Flight of the Raven

Children's Literature

At this point in our country's history I hesitate to recommend this novel to anyone. While the story is a compelling shape-shifter fantasy, its premise of an environmentalist Militia, whose leader is so sure he is right that he is quite willing for his group to suffer "necessary losses," hits a little too close to home. However, try, if you can, to ignore all the bombings, the paranoia of the activists and the unequal treatment of the leader's two adoring children. Concentrate instead on the mute black child escapee from a mental hospital and his capture by the Militia. Where did this child, Elijah, come from? What about his ties to the eagle who seems to follow him? We find out about him in steps carefully planned by the author. Elijah is nine years old, but his mind outstrips any adult he meets. He was raised in the mental hospital after the death of his parents and grandmother (their deaths may have been planned) and was part of a group of developmentally advanced children who formed "the Ark" (see Tolan's Welcome to the Ark). These special children have a special bond and have learned to link their minds and work with each other. Elijah now discovers that he can also link to animals. But is he a threat to the Militia? Or is he their ultimate savior? Would any militia really try to use biological warfare? Now you can't ignore the militia any more. But before you start to be sorry you ever began this book, it's over. We're left breathless with anticipation for the next volume. Recommended, with reservations. 2001, HarperCollins, $15.95. Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Judy Silverman

VOYA

This book continues the story of Elijah, first introduced in Welcome to the Ark (Morrow, 1996/VOYA April 1997), in a future world that is menaced by extreme violence. As he travels alone, a mysterious raven follows him closely. It also is the story of Amber, a young girl whose father, Charles, is the head of the Free Mountain Militia group that is trying to overthrow the government and create change in society. Amber's and Elijah's paths cross when the militia group picks up the boy in the woods and intends to hold him as a hostage. Slowly, Elijah becomes a part of the band and discovers that he has a telepathic link to Amber. As a group member, Elijah demonstrates great skill with technology, which is highly valued by Charles. Amber and Elijah ultimately are forced to make serious decisions concerning issues of love and loyalty when they discover that Charles's next plan is to release a newly engineered strain of small pox on an unsuspecting population. Raven is an exceptionally melancholy book, slowly building tension between the characters and the ideals of the militia. Tension and suspense also are present in the menacing relationship between Elijah and Kenny, Amber's brother. Like its predecessor, this book is full of mysticism and imagination. Its pacing and doleful tone might be a turn off to some readers, but Tolan creates characters that the reader cares about and a conflict that pulls one all the way through. Some references to the first book might confuse readers not familiar with the story, but Raven can stand alone. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P J S (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10to 12). 2001, Harper Collins, 304p, $15.95. Ages 12 to 18. Reviewer: Karen Jensen

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-Amber and her family are forced to flee into the wilderness when her father, the "alpha wolf" of the Free Mountain Militia, orchestrates the largest act of terrorism against the U.S. since the Oklahoma City bombing. Along the way, she is entrusted to care for Elijah, an African-American boy who has run away from a mental institution and been taken hostage by the militia. Elijah, who proved his talents in Tolan's Welcome to the Ark (Morrow, 1996), has the ability to transform his consciousness into objects, animals, and occasionally humans, giving him the talent he needs to be an essential member of the cadre. Amber, while having empathy for him, believes in her father, can rationalize the many "necessary losses" his work creates, and wants to join him in his quest to bring down the system. Ultimately, these plans include the use of a bioweapon to wipe out half the world's population. The world is saved by Elijah's powers, leaving the militia bruised, but not broken. The characters and themes introduced in Welcome to the Ark are so slowly divulged that they're occasionally distracting. Amber and Elijah's actions don't always explain their motivations or understanding of events. The boy's transformation from using his powers to stop violence to assisting in its creation is not fully developed. Characters and ideologies abound and may at once challenge and turn off readers. Some will be disturbed by the remorseless killings that repeatedly occur while others will debate the entire doctrine of the novel, making for a confrontational and thought-provoking read deserving much discussion.-Katie O'Dell, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A slow-moving sequel to Tolan's Welcome to the Ark (1996) in which Elijah, a young African-American empath who has escaped from a juvenile mental health facility in the Adirondacks, becomes entangled in a domestic terrorist organization. This projected second in a trilogy about the Ark kids follows Elijah after the breakup of the Ark, the therapeutic group home for child prodigies. An Ark kid is a child with special psychic powers who can link with other Ark kids to form a powerful psychic web "to tame the violence in others." When the reader first meets Elijah, he has become so wounded from feeling the violence in the world that he has utterly withdrawn into himself. Two things pull him out: a raven with which he has a mystic link (and whose message is decidedly unclear), and Amber, daughter of the leader of the Free Mountain Militia, in whom Elijah detects a fellow Ark kid. For a story that culminates with the foiling of a plot to broadcast a particularly deadly strain of smallpox throughout the world, this is awfully slow and muddled. Elijah and Amber spend a lot of time plumbing their feelings about violence together and separately, Amber's sociopathic brother Kenny providing a near-lethal counterpoint to the philosophizing. The ravens (Elijah attracts a flock) swoop in and out, quorking mysteriously, Elijah alternately links psychically with animals and acts as the militia's computer guru, Amber alternately entertains doubts as to the ethics of her father's methodologies and regrets that she, as a girl, cannot join him more fully. While the topic may be timely, there's too much talk and not enough action; its message, too, is unclear, as Elijah commits violence in order toprevent violence, his psychic web nowhere in evidence. Only for committed fans of part one. (Fiction. 10-15)