Seeker, The [Hardcover]

Grade 7-10-Buffie picks up the action shortly after the conclusion of The Watcher (Kids Can, 2000). Emma, raised as human, now knows herself to be an alien Watcher, sent to Earth to protect her changeling sister, Summer, now the queen of Argadnel. The protagonist finds herself involved in the interplanetary gaming between Fergus of Cleave and his rivals, playing a magical board game to earn her freedom, and the chance to search for her mother's true daughter, Ailla, whose presence may restore her mother's health. With her friend Tom, a Watcher who has been transformed into a bird by Fergus, and a series of allies and enemies, Emma travels through alien worlds in a real-life game where Ailla is the prize. Emma is a headstrong, appealing narrator, and Buffie uses her first-person perspective to smoothly provide background for readers unfamiliar with the first volume. The characters have depth and complex motivations, keeping the protagonist and readers guessing about who her true friends may be. While the initial slow pacing may be daunting, this is a good choice for sophisticated fantasy readers, with a strong appeal for gaming fans looking for a darker, more complex story than Diana Wynne Jones's The Homeward Bounders (Greenwillow, 2002).
Beth L. Meister, Yeshiva of Central Queens, Flushing, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 5-8. In this sequel to The Watcher (2000), Emma has been transported to Argadnel, an island kingdom where her changeling sister, Summer, is now the queen. Their mother, who is grieving for her missing husband and real child, lies near death, so Emma determines to rescue her lost sister and arrange for their father's return. Her quest is complicated by various fantastic creatures, which may be allies of Fergus and Rhona, who are involved in an intricate power game. An appended glossary of characters and place names will help readers keep track of the enormous cast, and early chapters explain the events from the first novel in the Watcher's Quest trilogy. Buffie's ability to keep the story moving without a lag in the action also helps this book to stand on its own. A welcome choice for fantasy buffs. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Buffie invents beautifully imagined worlds, exquisite villains, and a cast of delightfully improbable quest companions. The ending, which is tied up without being strangled, intriguingly raises as many questions as it answers. (Quill and Quire )

The characters have depth and complex motivations, keeping the protagonist and readers guessing about who her true friends may be,? this is a good choice for sophisticated fantasy readers, with a strong appeal for gaming fans looking for a darker, more complex story? (School Library Journal )

Here is the second volume of Margaret Buffie's Watcher's Quest trilogy. Emma's Earth mother, Leto, is dying. Longing to be reunited with her human daughter, Ailla, who was stolen at birth, she has lost her will to live. Emma has pledged to find the missing child and restore order to her adopted family's life. But the quest becomes a dangerous race when Emma realizes she isn't the only one searching for Ailla.

“If you really love someone, you should be willing to sacrifice anything to save her. Ailla is my sister. I’ve never met her, but I will die searching for her.”

Emma Sweeney has the potential to become an exceptional Watcher, but her instructors are losing patience with her. Raised by an Earth family, Emma is prone to emotional human behavior that gets the better of her logical Watcher instincts. Emma’s Earth mother, Leto, is dying on the island world of Argandel. Longing to be reunited with her human daughter, Ailla, who was stolen at birth, she has lost her will to live. Emma has pledged to find the missing child and restore order to her adopted family’s life. But the quest becomes a dangerous race when Emma realizes she isn’t the only one searching for Ailla. In "The Seeker", the second volume of Margaret Buffie’s THE WATCHER'S QUEST TRILOGY, Emma and her allies become pawns in a game played by power hungry beings for whom victory must be had – at any price.

Margaret Buffie is an award-winning author of young adult books. Her books include The Watcher and Angels Turn Their Backs. She lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.