syndrome. Au contraire, this thrilling adventure featuring Cati and Owen leaves the reader satisfied with the resolution, which is not at all pat, and hungering for more. Another walloping good read from a master of the trade. (Fantasy. 10-13)