Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
Kaspian Lost
Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Richard Grant
Class/Genre: Fantasy
Avon Spike, Jun 1999, $24.00, 320 pp.
To prepare him for his fall entrance to the American Youth Academy, Kaspian's stepmother ships him for the summer to the Accelerated Skills Acquisition Camp. Hating the place, especially his counselor, Kaspian walks away from everyone. As the area becomes dark, Kaspian headed to a light where he meets his deceased daddy and three malevolent leprechauns who tell him to come with them. He next meets a girl who tries to explain where he is.
Four days later, Kaspian reappears at the camp. He refuses to tell anyone where he has been as he desperately holds on to the memory of the alternate universe he visited. Adults believe Kaspian is rebelling and needs special attention. As he goes to the school that expects to change his behavior, Kaspian searches for himself even as he knows there are strange places to hide from the adults trying to destroy his essence.
KASPIAN LOST is a schizoid novel. When the novel concentrates on the duel between the lead protagonist and the adults know best crowd, the story is entertainingly brilliant. When the plot concentrates on otherworldly phenomena it loses direction. The two prime plots never fully merge, leaving readers wondering what happened. Kaspian is a tremendous character filled with teen angst and raging hormones. Richard Grant is a very talented writer whose tale is intriguing but tries to do too much.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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