From Publishers Weekly
Shetterly's sequel to Dogland (1997) finds Christopher Nix, a troubled adolescent, struggling through the cultural turmoil of 1969 Florida. While running from a trio of hippie-hating bullies, Chris manages to ride his bike across a murky pond while a pursuer sinks, but he later finds a hidden branch under the water and tells himself it must have supported him. Running away from home after a fight with his father, Chris winds up romantically and then literally entangled with CC, a wild young woman trying to escape her aunt's obsession with Jesus. Then his life changes radically when a rich stranger offers to fund his education at a fancy prep school. Chris soon learns the reason for the generosity, and the small miracles that appear to follow him wherever he goes: he's actually one of the elohim, a divine being in human guise. Shetterly seems to want to make some sort of point about adolescence and faith, but like the pond, his intent is often occluded, and not every reader will be able to make it to the far side.
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From Booklist
Shetterly's return to the story of Christopher Nix, from Dogland (1997), begins as historical fiction and quickly diverts into weirder territory. Now 14, Chris is invited to attend boarding school at the behest of Jay Dumont, who claims to owe the Nix family a debt. Accepting takes Chris far from his usual life. Under Dumont's tutelage, Chris discovers he can walk on water, heal, and manipulate others. Dumont explains that Chris is one of the nefilim, a magical race charged by God to rule the world. Yet Chris is uncomfortable with Dumont's assertion that these powers give the nefilim the right to rule as they see fit; he has seen how easily the powerful, including Dumont, are corrupted. The second-person, present-tense narration, off-putting at first, quickly becomes transparent, and Shetterly's blending of Vietnam-era realism and religious mysticism makes compelling reading. Ultimately, the tale becomes confusing, at times so incomprehensible that it flirts with boredom. Patient readers will find much to ponder, though, as Chris struggles to do what is right. Hutley, Krista
