The Slanted Worlds

Obsidian Mirror #2

by Catherine Fisher

Part Dr. Who, part Blade Runner, and part A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this genre-busting fantasy from the author of Incarceron asks: If you had the chance to change the past, would you do it?

In book two of the critically acclaimed Obsidian Mirror series, New York Times bestselling author Catherine Fisher, called “the first lady of British fantasy” by the London Times, once again shows us that she is a master of world-building and surprising plot-twists. Jake, Sarah, and Oberon Venn continue their fight for control of the Obsidian Mirror, and whoever wins will either save a life, change the past, or rescue the future.
But the Mirror has plans of its own.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Time Travel, Science Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure

359 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Catherine Fisher was born in Newport, Wales. She graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in English and a fascination for myth and history. She has worked in education and archaeology and as a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. She is a Fellow of the Welsh Academy.

Catherine is an acclaimed poet and novelist, regularly lecturing and giving readings to groups of all ages. She leads sessions for teachers and librarians and is an experienced broadcaster and adjudicator. She lives in Newport, Gwent.

Catherine has won many awards and much critical acclaim for her work. Her poetry has appeared in leading periodicals and anthologies and her volume Immrama won the WAC Young Writers' Prize. She won the Cardiff International Poetry Competition in 1990.

Her first novel, The Conjuror's Game, was shortlisted for the Smarties Books prize and The Snow-Walker's Son for the W.H.Smith Award. Equally acclaimed is her quartet The Book of the Crow, a classic of fantasy fiction.

The Oracle, the first volume in the Oracle trilogy, blends Egyptian and Greek elements of magic and adventure and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Books prize. The trilogy was an international bestseller and has appeared in over twenty languages. The Candleman won the Welsh Books Council's Tir Na n'Og Prize and Catherine was also shortlisted for the remarkable Corbenic, a modern re-inventing of the Grail legend.

Her futuristic novel Incarceron was published to widespread praise in 2007, winning the Mythopoeic Society of America's Children's Fiction Award and selected by The Times as its Children's Book of the Year. The sequel, Sapphique, was published in September 2008.

Reviews

[Carey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't get anything out of this second installment. There was a lot of running around, back and forth in time, but the story ran in place. I can't even decide if I like the characters. They don't seem to develop relationships with each other, or the relationships change to fit the action. I don't understand the rules of Summerland or the mirror. The story isn't making any sense to me. There is a cool part when Sarah runs off to break into Summer's house, but I'm just not getting it. I don't see how a kid is going to keep track of what's happening and understand it all. I probably won't read the last installment. Not rated yet by common sense media.

[Maria Kramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking back at my review for volume 1...and my main thought at the time was "wow, that was convoluted." Good news! Volume 2 is just as convoluted - perhaps more so. It's like the author looked at the huge yarnball of the first volume and said..."Hmmm....how can I add even more plot threads to this?"

But somehow, it works better in this volume than the first. Maybe we've reached critical plot mass and the story's about to blast off? Anyway, I liked this volume and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

Similar titles:
The Raven Boys

[Robert]

This sequel to The Obsidian Mirror doesn't work quite as well as it's predecessor. There's more shenanigans with the mirror and split/shifting/uncertain loyalties and some surprises but it doesn't work well as a stand-alone book because it starts in the middle of events and finishes - in the middle of events.

THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN CURTAILED IN PROTEST AT GOODREADS' CENSORSHIP POLICY

See the complete review here:

http://arbieroo.booklikes.com/post/70...

[Sharon Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Box of Red Brocade is just as exciting as The Obsidian Mirror.

Time travel to Victorian London during the blitz and the 1400's in Italy; Summer still up to her tricks in trying to trap Venn; Janus interfering; Sarah wanting to destroy the mirror ... it's a story that will keep you engaged and trying to work out if the bad guy is really the bad guy - and who is Maskelyne really?

I'm so eager for the next book!

Full review coming soon.

[Clare]

Looking forward to this! Fisher is one of the few authors who can successfully combine time travel, historical fiction and fairy lore, and, as in Incarceron and The Obsidian Mirror, infuse her writing with poignant philosophical reflections on life and happiness.

Would love a review copy for www.GoodReadingGuide.com if there are any going...

[Cara (Wilde Book Garden)]

Got 20-30 pages into this sequel before realizing I just aggressively did not care. From the sounds of other reviews, the series stays confusing and overcomplicated without being satisfying enough to make up for it. Maybe someday I'll try to track down a spoilery review of the whole series since I am still marginally curious about how things turn out, but not enough to force myself through 3 more books.

Also, I just straight up didn't like most of the plot threads in book 1, so I wasn't excited about following them through the rest of the series.

[Deedee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lexile HL580L
IL: MG+ - BL: 4.5 - AR Pts: 10.0
There are so many stories running through the story, so many time periods, so many great and twisted characters, so many secrets, so many plot twists, and so many "personal agendas" going on in the book.

What this book lacks is humor and romance. Yes, a YA book completely devoid of romance!

[Satangan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad to have found Book 2, to this interesting and mind confusing series. The Obsidian Mirror series is a great read. I was able to find Book 2 and check it out at my local public joint-use library.

The ending, cliffhanger from book 1 made me excited to read the next book, and here I am finally able to read it. I am hyped to find out what happens next and to also, see if I either get more confused by it all or clarify some things that I thought about with Book 1.

I've realized that besides the many POV changing throughout the book. It seems easier to read and understand after reading book 2 (I'm not as confused as to when I first read book 1). The more I read deeper into this series, the more things start to clear up and make sense.

SPOILER....... I was happy for Sarah's character to show up again (she's my fave, besides jake's character so far). Also, Jake's reunion with his father, David, with a twist that I didn't see coming. Although, I would've thought that David would make an appearance in book 3. But, the cliffhanger for this book is so intriguing as was Book 1's ending reveal.

And yet again, book 2 has brought me an unexpected ending and a hope to find out what happens next in the story. I'm really looking forward to reading book 3 next.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars. This was a fun book, but not my favorite of hers. I feel like much of the draw in the first one was the revelation of the various parties involved/discovering the world, so now that I'm more familiar with those things, this one didn't have quite the same excitement as the first one. I didn't care much for the parts with Alicia in this one either. It was fun to see some new locations in this one though, particularly in the beginning with Jake. I like Catherine Fisher a lot, and while this isn't my favorite of hers, I still look forward to finishing the series.

[Wina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teen fantasy that takes place in our world. Very imaginative, engrossing, faie, gritty, a bit scary, and complicated/involved. I read all four books and recommend them for anyone who likes books with the kind of adjectives I just used.
#2 The Slanted Worlds
#3 The Door in the Moon
#4 The Speed of Darkness

[Sharon Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catherine Fisher sure does keep her stories interesting & her universe's complex. I often find I need to flip back through to remind myself of details throughout the book. That being said, I do love her unique storylines & steampunk overtones.

[Summer Seeds · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read the first book. I don't particularly want to read the first book. I'm not actually sure where this book came from. It just showed up on my shelf. That being said, this was definitely a bridge between books 1 and 3. Largely it was a set up novel.

[Cathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

middle and upper grades
third-person POV
2nd of 4
AR test
contemporary / fantasy

More "journeying" in time, more crosses and double-crosses, all to gain control of the mirror and / or rescue loved ones.

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Throughout the three books I maintained curiosity about what would happen, and so finished, but found the series hard to follow because of the very frequent changes to perspective. This wasn't helped by very similar characters and even unnecessary ones.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this ages ago, probably 10 years or more. I stopped reading anything from her though because both of the 2 series I read (also Incarceron), do NOT have satisfying endings!!! I hate that and refuse to read any more of her books!

[Micacat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some plot development discrepancies but overall stellar.

[Spellcheck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skipped large swathes of this one. I'm only continuing because I heard the trilogy was supposed to be very good. So far, it's not working for me, but still has the potential to redeem itself.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. It moved quickly and kept my interest.

However, it created many more questions than it ever answered. It made for a very frustrating finish.

[Lynn Orser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chis is the 2nd in the series of the Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher. A continuation of the fantasy epic of time travel. If you liked book one you will like this novel.

[Sheenagh Pugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Chronoptika series which began with The Obsidian Mirror, which I reviewed here. To recap briefly, the mirror is a time portal currently in the house of Oberon Venn, who wants to use it to bring back his dead wife Leah. His best friend David has already got lost in time trying to use the mirror, and his son Jake wants to bring him back. Maskelyne, the mirror's original owner, wants it back for purposes unknown, while Sarah, a girl from the future, knows what carnage the mirror will cause there and wants to destroy it. Outside the house, in the woods, is the timeless land of the Shee, whose queen Lady Summer wants Venn. Gideon, stolen by the Shee as a baby long ago, wants to be human again but does not know if this will kill him.

Complicated... but it gets more so. There is a lot of travel between worlds and times in this second book, as people search for each other and for a talisman that may be able to destroy the mirror. It gets quite hard to keep track of who is where and who has what at any one time, and that is quite deliberate; we are meant to feel these characters' confusion, and their mutual mistrust as their alliances keep shifting. Rebecca, once very much Maskelyne's ally, begins here to detach from him and form new loyalties. Venn, who isn't completely human, is drawn toward the faery world that can give him immortality. In this extract, he is feeling the pull of his non-human side:

He heard the flowers open on the hawthorn bushes, the bees wake, the small furled buds of oak and ash and rowan rustle and uncurl. He felt the wind change and the breeze shiver, hedgehogs crisp through banks of leaves, tadpoles in the lake open their eyes and grow tails and swim in the deep water.

A theme that is beginning to emerge is the search for power. Several characters – Janus (the fearsome tyrant from the future), Lady Summer, the Victorian inventor Harcourt Symmes and his daughter, Maskelyne as far as we know, seem to want power more than anything. It's possible that Venn too is driven as much by power as love. Others, like David and Jake, Rebecca and the harassed schoolteacher Wharton, definitely seem to be driven more by concern for their fellow-humans. Since the notes of the mirror's inventor state that love is the only thing that can defeat time, they would seem to have the right of it.

There are still huge questions and mysteries, to resolve which we shall have to await volume 3. In the meantime there is the driving momentum and lyrical beauty of the prose. We are constantly being reminded of the passage of time and that the past and future are as real as the present: here Wharton has a sudden sense of the future of the building he is in:

And from deep below the house he became aware of a sound he realized he had heard all night under his pillow, in his dreams – the roar of the swollen river Wintercombe, in its deep ravine beneath the very cellars.

Hurrying after Piers, he noted rain dripping into more buckets here and there, damp green mouldy patches forming on the ceilings. The whole Abbey was leaking and running with water.

In the Monk's Walk the stone was wet under his hand, the gargoyles of lost mediaeval monsters vomiting rain through their open mouths. He sensed all at once the soft timbers, the creaking gutters, the saturated soil under the foundations, had a sudden nightmarish terror of the great building collapsing, toppling, washing away, becoming the ruin that Sarah had hinted at.

[Sara I · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a few of Catherine Fisher's books before, including the first book in the Chronoptika series. I also find her books to be interesting. And I always like reading them. It can just take a while to get into them I think...

What I liked: I found Oberon Venn to be very interesting. It may partly be because I don't remember a whole lot of what was in the first book, but I wanted to figure him out. I thought his character was very complex. As was Sarah's, they both have clear missions that are very different and go against one another. Yet they're related and must get along for the time being. They're both desperate and grasping at straws and taking dangerous risks. And then there's Jake and his father...lost in time, time and time again. Which brings me to time traveling...the mirror is a device that let's the owner go back in time...if he has a bracelet to direct his path so he won't get lost in time and understands how to work the mirror. It's a bit confusing, but not as confusing as some time traveling books are. It was pretty well done I think, and there were some really cool spots where he's in the past and he meets someone and yea...there are some cool little time traveling tricks. To add to it, there are also the Shee which are like fey. They're after Venn and who knows what else...they're violent and inhuman. So there are lots of different aspects to this story and it comes together into a fantastical book of adventure and time traveling. And the ending was very very good. The last third was the best and I definitely think it is definitely worth waiting for. (if the first part was a little slow for you like it was for me)

What I didn't like as much: Even if I can start reading an have a chapter done in 5 minutes or less, it didn't mean that I was unable to put the book down. Fisher's writing flows well but it took me until maybe 150 pages in to really start getting into the story. The first part was good, it was just a mix of not remembering much of the first book and the plot not being quite fast enough. I also sometimes felt that things were a little stiff, it might have just been me though.

Overall, the characters are well done and interesting and once I got into the story it got extremely interesting and I didn't want to put the book down. It took a little while to get into the story but even then the writing flowed well and I think that goes to show that Catherine Fisher is a good author. I look forward to the next book :)

[Christina Anastasia Stavridi · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The slanted worlds' is the second in the Chronoptica series and while it wasn't as great as the first I still found it to be one of my favorites this year. Though it's only logical for the first to be more interesting since that's when we first learn about the mirror and the sneaky and vicious Shee.

Jake, once again, travels in the mirror in the hopes to find his dad only to find himself in the middle of World War Two. But of course there's a reason for behind it since the mirror seems to have a mind of its own. It is rather complicated, actually the whole story is complicated,what with all the time-traveling paradoxes are bound to happen. That is where three identicall creepy kids show up telling him

The first one said, “The Black Fox will release you, Jake.”
The second nodded. “Speak to the Man with the Eyes of a Crow.”
“And the Broken Emperor lies,” the third one said, “in the Box of Red Brocade.”

All those who we came to know in 'The obsidian mirror' are back, still with their own obsessions and remain true to their characters. I say that because in some series you see a character behave in a certain way in one book then very differently in another for no reason.If it was gradually and because of the things they've been through and learned I would of course like it but when its suddenly and for no reason... There is not that problem in 'The Slanted worlds'.

Alliances happen but its obvious that anyone would betray someone to achieve their goals.How they go at it its quite amusing in my opinion.

The writing is brilliant (I really love the way Fisher described the places we see in the book,especially Italy) but at times it was rather difficult to understand and a bit absurd.

For those who have read The Obsidian Mirror read it, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

For those who haven't, read it first or else you will not understand a thing. 'The Slanted worlds' is definitely not a stand-alone.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please see my review for the following volume!

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to The Obsidian Mirror, which I reviewed in early 2013. As the middle volume of a trilogy, this book suffers some of the typical problems of a middle volume -- problems similar, in my opinion, to those posed by The Two Towers in the LOTR trilogy.

The book is unintelligible unless you have first read the earlier volume, and my ability to follow the story suffered from having read The Obsidian Mirror a long twenty-one months earlier.

The plot involves time travel by all of the principal characters, each of whom has his own secret objective. Time travel becomes much more pervasive and complex in this volume -- characters being whisked from the Black Death in fourteenth century Florence to the Nazi Blitz in twentieth century London. Add travel within the ever-mutating world of faery created by the mysterious Shee people and Summer, their vicious and seductive queen, and you have a plot that one needs a chart to follow carefully.

Any story about time travel must deal with the paradoxes that such travel would create. For example: Jake, the teenage hero, has to escape into time-space from a bombed-out building seconds before he knows he entered that same building from the exterior during an earlier trip to 1940 London. Meeting himself would present complexities that I don't believe this author wants to confront.

Nevertheless, the book is a quick and enjoyable read, and probably would bear up well under a second reading. But first I have to read the final book of the trilogy -- the story is that absorbing, the characters that peculiarly interesting, and the writing that good.

Besides, there are seven curious black cats -- "replicants" -- whose powers have not yet been revealed. Or are they simply seven black cats?

(The Door in the Moon will be published March 24, 2015.)

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, what a wonderful read. The characters, the story, the pace, the suspense--everything came together beautifully and had me turning pages frantically dying to know what happened next. I really admire Fisher's ability to create amazingly complex, unique characters whose story lines intersect and play off of one another with such ease. Fisher does more than weave plot lines of different characters, though. She meshes multiple genres (faeries, magic, time travel, historical fiction, mystery, mythology) across multiple time periods and continents (present day England, future dictatorships, World War II Germany, Italy during the time of the Black Death), all without confusing the reader or muddying the plot.

My favorite plot line and character throughout the story is Gideon. A young boy captured by faeries and forced to live his entire life according to their rules and whims, his tale is beautifully tragic. I loved that in this second book we are able to see Gideon begin to forge his own path and rebel a little against his captors, but I still worry about the consequences he will eventually have to face in the final book for the part he has played in the mortals' affairs.

If you have not read this series yet, I highly recommend you go pick up the first book in the series, "The Obsidian Mirror", and give it a try. It is really a unique series that has a wide range of topics and themes that should appeal to almost anyone.

[Serendipity Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally reviewed on www.serendipityreviews.co.uk

I simply adore this series! This time travelling, fantastical epic adventure has me firmly on the edge of my seat and I can’t wait until the next book comes out. Catherine Fisher has created a fictional masterpiece, which keeps you absorbed from beginning to end.

From the very first paragraph you are thrown right into the action as a bomb drops on London during WW2; one of many detailed and descriptive time settings in the book. With a tightly written plot, the book curves back and forth through time as the characters try to unravel the secrets of the Obsidian Mirror.

I can’t say I love one character more than another as they all stand out uniquely from each other. Jake is strong willed and determined; he will stop at nothing until he finds his father, yet even he isn’t prepared for what he finds. Janus scares me; I am sure he has stepped straight out of the Terminator films.

This book has a little bit of everything, making it the perfect piece of fiction for anyone with eclectic tastes. It has elements of Doctor Who mixed in with Goodnight Sweetheart, hinted with subtle flavours of The DaVinci Code.

I loved it! And I really hope I don’t have to wait too long for the next part!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This sequel to Obsidian Mirror, which revolved around a powerful and alluring black mirror with the power to send people through time, suffers from some second book-problems but ultimately delivers a thrilling adventure that skillfully blends time travel, creepy fairies, and a cast of intriguing characters whose allegiances constantly shift. In true Catherine Fisher form, they're not all likable but they're always interesting. No one is quite who you expect them to be and their relationships with the mirror, and motivations for seeking it, are deeply emotional and layered. Fisher's clean, simple prose makes for a fast-paced story that sucks the reader in and doesn't let go. It's only after reading that I realized that nothing much had been really resolved--the same arcs and conflicts had only become more complicated and the stakes raised for the next book in the series. However, I was too caught up in the fascinating fusion of genres and the unexpected plot twists to notice the lack of resolution, which testifies to the excellent reading experience this book provides. Overall, though, this is an unusual, genre-bending second book in a superior fantasy series. Recommended for fantasy fans willing to take a bit of a risk.

[Carina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series of books concerning the Obsidian Mirror has me hooked. This is the second instalment in the series and time travelling becomes more obscure as the actual mechanics of the mirror has yet been understood.

We read through journals in the present that intertwine with the storyline as Jake and his friends travel to the past and become the objects of the journal entries, causing disturbances in the time continuuom that in the end all ultimately link up. Its a bit of a head sore to keep track of but is incredibly well written and continues to intrigue me and spur me on to buy the next book in the series. I love the presence of the supernatural as well, there's two struggles in this series, the quest for finding Jake's father who is lost in the times the mirror has sent in to, and the Shee who are mythical creatures off the forest, long ago bound to the Venn family as Oberon's ancestor made a pact with the Queen of the Summerland.

Both points interwine in an interesting and intriguing way that often has me clutching at my book in anger, terror, despair and sorrow.

Fully reccomend this book to anyone interested in the occult, fantasy and has read the Incarceron series, it has the same flow of wit and action that I came to love.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second Book Of the Chronoptika series "The Slanted Worlds" takes place after the First Book "The Obsidian Mirror" Leaves off In this Book Jake Is Looking for His Father David Through The use of the Use Of the obsidian Mirror. While Sarah is still looking through articles of Mortimer Dee to see how to actually Destroy the Mirror. This movie has a Semi Good plot and Has good Plot progression.

There are Good and Bad things in this book. Though there are more things I Dislike in this book than things I do like. But I'm going to start with the things I Do Like about this story. The Things I do like about this story is the plot progression and the smooth transition. I like how The Author doesn't spend a lot of time on one Part of a story due to the amount of time they have left to actually do what they need to do which makes the story life like even though it is a fictional story. For the Part about smooth transition The chapters change with fluidity and is always at the most suspenseful time periods. Now for the Things I dislike about this Story. For the first part the story doesn't really Have any Dynamic Plot. Its kinda Flat really. They spend more time talking than actually doing anything

[Courtney Schafer]

Sequel to OBSIDIAN MIRROR, one of my favorite YA reads of last year. Fisher's ability to create and maintain tension and mystery never ceases to amaze me, and this book is no exception - I was riveted throughout. I do think it suffers a bit from "middle-book" syndrome; there's no resolution in either plot or character arcs, which makes it feel rather like reading a set of chapters from the middle of a book and then having the book ripped out of your hands before you can finish. That said, there is definitely *progress* in both plot and characters - this isn't at all the sort of middle book where nothing happens. (Far from it!) One thing I particularly liked was watching chinks appear in the walls of the characters' various obsessions as a result of their changing alliances with each other. Fisher took a risk in OBSIDIAN MIRROR in having her characters start out so self-obsessed and desperate to achieve their respective goals at any cost that they approach unlikeability; but in SLANTED WORLDS you can see that risk start to pay off. I'll now be counting down the days until the next installment releases!