A YOUNG QUARTET'S QUEST TO SAVE THE WORLD
Junior high and high school years are trying times, and The World Weaver by Craig Etchison is about young adults as they attempt to make sense of their place in the world--and out of it!
On the first day back to school after summer vacation, Peggy McClean befriends an intriguing new boy in her class. Shy and soft-spoken Larkin is unlike anyone else Peggy has ever met. He doesn't fit in with the other kids at school, and Peggy can't figure out why....
When Peggy's grandmother invites Larkin and his mother to a dinner party, the results are disastrous! Larkin's mother drinks liquor straight from a flask and flirts with Peggy's friends' fathers. When Peggy finally demands an explanation from Larkin, he confesses to her that he is actually an apprentice World Weaver from another space-time dimension. Larkin can imagine things into existence, and his mother was just an image of a film noir character he had seen on television.
Larkin's quest is to recruit a group of young heroes to stop Gurnacht, an elder and evil World Weaver, from creating another world to destroy Earth. Peggy agrees to join him, and, along with two of her classmates--Regina, a mentally challenged girl without many friends, and Donny, a popular and gifted athlete with a chip on his shoulder--sets off with Larkin to save the universe. The resulting adventure will test this unlikely group's faith in themselves, bringing to light their common fears and insecurities, as well as the individual hang-ups they must each overcome with the help of their friends.
Though highly original, The World Weaver does share certain themes with other classics in the genre of young adult fantasy, such as the Wrinkle in Time series, The Chronincles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, and the Harry Potter books, where the very survival of the earth depends upon the success of young heroes. As in all of these books, the element of teamwork is paramount, and each member of the team has his or her own personal problems to overcome. Luckily, though, they have one another for support, and this solidarity proves to be the most important ingredient in their quest to save the universe.
Craig Etchison, a Professor of English at Allegany College, Cumberland, Maryland, has taught courses in children's literature, focusing on fantasy and science fiction for young adults. He is the author of Vietnam Snapshots--Stories of a Conflict and Maine Man--The Life and Times of a Down Easter. He lives and writes in Fort Ashby, West Virginia. |
