Hautman, P. (2013). The Cydonian pyramid. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Book Two in Pete Hautman’s Klaatu Diskos Trilogy tells the same story that The Obsidian Blade (2013, Candlewick) does. Only this time the focus is on the female protagonist. Lah Lia is a Pure Girl being groomed for sacrifice on the Cydonian Pyramid, but she escapes through a portal (or diskos) and lands in Hopewell, Minnesota, where her life is inextricably linked with Tucker Feye, the first book’s main character. While Tucker travels through time in and out of historical events, the heroine now called Lahlia has fled the terror of the world where technology is evil and numeration leads to disaster. Her tale, interspersed with brief excerpts of Tucker’s adventures, immerses readers in the same surreal landscape that the teens encounter. The twists and turns of political intrigue mingled with quasi-religious practices are spellbinding as the sagas of the hero and heroine eventually merge.

A strong female protagonist who faces her own destruction in many ways and at several times is determined to change the past to prevent Tucker’s death, which has already occurred. Can two people living in the same world view and experience history differently? Will the amorphous Klaatu help or hinder Lahlia in her quest to save her friend? Hautman creates another complex, captivating plot this time with a strong, self-effacing heroine. The genre fan who devours science fiction and time travel will await the third book impatiently.

Dr. Judith A. Hayn is an associate professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

This article is part of a series from the Special Interest Group Network on Adolescent Literature (SIGNAL).