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Alosha #2
The Shaktra
Ali Warner is thirteen years old.
She's already saved one world.
Now she must try to save another.
Ali recently discovered that she is not an ordinary teenager but actually Queen of the Fairies. Reclaiming some of her magical abilities, she has taken possession of a mystical talisman whose powers she has barely begun to understand. She has saved the Earth from an invasion by elves and other creatures from the elemental world that lies parallel to our own.
Now Ali searches for her missing mother in the elemental world, accompanied by a troll, a leprechaun, and Ra, a mysterious African teen whom she met on the icy slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Ali feels a strange connection to the young man, but does not understand why. They grew up separated by half a world.
Attacked by nightmarish creatures, a wounded Ali and her friends are rescued by Drash, a young dragon with an inferiority complex. From Drash, Ali learns that the elemental world is on the verge of destruction at the hands of a sinister being known only as the Shaktra.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Ali's friends Steve and Cindy investigate the beautiful and bewitching Sheri Smith, who is somehow connected to the Shaktra. Too late, Steve and Cindy discover that she is not human at all . . . .
In a secret ice cavern hidden on a massive island that floats through the elemental heavens, Ali discovers the true relationship between humanity and the elementals--and the hideous nature of the enemy she must face.
Ali Warner's quest will not be complete until either she or the Shaktra is dead.
She's already saved one world.
Now she must try to save another.
Ali recently discovered that she is not an ordinary teenager but actually Queen of the Fairies. Reclaiming some of her magical abilities, she has taken possession of a mystical talisman whose powers she has barely begun to understand. She has saved the Earth from an invasion by elves and other creatures from the elemental world that lies parallel to our own.
Now Ali searches for her missing mother in the elemental world, accompanied by a troll, a leprechaun, and Ra, a mysterious African teen whom she met on the icy slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Ali feels a strange connection to the young man, but does not understand why. They grew up separated by half a world.
Attacked by nightmarish creatures, a wounded Ali and her friends are rescued by Drash, a young dragon with an inferiority complex. From Drash, Ali learns that the elemental world is on the verge of destruction at the hands of a sinister being known only as the Shaktra.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Ali's friends Steve and Cindy investigate the beautiful and bewitching Sheri Smith, who is somehow connected to the Shaktra. Too late, Steve and Cindy discover that she is not human at all . . . .
In a secret ice cavern hidden on a massive island that floats through the elemental heavens, Ali discovers the true relationship between humanity and the elementals--and the hideous nature of the enemy she must face.
Ali Warner's quest will not be complete until either she or the Shaktra is dead.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2005
14 people are currently reading
602 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Pike
261 books5,470 followersChristopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 1, 2013
I'm posting this unchanged for all three books of the series, because I believe potential readers should be aware that the series is incomplete:
"Ali's story will continue in the next book in the series, Nemi" (last line of The Yanti.)
According to a Pike fan site (http://christopherpikefanclub.com/pag...
"This is Pike[....] Nemi will be published when the Alosha movie is released. I don't control the publication of the book, Tor does. And unless the movie comes out, they won't be inspired enough to continue the series. So don't be upset I didn't finish the series. I have finished it -- the conclusion of the tale is alive and well on my computer hard-drive." Posted in News on August 10, 2012 by webmasternemi
The first three books are great, but there are many threads left for the last book, being held ransom to the Alosha movie, apparently optioned by Alcon Entertainment, but not listed in IMDB. It seems as if Tor, who own the rights, aren't interested in readers that aren't drawn in by a movie connection. I'm not sure, given that opinion, what leverage we have, but feel free to write to Tor or Macmillan, who publishes Tor-Forge books.
I'd love to unreservedly recommend all theses books; the characterizations are wonderful, the plot is twisted enough without exiting the universe Pike created, and they are well-written. Unfortunately, since we can't read the ending...
I just hope that Mr. Pike retrieves his rights if Tor continues to refuse to publish, so we can enjoy the series as he intended.
"Ali's story will continue in the next book in the series, Nemi" (last line of The Yanti.)
According to a Pike fan site (http://christopherpikefanclub.com/pag...
"This is Pike[....] Nemi will be published when the Alosha movie is released. I don't control the publication of the book, Tor does. And unless the movie comes out, they won't be inspired enough to continue the series. So don't be upset I didn't finish the series. I have finished it -- the conclusion of the tale is alive and well on my computer hard-drive." Posted in News on August 10, 2012 by webmasternemi
The first three books are great, but there are many threads left for the last book, being held ransom to the Alosha movie, apparently optioned by Alcon Entertainment, but not listed in IMDB. It seems as if Tor, who own the rights, aren't interested in readers that aren't drawn in by a movie connection. I'm not sure, given that opinion, what leverage we have, but feel free to write to Tor or Macmillan, who publishes Tor-Forge books.
I'd love to unreservedly recommend all theses books; the characterizations are wonderful, the plot is twisted enough without exiting the universe Pike created, and they are well-written. Unfortunately, since we can't read the ending...
I just hope that Mr. Pike retrieves his rights if Tor continues to refuse to publish, so we can enjoy the series as he intended.
March 8, 2011
WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ "ALOSHA" DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW.
In "The Shaktra", Ali travels into the elemental kingdom looking for her mom. Meanwhile, Steve and Cindy try to gather more information about the Shaktra in a nearby town. Ali makes some new friends and learns more about her identity and powers as the fairy queen.
It's a good bridge book between the first part and what I assume will be the final battle in "The Yanti." It has it's own plot with enough loose ends to entice one to pick up the next immediately after reading the last page. The juvenile writing style didn't bother me as much in this book as the last. Possibly the writing has gotten better, or possibly the storyline is so intense and suspenseful that one doesn't take much notice of the actual words. Whichever, this was quite a decent book.
In "The Shaktra", Ali travels into the elemental kingdom looking for her mom. Meanwhile, Steve and Cindy try to gather more information about the Shaktra in a nearby town. Ali makes some new friends and learns more about her identity and powers as the fairy queen.
It's a good bridge book between the first part and what I assume will be the final battle in "The Yanti." It has it's own plot with enough loose ends to entice one to pick up the next immediately after reading the last page. The juvenile writing style didn't bother me as much in this book as the last. Possibly the writing has gotten better, or possibly the storyline is so intense and suspenseful that one doesn't take much notice of the actual words. Whichever, this was quite a decent book.
December 12, 2011
Cannot wait to start the final book of the trilogy to see where this all leads.
July 5, 2016
Never wanted to put this book down. A fast entertaining read, can't wait for the conclusion of this fantastic story in the next book.
March 10, 2018
I give this book a solid 4.5 only because the ending now that I’m older has me shook because I baby characters and think of them as fully things that can be horded haha.
I took this book up once more after having read a few books as a break from Alosha. Now this book was probably my favourite of the covers and I think I was fond of the building of Ali’s world however I was probably shook the entire time whilst reading it the first time.
Now as a older and more idl seasoned or trying to become seasoned reader it was upon sheer chance I happened across this current trilogy (please Mr. Pike i’d really like the Nemi so I can find out the final fate of these characters please!!) as far as the actual final book will become tangible. Anyway I forgot what a wild ass ride this book is and would read it sparingly on the bus or at home when time allowed.
But let me tell you what a fucking ride this was. We’re just taken forth right after Alosha and you feel contented but also like damn Ali should honestly go after her mother and find out who she truly is! I was excited again to go with her. As she discovered tiny snippets of who she is along the way plus Radrine being the giant Asshole she is which lives you distraction. Not only that but you immediately cringe as soon and Steve and Cindy do their best to get involved.
As the book picked up I’m reminded that Christopher Pike has no mercy with with rather grey descriptions of things, especially along the lines of being violent. Like the scabs and scabies for example, I’m forever haunted with what they are and how they are made. PLEASE PIKE I AM ALREADY HORRIFIED OF SAND I DID NOT NEED more NIGHTMARE FUEL!! Either way you’re thrown into the lush world beyond the mountains many doors to where Geea once reigned. By the near end of the book I grew both incredibly fond of Drash and screamed with this sort of pride towards Ra that made my heart feel all warm and fuzzy! But then I grew horrified at the ENDING.
PLEASE MR. PIKE like adult me is not too good at hanging cliffhangers but also CHARACTER DEATH. Like I know I didn’t need to like them but I ended up throwing my book across the room rousing my partner, who had never seen me so distraught! Nonetheless I need a good month to gather myself from such a shookening. I honestly recommend this book series because it’s so dear to me and impassioned me to keep reading.
I took this book up once more after having read a few books as a break from Alosha. Now this book was probably my favourite of the covers and I think I was fond of the building of Ali’s world however I was probably shook the entire time whilst reading it the first time.
Now as a older and more idl seasoned or trying to become seasoned reader it was upon sheer chance I happened across this current trilogy (please Mr. Pike i’d really like the Nemi so I can find out the final fate of these characters please!!) as far as the actual final book will become tangible. Anyway I forgot what a wild ass ride this book is and would read it sparingly on the bus or at home when time allowed.
But let me tell you what a fucking ride this was. We’re just taken forth right after Alosha and you feel contented but also like damn Ali should honestly go after her mother and find out who she truly is! I was excited again to go with her. As she discovered tiny snippets of who she is along the way plus Radrine being the giant Asshole she is which lives you distraction. Not only that but you immediately cringe as soon and Steve and Cindy do their best to get involved.
As the book picked up I’m reminded that Christopher Pike has no mercy with with rather grey descriptions of things, especially along the lines of being violent. Like the scabs and scabies for example, I’m forever haunted with what they are and how they are made. PLEASE PIKE I AM ALREADY HORRIFIED OF SAND I DID NOT NEED more NIGHTMARE FUEL!! Either way you’re thrown into the lush world beyond the mountains many doors to where Geea once reigned. By the near end of the book I grew both incredibly fond of Drash and screamed with this sort of pride towards Ra that made my heart feel all warm and fuzzy! But then I grew horrified at the ENDING.
PLEASE MR. PIKE like adult me is not too good at hanging cliffhangers but also CHARACTER DEATH. Like I know I didn’t need to like them but I ended up throwing my book across the room rousing my partner, who had never seen me so distraught! Nonetheless I need a good month to gather myself from such a shookening. I honestly recommend this book series because it’s so dear to me and impassioned me to keep reading.
July 17, 2019
Ali Warner, having discovered she's the elemental world's queen of the fairies reborn as a human, is still figuring things out. But she's definitely accessing her powers without the need for an emergency. She's still set on figuring out what or who the Shaktra is and Steve and Cindy help in that regard by pointing her in the direction of a video game developer named Sheri Smith. Ali does a bit of investigating with them, but leaves them to it while she takes off with Paddy and Farble to cross over into the Elemental world to look for her mother. While she's finding new friends, dragons and her former subjects, Steve and Cindy are realizing they're in a bit over their heads. But in the end, we do learn who/what the Shaktra is and what happened to Ali's mother.
This really is a well-told story with some pretty great suspense an it pulls no punches in how it gets to where it's going. . And Ali gets bigger and badder and with a lot less soft and tender mercy in her heart - she kills creatures with her powers and . This is where you start to see that this is more young adult than it is middle grades. Ali starts to remember things from her old life and it's really neat to see it all unfolding. I still don't like how bossy she is, but I like that Ra has a tempering influence on her. So, as much as I like this story though, I'm discouraging readers from starting into this series because I now understand that this series was never finished. Evidently the publisher put a hold on everything hoping for movie rights and what not and so, the author is unable to finish this as a result. So...I'm going to read the next book in this series because I have it and I want to see what I can learn, but I'm going to be super disappointed that this doesn't actually wrap up completely. I have so many more questions and I have a feeling they're not going to be answered...which means I'm just setting myself up to be pissed off when it's over, but I'll do it. In the meantime, 3 starts because the book is pretty awesome but the publisher is a butthead.
This really is a well-told story with some pretty great suspense an it pulls no punches in how it gets to where it's going. . And Ali gets bigger and badder and with a lot less soft and tender mercy in her heart - she kills creatures with her powers and . This is where you start to see that this is more young adult than it is middle grades. Ali starts to remember things from her old life and it's really neat to see it all unfolding. I still don't like how bossy she is, but I like that Ra has a tempering influence on her. So, as much as I like this story though, I'm discouraging readers from starting into this series because I now understand that this series was never finished. Evidently the publisher put a hold on everything hoping for movie rights and what not and so, the author is unable to finish this as a result. So...I'm going to read the next book in this series because I have it and I want to see what I can learn, but I'm going to be super disappointed that this doesn't actually wrap up completely. I have so many more questions and I have a feeling they're not going to be answered...which means I'm just setting myself up to be pissed off when it's over, but I'll do it. In the meantime, 3 starts because the book is pretty awesome but the publisher is a butthead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2024
Full review here:
https://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/...
Interesting book and series, getting back into the more New Age ideas that populated Pike's other fiction.
https://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/...
Interesting book and series, getting back into the more New Age ideas that populated Pike's other fiction.
May 9, 2025
(3.75 stars) This is a good bridge between the first and next book — entertaining, with new evolutions to the story and characters.
Some of the world-building gets a little confusing, but that could be a me problem.
Some of the world-building gets a little confusing, but that could be a me problem.
January 9, 2019
Loved the the new characters introduced in the story.
January 11, 2020
Hope you read the first book. This book is a roller coaster ride, but great. Pike can write to make you feel like you are right there. if you think I'm going to tell you. nope great read. Fairies dragon's and so much more. All ready reading the next book!!!
March 11, 2011
I am really enjoying this series. The characters are great and it is easy to get attached to them. Christopher Pike is always very good at throwing in crazy twists that you never see coming! This book had a bit more of the creepiness that I remember from his other books I read as a teenager. I don't really love that because I'm easily haunted. Still, it wasn't over the top creepy or anything. I can't wait to get the next book and see what happens next!
May 2, 2013
Though this is fantasy, nano technology was touched on toward the very end raising some ethical questions. How far is too far for science to improve one's life, and where do you draw the line?? It disturbs me when one of the characters dies because of someone's else's selfishness! Guess that is also part of reality. There were places I wanted the story to be condensed.
July 26, 2013
This book is a perfect continuation to the story that started with "Alosha". The story picks off right where it left with Ali's quest to save the world with the help of her friends. I really enjoyed the descriptive details in the book and there were many unexpected turns. This book doesn't go in the direction you are thinking it will go in, which makes it a great story.
January 23, 2015
WORLDS BETTER than Alosha. I'm not sure what happened, but the language, plot and characters all got more interesting and complex. Scarier villain, complicated moral themes, even the death of a main character.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2008
Book 2 in the Alosha series
September 27, 2008
Really this series just keeps getting better and better and better! its really amazing and the plot is originally designed i loved the characters and it a page turner!
June 18, 2008
the second to Alosha, continues the story of paddy, farble, ali, steve, cindy, and the gang. they meet up with ra, a boy from africa, and meet a mysterious seeming autistic girl named Nira.
January 24, 2009
So far I like this book
Read
December 15, 2009Very interesting, not that ecentric but very intriguing (: ilove it
Currently reading
October 12, 2010im going to start as soon as i go home :)
December 9, 2010
I am just hoping he will write Nemi...Pretty please???
August 22, 2011
A great read. Couldn't tear my eyes from the page.
May 26, 2011
It has become boring, I will not read the rest of series.
August 9, 2011
YAY!!!
September 9, 2011
Really Amazing book
February 14, 2014
This was a great sequel to alosha, I loved it, liked the new characters and how Ali gets her awesome powers, also the new character ra was cool and I love farble and paddy!
February 11, 2013
Not as good as the first book of the trilogy but with the whole story it was great. :))
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews