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The Klaatu Diskos #2
The Cydonian Pyramid
The much-anticipated sequel to The Obsidian Blade transports readers to the terrifying and thrilling world of Lah Lia, the enigmatic girl who changed Tucker Feye’s life.
More than half a millennium in the future, in the shadow of the looming Cydonian Pyramid, a pampered girl named Lah Lia has been raised for one purpose: to be sacrificed through one of the mysterious diskos that hover over the pyramid’s top. But just as she is about to be killed, a strange boy appears from the diskos, providing a cover of chaos that allows her to escape and launching her on a time-spinning journey in which her fate is irreversibly linked to his. In this second volume of the Klaatu Diskos trilogy, Tucker Feye and Lah Lia each hurtle through time, relating their stories in alternating viewpoints that converge at crucial moments. Fans of the first adventure will be intrigued by the chance to see the world through Lah Lia’s eyes — no matter how disturbing the vision might be.
More than half a millennium in the future, in the shadow of the looming Cydonian Pyramid, a pampered girl named Lah Lia has been raised for one purpose: to be sacrificed through one of the mysterious diskos that hover over the pyramid’s top. But just as she is about to be killed, a strange boy appears from the diskos, providing a cover of chaos that allows her to escape and launching her on a time-spinning journey in which her fate is irreversibly linked to his. In this second volume of the Klaatu Diskos trilogy, Tucker Feye and Lah Lia each hurtle through time, relating their stories in alternating viewpoints that converge at crucial moments. Fans of the first adventure will be intrigued by the chance to see the world through Lah Lia’s eyes — no matter how disturbing the vision might be.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2012
36 people are currently reading
840 people want to read
About the author
Pete Hautman
60 books357 followersPeter Murray Hautman is an American author best known for his novels for young adults. One of them, Godless, won the 2004 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. The National Book Foundation summary is, "A teenage boy decides to invent a new religion with a new god."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
May 16, 2013
Originally reviewed at Minnesota Reads.
When I met briefly met Pete Hautman last year, I enthusiastically gushed over how much I loved The Obsidian Blade. Looking back, it was one of those embarrassing moments where I talked too fast, too much, and probably came off stalkerish, but trust me, I don’t have the dedication needed to stalk someone. I just thought The Obsidian Blade was one of the most unique things I read last year with great characters, strong world building, and a completely wacky plot. Wacky in the best way possible.
In The Obsidian Blade, we followed Tucker Feye as he jumped through diskos searching for his father. Diskos are disk-shaped holes in the sky that lead to different places in time, but all the places are either sad or dangerous, like New York on 9/11. At the end Tucker finds his father, but his dad is completely different and Tucker has to flee. I won’t say more because I don’t want to ruin it, but my god, what a psycho dad.
Another person we met in The Obsidian Blade was Lahlia, a girl Tucker’s father brought back when he jumped through a diskos. Lahlia was mysterious, quiet, and observing all that happened around her. We didn’t get to know her well, but I had a feeling more was to come with her.
Book two is all about Lahlia, or Lah Lia. The Cydonian Pyramid basically tells the same story, but from Lah Lia’s perspective. I always worry about books that have stories retold by someone else because they can sometimes be stale. After all, we already heard the story. But Tucker and Lah Lia didn’t spend that much time together in the first book, so this story isn’t stale at all. We see what Lah Lia saw and felt, and we actually learn a lot of new things that we didn’t know in The Obsidian Blade.
In The Obsidian Blade, Tucker is pretty much clueless to what is happening around him. He is taken on a wild diskos ride throughout time, but it’s so confusing to him, making it confusing to us. In The Cydonian Pyramid, we learn new things that explain so much more about what happened to Tucker and why. We learn more about the diskos, who made them, and how different people have used them. We learn more about the Lah Sept (where Lah Lia came from) and the politics and ritual sacrifices in that culture. And so many things that seemed small and mundane in The Obsidian Blade are all of a sudden extremely meaningful and enlightening in The Cydonian Pyramid. Putting these pieces together was so exciting and satisfying, like I was finally let in on a secret.
I also really love that we learned more about Lah Lia. I really liked her in The Obsidian Blade, but here I have fallen in love with her. She’s strong, ballsy, and has been through a lot. A lot. Way more than Tucker. She was raised to be a ritual sacrifice, one that she’s supposed to be happy about. It now makes complete sense that she was so quiet in the first book. Who wouldn’t be? Would she just be a sacrifice in this world, too?
One thing I did miss in book two is Uncle Kosh. I had a crush on the motorcycle driving, leather jacket wearing, bad boy but can cook a good meal Uncle Kosh. We do see him slightly in this book, but I wanted more. This is probably because I’m an old lady reading a teen book. If the book were written for adults, Uncle Kosh would be front and center. Maybe if I meet Pete Hautman again I’ll beg him to write a book with all Kosh all the time.
But even without dreamy Uncle Kosh, this book was awesome. I love Lah Lia so much more, and I’m even more fascinated by her society, the diskos, the connection between her and Tucker, and how this will all play out in the final book.
Hautman has created a deranged world, with even more deranged people, and it is still one of the most unique series I’ve read in a long time. It is so different and daring and I have no clue where it’s going, so I can’t wait for the third book in this trilogy.
When I met briefly met Pete Hautman last year, I enthusiastically gushed over how much I loved The Obsidian Blade. Looking back, it was one of those embarrassing moments where I talked too fast, too much, and probably came off stalkerish, but trust me, I don’t have the dedication needed to stalk someone. I just thought The Obsidian Blade was one of the most unique things I read last year with great characters, strong world building, and a completely wacky plot. Wacky in the best way possible.
In The Obsidian Blade, we followed Tucker Feye as he jumped through diskos searching for his father. Diskos are disk-shaped holes in the sky that lead to different places in time, but all the places are either sad or dangerous, like New York on 9/11. At the end Tucker finds his father, but his dad is completely different and Tucker has to flee. I won’t say more because I don’t want to ruin it, but my god, what a psycho dad.
Another person we met in The Obsidian Blade was Lahlia, a girl Tucker’s father brought back when he jumped through a diskos. Lahlia was mysterious, quiet, and observing all that happened around her. We didn’t get to know her well, but I had a feeling more was to come with her.
Book two is all about Lahlia, or Lah Lia. The Cydonian Pyramid basically tells the same story, but from Lah Lia’s perspective. I always worry about books that have stories retold by someone else because they can sometimes be stale. After all, we already heard the story. But Tucker and Lah Lia didn’t spend that much time together in the first book, so this story isn’t stale at all. We see what Lah Lia saw and felt, and we actually learn a lot of new things that we didn’t know in The Obsidian Blade.
In The Obsidian Blade, Tucker is pretty much clueless to what is happening around him. He is taken on a wild diskos ride throughout time, but it’s so confusing to him, making it confusing to us. In The Cydonian Pyramid, we learn new things that explain so much more about what happened to Tucker and why. We learn more about the diskos, who made them, and how different people have used them. We learn more about the Lah Sept (where Lah Lia came from) and the politics and ritual sacrifices in that culture. And so many things that seemed small and mundane in The Obsidian Blade are all of a sudden extremely meaningful and enlightening in The Cydonian Pyramid. Putting these pieces together was so exciting and satisfying, like I was finally let in on a secret.
I also really love that we learned more about Lah Lia. I really liked her in The Obsidian Blade, but here I have fallen in love with her. She’s strong, ballsy, and has been through a lot. A lot. Way more than Tucker. She was raised to be a ritual sacrifice, one that she’s supposed to be happy about. It now makes complete sense that she was so quiet in the first book. Who wouldn’t be? Would she just be a sacrifice in this world, too?
One thing I did miss in book two is Uncle Kosh. I had a crush on the motorcycle driving, leather jacket wearing, bad boy but can cook a good meal Uncle Kosh. We do see him slightly in this book, but I wanted more. This is probably because I’m an old lady reading a teen book. If the book were written for adults, Uncle Kosh would be front and center. Maybe if I meet Pete Hautman again I’ll beg him to write a book with all Kosh all the time.
But even without dreamy Uncle Kosh, this book was awesome. I love Lah Lia so much more, and I’m even more fascinated by her society, the diskos, the connection between her and Tucker, and how this will all play out in the final book.
Hautman has created a deranged world, with even more deranged people, and it is still one of the most unique series I’ve read in a long time. It is so different and daring and I have no clue where it’s going, so I can’t wait for the third book in this trilogy.
July 4, 2018
We follow a new plotline this time - that of Lia. There's some worldbuilding surrounding Lah Lia's time. We also find out about the Lambs of September (I liked that their name was corrupted to Lah Sept over time).
I appreciated the author's execution - we're gradually introduced to new points-of-view as they related to Tucker, instead of cramming them into one book from the get-go. In the meantime, Tucker's on a submarine, appreciating the improvements the Medicants have given him.
There's a lot of running about, and eventually Tucker and Lia are reunited. To be honest, I didn't really care why he was chasing after her, but I went with it.
I appreciated the author's execution - we're gradually introduced to new points-of-view as they related to Tucker, instead of cramming them into one book from the get-go. In the meantime, Tucker's on a submarine, appreciating the improvements the Medicants have given him.
There's a lot of running about, and eventually Tucker and Lia are reunited. To be honest, I didn't really care why he was chasing after her, but I went with it.
January 31, 2013
WOW! I was over-the-top excited when I got the chance to read an arc of this book. The Obsidian Blade left off on a cliffhanger, and I had so many unanswered questions about the intriguing storyline.
Right from the get-go, this book had me hooked. The pacing (which was practically my only issue with the first book, having had trouble with the first section being a bit slow) was perfect. It starts right where the first book ends, and is at first narrated from Tucker's point of view. He finds himself in an unexpected place and time, and sets to telling the story of how he arrived there.
At the same time, we also get Lah Lia's perspective- both of current events, and the events from the first book that were somewhat mysterious (at least to me). I really appreciated re-reading scenes from the first book from Lia's point of view; it made much more sense knowing her backstory and the history of the Lah Sept, her people.
Lia's story finally explains her origins as a Pure Girl, as well as the events leading up to her first meeting with Tucker. All the while, we get chapters from Tucker's viewpoint interspersed, keeping us wondering how events will finally conspire so that the two storylines meet.
Pete Hautman continues with the strong world-building he started in the first book, and I feel that it only improved in this book. The excerpts of history that precede the sections of the book were really helpful in building a timeline that made a lot of sense. We learn how the Digital Plague developed, and the origins of the Lah Sept As always, I enjoyed the unfolding mystery of how Tucker's present-day world evolves into the world of the Medicants, and then finally Lia's world, post-numeracy, where ritual sacrifice and time-travel are ordinary occurrences.
Despite the two different narratives, the story was easy to follow and kept me excited all the way through. I loved meeting familiar characters (Awn), as well as discovering new ones. And again, the whole aversion to numbers was extremely interesting, as was the ways that society had evolved of still referring to amounts of things, just not using actual numbers (Lia constantly referred to a "hand" of things, which I assume was a way of getting around not saying the number five).
Overall, I loved this. If you read The Obsidian Blade, you won't be able to leave this unread. Rest assured most of your questions will be answered. That said, I have to say I was left hanging again at the end of this book. Is there a third one in the works?? I hope so!
Thank you to the publishers, Candlewick Press, who through NetGalley provided me with this e-book for review!
Right from the get-go, this book had me hooked. The pacing (which was practically my only issue with the first book, having had trouble with the first section being a bit slow) was perfect. It starts right where the first book ends, and is at first narrated from Tucker's point of view. He finds himself in an unexpected place and time, and sets to telling the story of how he arrived there.
At the same time, we also get Lah Lia's perspective- both of current events, and the events from the first book that were somewhat mysterious (at least to me). I really appreciated re-reading scenes from the first book from Lia's point of view; it made much more sense knowing her backstory and the history of the Lah Sept, her people.
Lia's story finally explains her origins as a Pure Girl, as well as the events leading up to her first meeting with Tucker. All the while, we get chapters from Tucker's viewpoint interspersed, keeping us wondering how events will finally conspire so that the two storylines meet.
Pete Hautman continues with the strong world-building he started in the first book, and I feel that it only improved in this book. The excerpts of history that precede the sections of the book were really helpful in building a timeline that made a lot of sense. We learn how the Digital Plague developed, and the origins of the Lah Sept As always, I enjoyed the unfolding mystery of how Tucker's present-day world evolves into the world of the Medicants, and then finally Lia's world, post-numeracy, where ritual sacrifice and time-travel are ordinary occurrences.
Despite the two different narratives, the story was easy to follow and kept me excited all the way through. I loved meeting familiar characters (Awn), as well as discovering new ones. And again, the whole aversion to numbers was extremely interesting, as was the ways that society had evolved of still referring to amounts of things, just not using actual numbers (Lia constantly referred to a "hand" of things, which I assume was a way of getting around not saying the number five).
Overall, I loved this. If you read The Obsidian Blade, you won't be able to leave this unread. Rest assured most of your questions will be answered. That said, I have to say I was left hanging again at the end of this book. Is there a third one in the works?? I hope so!
Thank you to the publishers, Candlewick Press, who through NetGalley provided me with this e-book for review!
July 14, 2013
Hautman really captures the essence of all of the issues our current world is facing, and manifests them in a beautifully-crafted futuristic environment that makes the probable seem wholly and frighteningly possible.
His views on religion are thought provoking, he makes an interesting case both for and against e-books (a noble feat, in this librarian's eyes), and he creates a dystopian future where society simply can't find a happy medium.
It carries on beautifully from the first book, actually retelling most of book 1 from Lah Lia's POV. The second half advances the plot and sets up a perfect platform for book 3.
As a Whovian, I smiled at time being described as, "wiggly" (a far cry from "wibbly-wobbly", but I appreciate the effort). I also appreciated Yar Song's similarities to a certain Mrs. Doctor. Also, the subtle Hunger Games reference involving Yar Hidalgo was cleverly managed. Hautman takes sci fi from all eras and makes it fun, current, and very interesting.
I look forward to my husband finishing this so we can discuss it to death like we did "Obsidian Blade'.
His views on religion are thought provoking, he makes an interesting case both for and against e-books (a noble feat, in this librarian's eyes), and he creates a dystopian future where society simply can't find a happy medium.
It carries on beautifully from the first book, actually retelling most of book 1 from Lah Lia's POV. The second half advances the plot and sets up a perfect platform for book 3.
As a Whovian, I smiled at time being described as, "wiggly" (a far cry from "wibbly-wobbly", but I appreciate the effort). I also appreciated Yar Song's similarities to a certain Mrs. Doctor. Also, the subtle Hunger Games reference involving Yar Hidalgo was cleverly managed. Hautman takes sci fi from all eras and makes it fun, current, and very interesting.
I look forward to my husband finishing this so we can discuss it to death like we did "Obsidian Blade'.
May 23, 2013
Great book, definitely could not put it down. bought it the day before last, read it all night and finished in the afternoon. would have finished earlier but this thing annoying pest of an institution called school got in the way of a great read, yet again. the book surpasses its previous counterpart in many areas, especially by the beginning not being as slow, like the previous book id recommend it to anyone, although there are many people who are very sensitive to the time travelling books out there. the pace set throughout the book is amazing, never too much or too little so it wont become boring or overly excited to where you need that 5mins breather. the layout of the book and the roles each character is given is a really huge addition to the book, left me wanting so much more at the end as well. please hautman send me an arc x.x... (<----- first time i ask for an arc), enjoy it!@$#%^
September 12, 2014
The Obsidian Blade is one of the best books I have read in high school. In General, the crazier the plot the more I enjoy the book, and this plot is anything but normal. Typically, I am not a science fiction reader, but this novel may have changed that for me. The idea of time travel simply fascinates me, and the philosophical way in which this book discusses time travel is extremely engaging. The author debates through through the characters how time travel can affect future, present, and past events, and he brings up some provocative ideas. Furthermore, the many of the fictional ideas in the book are based off of real ones in our lives. For example the futuristic medical city is called Mayo (I presume after the Mayo Clinic), and at the end of the novel the main character’s father nearly kills his son which is an alliteration to the Binding of Isaac. This book was amazing and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a book which they can read for joy.
June 23, 2013
Even better than the first installment - Tucker discloses the the story of the time traveling diskos to a stranger in a strange land, while we learn the complete background of Lah Lia, who becomes Yar Lia after trials and tribulations. Raised as a Pure Girl to be sacrificed for peace and harmony, she learns survival strategies from the Yar sisters in the convent connected to the palace near the Cydonian Pyramid. Lah Lia knows that her blood moon will arrive soon and she must keep her wits about her to avoid certain death at the hands of the priests. But which disko will she be thrown through? And what will she find on the other side? Tucker and Lah Lia have radically different pasts, but their future definitely depends on the choices of the other. Riveting sequel, can't wait for more.
March 20, 2015
If you like action packed books then this is the book for you. I started out so confused because when the story starts the main character is on the ss skate. Then the story goes to lia on a farm working for some people. so if you like action packed book this is for you.
April 11, 2018
THE CYDONIAN PYRAMID
From the "Klaatu Diskos" series, volume 2
By Pete Hautman
369 Pages
Published November 2012
Publisher: Candlewick
Pete Hautman attended the Minneapolis college of Art and Design. He has written over 20 books.
The storyline of The Cydonian Pyramid focuses on a young girl, Lah Lia, and her interactions with Tucker Feye and the Diskos. She and Tucker are the two protagonists of the story. The characters had their own personalities and reasonings behind most choices, and were credible. The goal of Lah Lia during the book was to find Tucker, and Tucker’s goal was to find Lah Lia and find the answers that he had been looking for - about his father. A problem they encountered was the Diskos themselves - They did not transport people to the same time or place. This caused many mishaps and adventures to happen. My favorite character was the ‘villain’ of the story, Father September. He seemed to believe what he was doing was right and necessary, and it made him more believable as the main antagonist, as he thought he was in the right instead of knowing that what he did was wrong, like several antagonists.
I could relate to the Klaatu, because they were either accepted openly, or pushed away like they were completely useless and unwanted. I do not share any personal experiences that the characters had. I enjoyed reading the book series very much. My favorite part of the book was when Lah Lia and Tucker met in the beginning of the book, because it led to some closure from the previous book. My least favorite part of the book was midway through, when Tucker was stuck in the swamp. It felt like the book was dragging along a little. There is however, nothing I would change about the book. I would recommend this book to friends. It will be enjoyed by people who enjoy reading dystopian and fantasy books.
From the "Klaatu Diskos" series, volume 2
By Pete Hautman
369 Pages
Published November 2012
Publisher: Candlewick
Pete Hautman attended the Minneapolis college of Art and Design. He has written over 20 books.
The storyline of The Cydonian Pyramid focuses on a young girl, Lah Lia, and her interactions with Tucker Feye and the Diskos. She and Tucker are the two protagonists of the story. The characters had their own personalities and reasonings behind most choices, and were credible. The goal of Lah Lia during the book was to find Tucker, and Tucker’s goal was to find Lah Lia and find the answers that he had been looking for - about his father. A problem they encountered was the Diskos themselves - They did not transport people to the same time or place. This caused many mishaps and adventures to happen. My favorite character was the ‘villain’ of the story, Father September. He seemed to believe what he was doing was right and necessary, and it made him more believable as the main antagonist, as he thought he was in the right instead of knowing that what he did was wrong, like several antagonists.
I could relate to the Klaatu, because they were either accepted openly, or pushed away like they were completely useless and unwanted. I do not share any personal experiences that the characters had. I enjoyed reading the book series very much. My favorite part of the book was when Lah Lia and Tucker met in the beginning of the book, because it led to some closure from the previous book. My least favorite part of the book was midway through, when Tucker was stuck in the swamp. It felt like the book was dragging along a little. There is however, nothing I would change about the book. I would recommend this book to friends. It will be enjoyed by people who enjoy reading dystopian and fantasy books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2017
It's been a while since the last time I had to focus that HARD on a book. School's out for the summer, and I was just chill'n, and suddenly having my head swim with all these dates, portals, people, places, things, things-that-didn't-happen-yet, things-yet-to-come, and those things-that-got-altered.
Pretty dang confusing, if you ask me.
Seriously, I found myself waiting FOREVER for the moment when Tucker would FINALLY find Lia. Like for Pete's sake, I feel like nothing actually progressed much from the last book. This one was mostly like a recap.
I'd say about 60-70% of the book was focused on Lia's view. Which really helped to explain everything. But, the chapters with Tucker were few and far in between. I honestly liked reading about him much more. He was more human, I guess. He made mistakes, he was clueless, he got dirty, and he got hurt. That's not to say Lia didn't do these things too; Tucker just did them in a more funny, or comic relief sort of way.
This was an enjoyable book. Don't get me wrong. But be prepared to really focus on what you're reading. Each time the characters go through a portal, just know its probably for a dang important reason.
Pretty dang confusing, if you ask me.
Seriously, I found myself waiting FOREVER for the moment when Tucker would FINALLY find Lia. Like for Pete's sake, I feel like nothing actually progressed much from the last book. This one was mostly like a recap.
I'd say about 60-70% of the book was focused on Lia's view. Which really helped to explain everything. But, the chapters with Tucker were few and far in between. I honestly liked reading about him much more. He was more human, I guess. He made mistakes, he was clueless, he got dirty, and he got hurt. That's not to say Lia didn't do these things too; Tucker just did them in a more funny, or comic relief sort of way.
This was an enjoyable book. Don't get me wrong. But be prepared to really focus on what you're reading. Each time the characters go through a portal, just know its probably for a dang important reason.
September 26, 2018
I'm not sure wether it was good or not (4stars felt like the right rating though) but it did keep me entertained... Or confused? Lol I felt like I was going back and forth with technically I was jumping between time periods. It felt like Lia had just left one place but when Tucker got there it been a few years since she had been there. I got the timeline/s all figured out somewhere towards the end lol.
Speaking of the end... What the heck was that? I expected more when they finally met up and is that current Lia or past Lia? Future Lia? Confuses me. Need to get a hold of the next book before I forget this one and get even more confused 😂
Speaking of the end... What the heck was that? I expected more when they finally met up and is that current Lia or past Lia? Future Lia? Confuses me. Need to get a hold of the next book before I forget this one and get even more confused 😂
May 14, 2018
Pete Hautman, you really are so so clever. It says something about the skills of a writer when he can interweave a tale involving time travelling back and forth centuries at a time throughout the entire book, as well as keeping story lines of several characters going all at once, and still manage to make the story gripping and fascinating. Loved the first two and can't wait to start the next one with Josh. Great stuff. Original, crazy, great moments of humour, great characters, what more could anyone want?
Read
March 24, 2017The Cydonian Pyramid is the sequel to the book The Obsidian Blade. It starts off with the glooming image of a pyramid in the distance, the Cydonian Pyramid. It's far into the future and a little girl named Lah Lia has been raised by a family only to be sacrificed in the pyramid. Right when she was about to be sacrificed the parents and her noticed a shadow of a boy in the distance. It was Tucker, he was sent by his agent to save her from this tragedy that was about to happen. The main characters are a girl named Lah Lia and Tucker Feye. The book is all about Tuckers journey traveling back and forth in and out threw time.
May 11, 2018
I recommend this book to people who love the action pack and a good sci fi book. Tucker Feye and Lahlia is on the hunt for each other after being seperated by the klaatu disks and they travel through time to find each other and they are doing so well until Lahlia get's sucked up into a war with the yars against the priests and she kills all of her enemies which is the priests and she travels to go save Tucker Feye from being killed by his father who is Father September.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2020
I’m shocked at how few reads/reviews this book has. It’s a treasure. It makes me love book 1, The Obsidian Blade, even more—though I loved it enough to eagerly reserve book 2 from the library. I’ll never understand how books as fascinating and page-turning as this one are overlooked somehow. It’s technically a YA series, but adults would love this as much as any young reader. My advice: read these books! I am reserving the third and and final book in the series right now!
September 3, 2018
It is a great series so far and anyone who likes adventure books and i would recommend it to anyone
May 12, 2020
Better than the first one. Enjoyed reading this one.
December 31, 2020
So good! I am absolutely involved in this story. I’m gonna finish the last one by tomorrow!
June 4, 2024
Not as good as the first book.
October 1, 2025
A good conclusion to the series (unless there are more I don't know about). Loved seeing more of Lia's backstory which cleared up most of the confusion from the first book.
May 19, 2016
Summary- This book is the sequel to the, "Obsidian Blade," but instead of what happened to Tucker in his P.O.V ( point of view) it's in Lah Lia P.O.V. The beginning of the book is about Lia and her time as a Pure Girl, who is apart of group called Lah Sept. After sometime a Blood moon came, which a time to sacrifice a Pure Girl, Lah Lia. When Lia was about to be sacrifice until Tucker came out of the disko, that is when Lia took the opportunity to escape in which she did. Lia then finds herself in Hopewell, in Tucker's time before he went through the portal. In this story it is pretty much the same occurrence from the first book only told in Lia P.O.V. Lia would go back into the portal to try and save Tucker but she finds herself back on the Pyramid that has been abandoned. She goes on to discover the Yars ( Pure Girls who lived from the sacrifice by coming back from the portal) and the Priests are at war. Lia will help the Yars defeat the Priests. By blowing up the Pyramid stair case, badly harming herself. Lia will also learn that her dad is Master Gheen the Lah Sept leader. Lia will go through the portal once more in hope to save Tucker, from being a sacrifice ( previous book, Tucker's dad was going to kill him). Lia will then complete the timeline of her story, and going to a different place. End for Lah Lia. Tucker has a small part in this story since the story is mostly about Lia. Tucker finds himself in the North Pole during the Cold War, where he would find a submarine and a doctor who will ask him question on how he got there; Since the doctor suspect Tucker is be a spy. Tucker would tell the doctor his story and how he got to the North Pole. The doctor still not believing a word Tucker, so Tucker decided he need another plans to get out. Tucker convince the doctor to let him out for fresh air, that when Tucker will elbow the guard and climb into the disko. Tucker will find his going on the same path as the earlier version of Lah Lia, when she wanted the stop Tucker's sacrifice. Tucker will eventually discover the portal that Lia went through, and he too would go in to. Entering the portal Tucker will see Lia sitting at the edge of the Pyramid, Tucker then sits beside her looking over the ruins of the town below the Pyramid. (The last part shows that Tucker and Lia went into the way future to see the downfall of Lia society)
Also people who were involve with Tucker soon forget who he is and thinks it's a dream. (Foreshadows something must have happened to Tucker in the past?) (This whole timeline thing is kinda confusing)
What I Like: I like the idea of the story being told in Lah Lia point of view, we get a more insight of who she is. We also get to learn her life story and how she is as of (their) present time. I also like the action in this book, I think the first book wasn't as interesting as this book. This book wasn't that slow paced it kinda got right into the interesting parts, that was how I felt (slow paced) when reading the first book of the series. This story also provide the other half of the first book, what I mean is their was gaps in the first book that this book answer for us.
What I Didn't Like: As much as I did like the idea of the story being in Lia point of view, I feel like their was no progression in the story. When I say that, I mean, more then half of the story was just flashbacks or things that happened already. I also didn't like the cliff hanger at the end of the story as I felt like the story could of went through Tucker's point of view and have Lia point of view as a special side book. Also I don't like how cliche the, "Oh wow, the villain was my dad all along," but it was still nicely done.
Also people who were involve with Tucker soon forget who he is and thinks it's a dream. (Foreshadows something must have happened to Tucker in the past?) (This whole timeline thing is kinda confusing)
What I Like: I like the idea of the story being told in Lah Lia point of view, we get a more insight of who she is. We also get to learn her life story and how she is as of (their) present time. I also like the action in this book, I think the first book wasn't as interesting as this book. This book wasn't that slow paced it kinda got right into the interesting parts, that was how I felt (slow paced) when reading the first book of the series. This story also provide the other half of the first book, what I mean is their was gaps in the first book that this book answer for us.
What I Didn't Like: As much as I did like the idea of the story being in Lia point of view, I feel like their was no progression in the story. When I say that, I mean, more then half of the story was just flashbacks or things that happened already. I also didn't like the cliff hanger at the end of the story as I felt like the story could of went through Tucker's point of view and have Lia point of view as a special side book. Also I don't like how cliche the, "Oh wow, the villain was my dad all along," but it was still nicely done.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2017
While the first book of the series was centered around Tucker Feye, the main focus of this book is Lia, a girl raised to be sacrificed but able to escape through a disko when Tucker enters a disko and interrupts her sacrificial ceremony. Even though Lia has escaped from her death, she continues to travel the diskos looking for Tucker, who she has grown to like.
Similar to the first book, this book was interesting, but a bit confusing. It involved both Lia and Tucker's perspectives, and they move around from place to place very fast. I liked how the diskos were unpredictable and the characters never knew where they were going to go. I think the author did a really good job of creating characters that reappeared unexpectedly. There were many people who crossed paths in different places and different time zones, and they did they did unanticipated things, because they too had traveled the diskos and had different perspectives and experiences that changed their behavior.
Similar to the first book, this book was interesting, but a bit confusing. It involved both Lia and Tucker's perspectives, and they move around from place to place very fast. I liked how the diskos were unpredictable and the characters never knew where they were going to go. I think the author did a really good job of creating characters that reappeared unexpectedly. There were many people who crossed paths in different places and different time zones, and they did they did unanticipated things, because they too had traveled the diskos and had different perspectives and experiences that changed their behavior.
December 18, 2013
This, the second in the series is mostly the same story as book one, The Obsidian Blade, but told from the point of view of Lahlia. There is some plot development here not covered in book one but very little. It was a good experience to see the whole story from another point of view.
I have heard that this series will be a trilogy, so I want book 3 to come out soon. But since this book, No. 2, just came out this past Spring, it will probably be a year or more before the 3rd comes out.
While I liked this a lot, it does have a lot of unexpected plot turns and twists. One of the things I didn't like was there are a lot of words and phrases that refer to groups of people, to beliefs, to places and other things (e.g. Lambs, Lah Sept, Pure Girls and many more). While I recall each one being explained in some manner as it was introduced, it was difficult to keep track of them all and recall them when they were used later in the book. This was especially true since some of the later uses of these words/phrases, seemed to imply a slightly different connotation or even meaning that the one I had garnered earlier in the book. At various points I found myself asking "now just who are the Lambs, Who are the Lah Sept?"
Also, several readers have commented that these books are an indictment of religion. After my own reading of these two books I have not come to that conclusion and now that I have read Hautman's blog I am convinced that isn't the case. What Hautman DOES do in this book, in my opinion, is question authority, whether it be religous or any other authority.
Hautman's personal position on religion he explains on his blog. He says that he does not worship but also does not scoff. I interpret that to mean he respects each person's choice to hold whatever beliefs have meaning for him/her. I respect Hautman for that stance. I also recall from my own exploration and study that many of the revered spiritual leaders and writers over the centuries have said that one must question what you are taught to believe if that belief is ever to deepen and mature.
The choice to believe, continue to believe or not, is up to each person.
I emailed Hautman recently asking how soon the 3rd book would be published. He responded that he has already completed writing it but that the wheels of publication move slowly and so it likely won't be available until sometime in early 2014.
The time line of the first two books of this series spans several millennia making it a bit difficult to place and even follow how the various events that unfold relate to each other. In another email to Hautman, I suggested that he include a time line in the next book to help clarify the time frame of individual events and the time frame of the story as a whole. He responded that he thought it a good idea and said it would appear in the 3rd book.
I have heard that this series will be a trilogy, so I want book 3 to come out soon. But since this book, No. 2, just came out this past Spring, it will probably be a year or more before the 3rd comes out.
While I liked this a lot, it does have a lot of unexpected plot turns and twists. One of the things I didn't like was there are a lot of words and phrases that refer to groups of people, to beliefs, to places and other things (e.g. Lambs, Lah Sept, Pure Girls and many more). While I recall each one being explained in some manner as it was introduced, it was difficult to keep track of them all and recall them when they were used later in the book. This was especially true since some of the later uses of these words/phrases, seemed to imply a slightly different connotation or even meaning that the one I had garnered earlier in the book. At various points I found myself asking "now just who are the Lambs, Who are the Lah Sept?"
Also, several readers have commented that these books are an indictment of religion. After my own reading of these two books I have not come to that conclusion and now that I have read Hautman's blog I am convinced that isn't the case. What Hautman DOES do in this book, in my opinion, is question authority, whether it be religous or any other authority.
Hautman's personal position on religion he explains on his blog. He says that he does not worship but also does not scoff. I interpret that to mean he respects each person's choice to hold whatever beliefs have meaning for him/her. I respect Hautman for that stance. I also recall from my own exploration and study that many of the revered spiritual leaders and writers over the centuries have said that one must question what you are taught to believe if that belief is ever to deepen and mature.
The choice to believe, continue to believe or not, is up to each person.
I emailed Hautman recently asking how soon the 3rd book would be published. He responded that he has already completed writing it but that the wheels of publication move slowly and so it likely won't be available until sometime in early 2014.
The time line of the first two books of this series spans several millennia making it a bit difficult to place and even follow how the various events that unfold relate to each other. In another email to Hautman, I suggested that he include a time line in the next book to help clarify the time frame of individual events and the time frame of the story as a whole. He responded that he thought it a good idea and said it would appear in the 3rd book.
February 11, 2017
I was first exposed to Pete Hautman when a critique partner recommended THE MORTAL NUTS, a Joe Crow mystery that involved the Minnesota State Fair and Texas Hold 'em. Needless to say I was rather surprised to see Peter win the National Book Award for his young adult novel, GODLESS.
And now he's switched genres again, with science fiction. The CYDONIAN PYRAMID starts half a millennium in the future, Lah Lia, a Pure Girl has experienced her Blood Moon and is about to be sacrificed and thrown into a portal leading to another time and place. If she returns, she will be a Yar, or holy woman (nun?). Just as a priest is about to stab her, Tucker Feye (supposedly the boy Abraham sacrificed to the Old Testament God) saves her and they both jump into the portal.
But they go in different directions. Tucker ends up at the North Pole just as a nuclear submarine breaks through the ice; Lah Lia falls from such a height she needs hospitalization. A Medicant wants payment after she's treated. She's sold to a Boggsian, a kind of cross between an Amish adherent and a Quantum mechanics technician. There's a bit of satire in Hautman's books. The Lah Sept, Lah Lia's people, blame a plague on the Boggsian's and their obsession with technology and numbers. The Lah Sept don't mention numbers.
Hautman has Lah Lia and Tucker jumping in and out of these portals or disks, perhaps too many times, throughout the book. Lah Lia likes Tucker but she can't find the right disk to take her where Tucker is.
Oh, yes, there's also a war going on between the priests and the Yars, eventually anyway. There's a big battle scene atop the Pyramid.
It's a bit disconcerting and ironic to think that a five hundred years into the future, Quantum theory will have joined with the Amish to fall further into the past, while advancing in years. In both THE MORTAL NUTS and GODLESS Hautman displays a wicked sense of humor. That's missing here, perhaps necessarily.
And now he's switched genres again, with science fiction. The CYDONIAN PYRAMID starts half a millennium in the future, Lah Lia, a Pure Girl has experienced her Blood Moon and is about to be sacrificed and thrown into a portal leading to another time and place. If she returns, she will be a Yar, or holy woman (nun?). Just as a priest is about to stab her, Tucker Feye (supposedly the boy Abraham sacrificed to the Old Testament God) saves her and they both jump into the portal.
But they go in different directions. Tucker ends up at the North Pole just as a nuclear submarine breaks through the ice; Lah Lia falls from such a height she needs hospitalization. A Medicant wants payment after she's treated. She's sold to a Boggsian, a kind of cross between an Amish adherent and a Quantum mechanics technician. There's a bit of satire in Hautman's books. The Lah Sept, Lah Lia's people, blame a plague on the Boggsian's and their obsession with technology and numbers. The Lah Sept don't mention numbers.
Hautman has Lah Lia and Tucker jumping in and out of these portals or disks, perhaps too many times, throughout the book. Lah Lia likes Tucker but she can't find the right disk to take her where Tucker is.
Oh, yes, there's also a war going on between the priests and the Yars, eventually anyway. There's a big battle scene atop the Pyramid.
It's a bit disconcerting and ironic to think that a five hundred years into the future, Quantum theory will have joined with the Amish to fall further into the past, while advancing in years. In both THE MORTAL NUTS and GODLESS Hautman displays a wicked sense of humor. That's missing here, perhaps necessarily.
May 4, 2015
Before starting this I reread The Obsidian Blade quickly to remind me of the setup, which was probably a good idea. (The Kindle prices of this and the third book were reduced so I snagged them immediately, and will start The Klaatu Terminus next.
I think I missed the paradoxical nature of Bounce the cat on first reading: the cat could not grow older, because he was in a closed loop: if he had grown during his stay with Lia, on the next iteration he would have grown older still and so on. Just like any object passed through time in a closed loop would eventually wear to nothing.
Some readers might object to the revisiting of familiar scenes from a different POV, which took up much of the book. I did not mind it, but I feel there are some loose threads still for the final volume, such as what was the deal with Tucker's mother and the Boggsians mentioned in the first book. And did Mom come initially from the future?
The future shown here is not exacly a bright one, with the insane theocracy and all. I keep sensing a Heinlein influence in the style and the whole concept (à la By His Bootstraps, although other readers don't seem to have picked up anything like that.
I think I missed the paradoxical nature of Bounce the cat on first reading: the cat could not grow older, because he was in a closed loop: if he had grown during his stay with Lia, on the next iteration he would have grown older still and so on. Just like any object passed through time in a closed loop would eventually wear to nothing.
Some readers might object to the revisiting of familiar scenes from a different POV, which took up much of the book. I did not mind it, but I feel there are some loose threads still for the final volume, such as what was the deal with Tucker's mother and the Boggsians mentioned in the first book. And did Mom come initially from the future?
The future shown here is not exacly a bright one, with the insane theocracy and all. I keep sensing a Heinlein influence in the style and the whole concept (à la By His Bootstraps, although other readers don't seem to have picked up anything like that.
Read
February 27, 2015The Cydonian Pyramid is about a girl name Lia. She lives in the far future. She is a pure girl and lives a sheltered life. She has never been outside the walls of the place that she lives and gets a shock when she finally does go outside. An experience that she will never forget for as long as she lives.
What I liked about the book is the way the author describes the setting and characters at the start of the book. He also does not just focus on one character he jumps from character to character but still uses first person point of view. What I don't like about the book is that it does not tell you what time period that they are in just that they travel through time. The setting that Lia is in is a school that only pure girls go to. A pure girl is a girl who is born different from everyone else. For example Lia is a pure girl because she has blue eyes and everyone is supposed to have brown eyes. I feel that this is unfair because they just ship you away because you are different.
I think that someone that enjoys sci-fi or mystery books should read this. I think that this book is a mix between mystery and sci-fi because there is a problem trying to be solved. Also they have technology that has not been developed or released to the public yet like holographic tables or time machines. This is why I would recommend this book to someone who likes Sci-fi or Mystery books.
What I liked about the book is the way the author describes the setting and characters at the start of the book. He also does not just focus on one character he jumps from character to character but still uses first person point of view. What I don't like about the book is that it does not tell you what time period that they are in just that they travel through time. The setting that Lia is in is a school that only pure girls go to. A pure girl is a girl who is born different from everyone else. For example Lia is a pure girl because she has blue eyes and everyone is supposed to have brown eyes. I feel that this is unfair because they just ship you away because you are different.
I think that someone that enjoys sci-fi or mystery books should read this. I think that this book is a mix between mystery and sci-fi because there is a problem trying to be solved. Also they have technology that has not been developed or released to the public yet like holographic tables or time machines. This is why I would recommend this book to someone who likes Sci-fi or Mystery books.
October 18, 2013
The Cydonian Pyramid is the second book of Pete Hautman's Klaatu Diskos series. It continues the journeys of Tucker and Lahlia from the first book. We readers discover more of Lahlia's life that the first book doesn't include, and her life in Romelas before she was supposed to be sacrificed. It follows Lahlia's journey through the diskos, after she has escaped and what happened to her that Tucker didn't know about. In the first book, Lahlia has just saved Tucker's life from being killed by Father September, who was actually his father, and many of the priests from Romelas. They both entered the disko and found themselves in completely different time periods and places. Tucker ended up on Antarctica, while Lahlia went to Romelas, where she was originated. These two characters go on journeys through time through the diskos to find each other. The Cydonian Pyramid is a science fiction book with a lot of action and adventure. I marked it as 5 stars, because I found the book amazing, and both unforgettable and exciting. It has much action and fighting. I would recommend this book to readers who are willing to try sci-fi books that are fast paced and gripping. Overall, I thought that this book was even better than the first book in the series.
August 14, 2014
The Cydonian Pyramid is the sequel to The Obsidian Blade. In this book we get to see things from both Lah Lia's perspective, and from Tucker Feye's perspective as they both travel through time (separately).
I liked this book a lot better than the first one. The story telling and writing are much better. The story focuses solely on Tucker and Lia, so we didn't have to deal with the really crappy characters like Father September or Master Gheen. We get to learn a bit more though about the Yars and the Boggs, the creation of the Klaatu, and a lot more. There isn't this anti-Christianity theme thrown in your face either like the entire first book was. It really just picks up from the first book and continues non-stop action to the end. It has an interesting and thought-provoking take on changing the past, paradoxes, and the like. For example, the Klaatu created the Diskos, and the Diskos created the Klaatu.
So anyway, I pretty much despised the first book but I decided to read this since the publisher sent it to me. I'm glad I did as it was an enjoyable and fast-paced read and I really enjoyed getting to know Tucker and Lia better.
NOTE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
I liked this book a lot better than the first one. The story telling and writing are much better. The story focuses solely on Tucker and Lia, so we didn't have to deal with the really crappy characters like Father September or Master Gheen. We get to learn a bit more though about the Yars and the Boggs, the creation of the Klaatu, and a lot more. There isn't this anti-Christianity theme thrown in your face either like the entire first book was. It really just picks up from the first book and continues non-stop action to the end. It has an interesting and thought-provoking take on changing the past, paradoxes, and the like. For example, the Klaatu created the Diskos, and the Diskos created the Klaatu.
So anyway, I pretty much despised the first book but I decided to read this since the publisher sent it to me. I'm glad I did as it was an enjoyable and fast-paced read and I really enjoyed getting to know Tucker and Lia better.
NOTE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
October 13, 2013
This second volume in the Klaatu Diskos trilogy alternates between Tucker Feye’s and Lah Lia’s perspectives of the same time period as The Obsidian Blade. It opens with Tucker Feye time traveling through the diskos and landing near a US submarine in the Arctic Circle in 1959 at the height of the Cold War. He tries to explain to the ship’s doctor how he got there but has a lot of difficulty with that because the doctor thinks he is a Soviet Spy. Lah Lia escapes the fate of the Pure Girls in Romelas of dying by sacrifice as per the Lah Sept religion when Tucker and his uncle fall through a disko onto the altar. Most of the book follows Lahlia’s travels through the diskos and time, past and future including when she first met Tucker in the first volume. Hautman blends politics, religion, the promise or curse of technology, quantum kabbalistc science, abuse and many more issues in this fascinating yet confusing mélange of a book. The character development is strong but only the most patient fans will stick with this series. It is necessary to read the first volume and preferably close to the reading of the second.
July 16, 2013
In book one of the Klaatu Diskos, we are introduced to Tucker Feye and we follow his journeys through time as he attempts to find his missing family. In book two, we focus on Lah Lia, the strange girl that Tucker's father brought back to town after going missing the first time. It's always been clear that Lah Lia is not an ordinary girl, but her story adds entirely new dimensions to the Klaatu Diskos world.
Born and raised as a sacrifice for the Lah Sept, Lah Lia is scheduled to be sacrificed when Tucker and his father come through the Diskos atop the Cydonian Pyramid. Lah Lia is able to escape the knife and throws herself into the nearest Disko. When she reaches Tucker's time, she realizes that their time lines are intertwined and that, by avoiding her own fate, she may have undone history.
In the meantime, Tucker has found himself stranded in the Arctic, which is not a particularly convenient place for a Disko to deposit a person.
The Klaatu Diskos really starts taking off with the second book in the series. For every question that is answered, several more crop up. Hautman has created a universe that challenges and subverts in new and intriguing ways.
Born and raised as a sacrifice for the Lah Sept, Lah Lia is scheduled to be sacrificed when Tucker and his father come through the Diskos atop the Cydonian Pyramid. Lah Lia is able to escape the knife and throws herself into the nearest Disko. When she reaches Tucker's time, she realizes that their time lines are intertwined and that, by avoiding her own fate, she may have undone history.
In the meantime, Tucker has found himself stranded in the Arctic, which is not a particularly convenient place for a Disko to deposit a person.
The Klaatu Diskos really starts taking off with the second book in the series. For every question that is answered, several more crop up. Hautman has created a universe that challenges and subverts in new and intriguing ways.
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