Overview
Rhiow, Urruah, and Arhu, the wizard cats who saved New York City in "The Book of Night with Moon", are summoned to London to deal with a crisis which affects the very fabric of time.
Synopsis
The cat heroes of The Book of Night with Moon are called out of our time and into Victorian England in the year 1874, in order to stop an assassination plot against Queen Victoria. Rhiow returns with Urruah and Arhu, contending against their archenemy, the Lone Power,to avert disaster.
Publishers Weekly
Duane returns to the engaging world of The Book of Night with Moon, where wizardly cats guard the magical Gates between worlds and protect Earth from those who would upset the delicate balance of space and time. Based in Manhattan's Grand Central Station, the cultured feline Rhiow and her colleagues, the street-wise Urruah and precocious young Arhu, are ordered to London to investigate a malfunctioning Gate. It turns out someone has sabotaged the portal, turning it into a dangerous "timeslide" that snatches folks from their own time and pushes them randomly into the future or the past. But this is merely the symptom of a bigger problem: the evil Lone One is overwriting history by creating a world set on an alternate timeline, one in which nuclear weapons introduced long before their true era are being used systematically to destroy civilization. The crux of events--the break where the alternate timeline begins--is the assassination of Queen Victoria. In order to save the universe, Rhiow and her compatriots must save the monarch and recreate a long-lost spell to stop the expanding disturbance in the timelines; a youthful Arthur Conan Doyle lends a hand. Duane presents her usual felicitous mix of magical high adventure and humor, avoiding much of the preciousness that can infect anthropomorphic fantasy. Even those who don't fancy felines should enjoy this purr of a tale. (Apr.)
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
Duane returns to the engaging world of The Book of Night with Moon, where wizardly cats guard the magical Gates between worlds and protect Earth from those who would upset the delicate balance of space and time. Based in Manhattan's Grand Central Station, the cultured feline Rhiow and her colleagues, the street-wise Urruah and precocious young Arhu, are ordered to London to investigate a malfunctioning Gate. It turns out someone has sabotaged the portal, turning it into a dangerous "timeslide" that snatches folks from their own time and pushes them randomly into the future or the past. But this is merely the symptom of a bigger problem: the evil Lone One is overwriting history by creating a world set on an alternate timeline, one in which nuclear weapons introduced long before their true era are being used systematically to destroy civilization. The crux of events--the break where the alternate timeline begins--is the assassination of Queen Victoria. In order to save the universe, Rhiow and her compatriots must save the monarch and recreate a long-lost spell to stop the expanding disturbance in the timelines; a youthful Arthur Conan Doyle lends a hand. Duane presents her usual felicitous mix of magical high adventure and humor, avoiding much of the preciousness that can infect anthropomorphic fantasy. Even those who don't fancy felines should enjoy this purr of a tale. (Apr.)VOYA -
Rhiow, Urruah, and Arhu have already appeared in The Book of Night with Moon (Warner, 1997/VOYA April 1998), where the three felines were guards at the gates between worlds in New York City's Grand Central Station. Now they have traveled to London to help with a gate that has become a time slide thanks again to their nemesis, the evil Lone One. He is trying to spread nuclear holocaust. Ehnifs (humans) are sliding from one universe and time to another and the cats, to foil the Lone One, must save the lives of every Queen Victoria from every universe--no small task. Things become further complicated when some of the London cats are disgruntled about receiving help from the States. A fun quirk comes when a Victorian child that slides into the present helps Rhiow. The child's name is Arthur Conan Doyle. There is something for most readers in this delightful fantasy. The animals act like cats with much tail waving and purring, but they are also sentient beings, capable of intelligent thought, and this will appeal to the science fiction reader. Time travel, spells, and magic are juxtaposed with gate matrixes, phase changes, and hyperstrings. Animals lovers, fantasy fans, and sci-fi buffs will all enjoy the story and, if they have not already, will most likely want to read the first book about these felines. VOYA Codes: 3Q 4P J S A/YA (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult).Library Journal
When the evil power known as the Lone One opens a timeslide between centuries and worlds, the task of closing the gateway and preventing global disaster falls to a trio of feline wizards charged with guarding the Gates between the worlds. Duane's sequel to The Book of Night with Moon (Warner, 1997) continues the whimsical adventures of Rhiow and her teammates, Urruah and Arhu, who take their magical talents as seriously as they take all nine of their lives. Set in the same alternate earth as Deep Wizardry (Harcourt, 1996), this title belongs in most fantasy or YA collections.Todd Richmond
Fans of Duane's The Book of Night with Moon will be equally pleased with To Visit the Queen. If you haven't read Duane's other books set in this universe, you need not worry. For the most part the book can stand by itself. There's a nice introduction and a small glossary to get you up to speed. To Visit the Queen is an excellent sequel to The Book of Night with Moon. I'm looking forward to more stories featuring her feline wizards.— SF Site