Librarian Spock

The final book in Susan Cooper's Arthurian fantasy story is a great read with a very disappointing ending. I will be focusing on this ending, so this review is a big spoiler.

At the end, when the war is over and the Dark is vanquished, all but one of the main characters forgets everything that happened in all five books. Even King Arthur's son, who was sent forward in time to the 20th century as an infant, forgets who he is and presumably goes on to live a normal 20th century life.

So we've been along for a great ride with these characters; we've laughed with them, we've cried with them, we've worried for them, we've watched them grow. And when all is said and done, it's as if none of it ever happened. All of the development of the characters is washed away with a magic word.

The let-down for the reader is the same as if the narrator woke up at the end of the story and realized that it was all a dream.

The story up until the disappointing ending is still quite good, so the book overall still gets three stars.

This book is mostly a decent read. The plot is serviceable and the pace isn't too bad. This could have easily been a 3-star book if not for the following three issues:

1) The author seems to be worried that we might forget just how dazzlingly beautiful and impossibly attractive Edward is. She can't go more than three sentences without reminding us.

2) Bella is one of the most annoying characters I have ever come across. I understand that some people have serious self-image issues. I was one of those people for many years. But no one wants to put up with incessant whining about it, even if you can sympathize. I did find myself agreeing with her on one point, though - I utterly fail to see what Edward sees in her.

3) SPOILER - One of the most important rules of writing is to never have major events occur "off stage." Readers feel cheated when you do that. The event that this author chose to have happen off stage was not just any old critical plot point - it was the entire climax of the book. Why even write a book if you're going to leave out the most critical part? This book is the novel-length equivalent of telling someone, "Wait for it... wait for it... oh, never mind."

One final note that is not part of the review: I have a theory about why this book is so popular despite its weaknesses, especially among young females. There is a scene where Edward and Bella are in a restaurant and the attractive waitress is obviously flirting with Edward. But Edward is so enamored of Bella that he doesn't even notice the waitress's advances. "I love you so much that I can't even SEE other women." What young female doesn't want a man like that?