THE SEEKER

Buffie loses a little steam in this sprawling sequel to The Watcher (2000), largely due to too much backtracking and an overstuffed supporting cast. Thrust into the midst of a multidimensional Game in which the prizes can be entire worlds, young Emma Sweeney struggles to master her own not-inconsiderable powers while trying to figure out who’s on whose side in a complicated web of deceit and ambiguous loyalties. Meanwhile, aiming to track down her dying adoptive mother’s child, who had been stolen at birth, Emma challenges Fergus, a major Player, to a dangerous side Game involving encounters with multiple alien societies and meetings with more new characters. Annoying adversaries and equally secretive allies alike with her insistent questions and impulsive behavior, Emma makes an engaging, live-wire protagonist, but the plot’s progress bogs down too often in wordy ruminations, explanations, and references to past events—and keeping all the players straight requires frequent turning to the bulky glossary/names list at the end. This is not a tale to pick up in mid-move, so send new readers to the first installment. (Fiction. 11-13)