The Onymous September-October 2013, issue 6 | Page 15

September-October 2013 - 15 The Lands Beyond Marie Lange By Jacob Lange Growing up in Chicago, 15-year-old Zephyr is just an ordinary kid… She thinks. Until one day a stranger turns up and tells her she’s an Elemental. That’s a person who can control one of the 4 elements: earth, air, fire, and water. So Zephyr, being an air Elemental, goes to Quattuor Simul, commonly known as ‘The Lands Beyond’. There she attends a school in Ventia, a city of air Elementals, which is also the counterpart of Chicago. Since the two worlds affect each other, no wonder Chicago is known as the windy city. At the school, she discovers her true heritage and the incredible powers she has to control air currents and to ride the wind. But once she’s settled in, she’s picked for an important mission: The council of four, a group with one person from each Elemental type, rule over Quattuor Simul. But when they break apart an ancient prophesy comes true: A power awakens and starts to destroy the world. Already, armies are gathering and several cities have been destroyed. So Zephyr, together with three other Elementals, starts out to save the day… or rather, the world. United they go against the odds and defeat the power, after which life returns to normal. Well, sort of normal, can you call flying (‘riding the wind’) completely normal? Though honestly, who wants to be normal? Not me. I think that’s why this book attracts me so much. Its well-written and has that unusual something – in this case, people with the ability to control the elements. I found it an extremely enjoyable fantasy novel, and I’ll read it again soon. Where to get it It’s fast-moving, but in places it’s a bit too fast-moving. And while it’s got its serious moments, some of them are spoiled by the light mood that prevails through the whole book, even in very tense moments. Well, at least none of the main characters die just when you get to really love them, as in some other popular fantasy books. :-) Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Amazon.de Available in paperback and kindle versions. But all in all, it’s a nice new novel which I highly recommend to all ages.