The Lighthouse Land

By Adrian McKinty

When Jamie O'Neill's mother inherits a small island in Ireland, she packs up the family apartment in Harlem and moves her son to the Irish coast. Devastated by the loss of his arm to cancer, Jamie hasn't spoken in a year, and at first the move doesn't seem enough to shake him from his despair.

But the island has a secret, locked in the top of its ancient lighthouse, and Jamie, a descendent of the last of the Irish kings, is its inheritor. Discovering the secret will send him on an intersteller mission that could change the course of his life, and the universe, forever. The Lighthouse Land is the first thrilling installment in an epic trilogy.

So, this was one of those books that I saw and though, 'hmmm, it's got a cool title, and the cover looks interesting, I think I'll try it.' The last few times I've done this I have been horribly disappointed, but thankfully my bad luck ran out and I found this fun mix of science fiction and fantasy. The story is interesting, though I did smile to myself a few times at some of the more unbelievable parts. It's basically about a kid who has gone through the trauma of having cancer and is really just stuck in limbo not knowing how his life could ever be the same after losing his arm. In a sort of self-imposed isolation, he refuses to speak...to anyone. But when he moves to Ireland with his mother, he finally makes a friend that doesn't skirt around him because of his arm, or his choice not to speak. And he and his new friend make the discovery of a lifetime...and so they start on an adventure that leads Jamie to find his voice again, and make discoveries about himself that he never knew before. It was a great read, and one that I couldn't put down. There were only a few little setbacks for me, one being the rather naively written romance, or perhaps its well written, since Jamie is 13. I don't know. Then, it does swear quite a bit. Jamie's good buddy has a filthy mouth, and Jamie isn't too bad himself sometimes. But other than that, I enjoyed it heartily, and it gave me quite a few laughs and gave me some things to think about; which is my favorite part of a good book.