BETWEEN TWO ENDS

A book about a book within a book. Years ago William and Shari wished themselves into a book, the unabridged version of 1,001 Arabian Nights, and although William wished himself back, he is consumed with guilt because Shari stayed, as the character Shaharazad. Twenty years later, William’s anguish has brought his family to the brink of dissolving. In a last-ditch attempt to hold it all together, they visit his boyhood home, the scene of the mysterious events. His son Yeats becomes the vessel for restoring Shari to the real world. It all involves wishes, magic bookends, pirates, danger, intrigue and imagination. Yeats is very much the hero of the piece, absorbing and responding to every impossible, fantastic occurrence with ingenuity and spirit. Ward presents just enough of an outline of the traditional Arabian Nights frame story to set the stage for modern readers, while creating his own fantasy within the fantasy to grab their attention. But there is a lack of consistency in the framework of his fantasy world, especially in its treatment of time. The supporting characters are not all fully developed, especially Shari, who, although she is the focus of the whole endeavor, remains insubstantial. The conclusion allows little time for emotional denouement and strongly hints at a possible sequel. A fast-paced but flawed adventure. (Fantasy. 10-12)