Though he’s been greatly honored by being made keeper of the magical conch (The Conch Bearer, 2003), Anand feels worthless in his apprenticeship in the Silver Valley. The other apprentices—even his closest friend Nisha—all understand magic that eludes him. Worse, when Anand divines a mysterious evil lurking in a remote Indian village, he is not selected to accompany his beloved mentor Abhaydatta on a rescue mission. Anand and Nisha sneak out of the Silver Valley to help, and find Abhaydatta missing and a wicked magician sucking the souls from helpless villagers. Only by going 400 years into the past, to a lavishly described Mughal palace, can Anand rescue his friends and defeat the magician. Disguised as a punkah boy in the home of a powerful Muslim nawab, Anand has few allies: Nisha’s lost her memory and the conch its strength. When Anand goes through enough personal growth, the conch gains power and can save the day. A stock plot given life by the appealing, unusual and lovingly detailed setting. (Fantasy. 10-14)
