Day of Deliverance

March 1, 2011

Gr 6-9-Jack and Angus are members of the VIGIL society, dedicated to protecting the secret of time travel from the Revisionist party, who want to change the future by altering the past. VIGIL learns that Revisionist chief Dr. Pendelshape is in Elizabethan England. The enemy scientist is seeking to secure the success of the Spanish Armada, making Spain rather than England the dominant influence in modern Western history. Jack and Angus are sent back to stop the plot, but something goes wrong in the transference. Separated from their team, the teens are lost in 16th-century England. They fall in with a group of players on the way to a command performance before Queen Elizabeth I, but one of the actors has a more sinister plan in mind. With assassins from the Spanish Inquisition on one hand and Revisionist goons on the other, can Jack and Angus survive until they can get back to the 21st century? Real personages such Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare fit smoothly into the plot. Actual historical events are portrayed accurately within the confines of the fictional plot, and black-and-white reproductions of maps, prints, and portraits add to the period feel. Plotlines and characters carry over from Day of the Assassins (Candlewick, 2009), but sufficient background is provided to allow this book to stand on its own. A challenging and exciting read for those who appreciate a blend of history and science fiction.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2010

Jack Christie and his hulking sidekick, Angus (introduced in Day of the Assassins, 2009), take another trip into the past as agents of VIGIL, this time to scotch a scheme by the megalomaniac Pendleshape and his Revisionists to support the Spanish Armada with modern weaponry. Gore-splashed—Jack and Angus arrive just in time to witness the graphically described beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots—and fast-paced, the jaunt features plenty of chases and escapes, as well as encounters with the likes of Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth, not to mention extended scenes of actors in drunken revelry for comic relief and a violent climactic sea battle aboard Sir Francis Drake's flagship. As before, O'Brien seems to see no conflict between VIGIL's determination to prevent the past from being changed and its agents' willingness to use 21st-century technology openly—and even leave it behind. Still, noncritical readers will enjoy the nonstop action, as well as the glimpses of historical figures. The author includes afternotes on the latter. (Time-travel fantasy. 11-13)

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