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Lighthouse Trilogy #2
The Lighthouse War
The heart-pounding sequel to The Lighthouse Land Jamie O'Neill is back on Earth, where no one but his best friend Ramsay knows he's the hero of a great war that saved an alien nation. Now he's back to being a kid with one arm, no girlfriend, and a band that plays bad songs about intergalactic romance. Then news breaks on the a space probe has picked up a coded message from far across the galaxy. NASA's best scientists can't figure out what it says. Only Jamie and Ramsay realize it's a message from Altair. They're needed again. This thrilling sequel to The Lighthouse Land is packed with even more adventure, battles, and humor than its predecessor, and it secures Adrian McKinty's place as one of science fiction's most exciting voices.
12 pages, Audio CD
First published October 1, 2007
13 people are currently reading
490 people want to read
About the author
Adrian McKinty
48 books4,402 followersAdrian McKinty is an Irish novelist. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Victoria Council Estate, Carrickfergus, County Antrim. He read law at the University of Warwick and politics and philosophy at the University of Oxford. He moved to the United States in the early 1990s, living first in Harlem, New York and from 2001 on, in Denver, Colorado, where he taught high school English and began writing fiction. He lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
September 11, 2017
I greatly enjoyed this book! I listened to the audio book version and was completely engrossed by it...probably not a good thing when you're driving! I enjoyed it a little more than the first book, simply because the suspense was greater. At certain points I feared for certain characters lives! I love the blend of history and science. As a native of Northern Ireland I just love being able to visualise it all and say "hey I've been there! I know that place!" As an education officer at the Armagh Planetarium I greatly appreciate the space aspect of these books too 😊
September 19, 2009
An OK book. I think I liked the first one better. Hopefully the last of the trilogy is more exciting.
December 2, 2017
There were chunks of this book I didn't like as well as the first---mainly the battle scenes. However these are brief and I love how the young people in the book become smarter and more creative. There's also a great villain that's really fun to root against. The book ends with the kids and their adult family members returning to Earth via a spaceship that travels via a wormhole. Immediately requested the last book in the series which took a few weeks to arrive from the library.
December 28, 2019
As two boys journey to another universe to help save an alien planet they face many challenges. This was a great read. At first I thought I wouldn't like it but it kept me in suspense the whole time. Read in two days. Loved it
July 26, 2017
(Audible; Gerard Doyle, narrator) Second book in the Lighthouse Trilogy is better than volume one.
August 1, 2017
I enjoyed this as well as the first one...maybe even more than the first one! Looking forward to finishing this series....
May 7, 2019
still an interesting series and trying to patiently wait for the 3rd book from the library.
August 24, 2021
Quite predictable at times but somewhat interesting development to the first story set in this world.
July 14, 2023
What does this guy have against the south in America!?
December 15, 2016
In a previous adventure, New York-born teen Jamie O'Neill and his mother moved to a small island off the coast of Northern Ireland - population: themselves - where the silent, one-armed boy and his funny, brainy friend Ramsay MacDonald made an amazing discovery. Using a family heirloom called the Salmon of Knowledge - really, an artifact of an ancient race not of Earth - they fell through a wormhole to the distant planet of Altair. There Jamie got back his arm (temporarily) and his voice (for good), helped save an alien civilization from an invading horde, and fell in love with a delicate yet tough beauty named Wishaway. Then he had to come home to save his mom, but thanks to a used-up battery, the Salmon wouldn't take him back to Altair.
I don't usually give that much background before getting down to what a book is about, but in this case, the reminder is useful. Although I'd had this sequel in my collection since very soon after I read Jamie's first adventure, I let enough years pass before reading it that I had forgotten almost everything about it except the lingering impression of a superbly designed dust jacket. Someone who saw me reading it at a chorus rehearsal asked me to let him have the book after I was done with it, simply because he liked the cover art. That was ages ago. Without the first book to consult, I found my way back into the world of Jamie's adventures with no difficulty. This book filled in all the gaps in my memory, just when they needed to be filled, without any awkward sense of time being wasted on a review of things past (like, say, in the first paragraph of this review). That's a tough balance to hit.
Another thing this book brought back to me was the enjoyment of crisp dialogue between interesting characters. The dialogue carries the reader over the threshold of willingly suspending disbelief while two-thirds of a rock band, fresh back from a miserable showing at a Belfast-Has-Talent audition, recover their spirits by replenishing the Salmon's power supply. They only black out half of Ulster in the process. Then Ramsay, his much older half-brother Brian, Jamie, and Jamie's mother Anna take a quick peek at Altair, just for fun. The fun turns into trouble when Brian and Anna are captured by the Witch Queen of Alkhava, while Ramsay and Jamie end up facing her brother, the bitter and scarred Lord Protector Ksar, in a battle against their friends.
Jamie finds out Wishaway waited exactly a year for him to return, and only a few days have passed since she accepted the marriage proposal of young Prince Lorca of the Oralands. As if to sharpen his heartache, they return to her city after Ksar escapes, only to receive an ultimatum from Alkhava, demanding the Salmon in exchange for Brian and Anna. The Witch Queen wants to lead her people to Earth, to escape the increasingly hostile climate of their dying planet. Ksar just wants to avenge his personal injuries on Jamie and Ramsay, who bested him a year ago.
With Wishaway's people refusing to help, Jamie accepts an offer of help from Lorca's royal grandfather - who, however, has his own designs on the Salmon, and is willing to murder Jamie to get it. Before this becomes an issue, however, the friends must face their enemy at the gates of the Witch Queen's capital city. Their survival, not to mention the fate of worlds, soon depends on a small group fighting for survival in a harsh wilderness, with enemies at their heels and weird, alien mysteries ahead. Romantic tension, betrayal, deadly battle, and a wild ride in a machine not built for human passengers fill the climactic pages of this book. And though its conclusion is very satisfying, it does leave certain questions wide open for another sequel.
This is the second book of the Lighthouse trilogy, between The Lighthouse Land and The Lighthouse Keepers. Adrian McKinty is a native of Northern Ireland who lived several years in the U.S., and currently resides in Australia. Most of his fiction comprises crime novels for adults, and is often based on his native country's period known as the Troubles. Their titles include Dead I Well May Be, Police at the Station And They Don't Look Friendly, and Orange Rhymes With Everything.
I don't usually give that much background before getting down to what a book is about, but in this case, the reminder is useful. Although I'd had this sequel in my collection since very soon after I read Jamie's first adventure, I let enough years pass before reading it that I had forgotten almost everything about it except the lingering impression of a superbly designed dust jacket. Someone who saw me reading it at a chorus rehearsal asked me to let him have the book after I was done with it, simply because he liked the cover art. That was ages ago. Without the first book to consult, I found my way back into the world of Jamie's adventures with no difficulty. This book filled in all the gaps in my memory, just when they needed to be filled, without any awkward sense of time being wasted on a review of things past (like, say, in the first paragraph of this review). That's a tough balance to hit.
Another thing this book brought back to me was the enjoyment of crisp dialogue between interesting characters. The dialogue carries the reader over the threshold of willingly suspending disbelief while two-thirds of a rock band, fresh back from a miserable showing at a Belfast-Has-Talent audition, recover their spirits by replenishing the Salmon's power supply. They only black out half of Ulster in the process. Then Ramsay, his much older half-brother Brian, Jamie, and Jamie's mother Anna take a quick peek at Altair, just for fun. The fun turns into trouble when Brian and Anna are captured by the Witch Queen of Alkhava, while Ramsay and Jamie end up facing her brother, the bitter and scarred Lord Protector Ksar, in a battle against their friends.
Jamie finds out Wishaway waited exactly a year for him to return, and only a few days have passed since she accepted the marriage proposal of young Prince Lorca of the Oralands. As if to sharpen his heartache, they return to her city after Ksar escapes, only to receive an ultimatum from Alkhava, demanding the Salmon in exchange for Brian and Anna. The Witch Queen wants to lead her people to Earth, to escape the increasingly hostile climate of their dying planet. Ksar just wants to avenge his personal injuries on Jamie and Ramsay, who bested him a year ago.
With Wishaway's people refusing to help, Jamie accepts an offer of help from Lorca's royal grandfather - who, however, has his own designs on the Salmon, and is willing to murder Jamie to get it. Before this becomes an issue, however, the friends must face their enemy at the gates of the Witch Queen's capital city. Their survival, not to mention the fate of worlds, soon depends on a small group fighting for survival in a harsh wilderness, with enemies at their heels and weird, alien mysteries ahead. Romantic tension, betrayal, deadly battle, and a wild ride in a machine not built for human passengers fill the climactic pages of this book. And though its conclusion is very satisfying, it does leave certain questions wide open for another sequel.
This is the second book of the Lighthouse trilogy, between The Lighthouse Land and The Lighthouse Keepers. Adrian McKinty is a native of Northern Ireland who lived several years in the U.S., and currently resides in Australia. Most of his fiction comprises crime novels for adults, and is often based on his native country's period known as the Troubles. Their titles include Dead I Well May Be, Police at the Station And They Don't Look Friendly, and Orange Rhymes With Everything.
April 28, 2012
The Lighthouse War is the second book in The Lighthouse Land trilogy. My feeling so far, after having read the first two is that they are much like a half cadence in music. That is, the ending brings the story to a temporary, yet comfortable pause while presenting anticipation that there is more to follow. I have the third book in the trilogy in hand (The Lighthouse Keepers) so I can review the overall story when I complete that one. In the meantime, I'm writing this review for those who think they may be interested in this set of novels.
I would say that picking up The Lighthouse War as a stand-alone novel might leave the reader feeling that something is missing. The first book sets up the characters and setting very well, and I think it is advisable to begin with that one and continue right on to this one. I also advise having the third book ready to go, since it is obvious at the end of The Lighthouse War that the story is not concluded. There really isn't much to do about "war" in this book, so the title is a bit misleading. There are some people killed (mostly by being stabbed by a sword or a dagger) and even a small battle, but there is none of the strategic planning nor confrontation one usually associates with the term war. It's not that I wanted to read about war nor wished for heavy battle action; it's just that the presentation of the story does not fit the title.
All in all, the continuation of the plot of this book could have best been done as part of the first one, rather than trying to make it into another whole novel. There was very little character development, not much new in the world traveled to via wormhole, nor any new characters worth getting excited about.
I would say that picking up The Lighthouse War as a stand-alone novel might leave the reader feeling that something is missing. The first book sets up the characters and setting very well, and I think it is advisable to begin with that one and continue right on to this one. I also advise having the third book ready to go, since it is obvious at the end of The Lighthouse War that the story is not concluded. There really isn't much to do about "war" in this book, so the title is a bit misleading. There are some people killed (mostly by being stabbed by a sword or a dagger) and even a small battle, but there is none of the strategic planning nor confrontation one usually associates with the term war. It's not that I wanted to read about war nor wished for heavy battle action; it's just that the presentation of the story does not fit the title.
All in all, the continuation of the plot of this book could have best been done as part of the first one, rather than trying to make it into another whole novel. There was very little character development, not much new in the world traveled to via wormhole, nor any new characters worth getting excited about.
August 31, 2010
I don't think this book was way that much better than the previous one. In fact, I honestly found it worse in a number of ways.
First of all, for me personally the first book was good enough to be a stand-alone novel, but instead the author bolted on another book which from my view shouldn't even have been because it ruined the picture I had of the previous book and of the world of Jamie and Wishaway.
I found it boring, in a lot of places. That was the main problem with this book. I felt like the characters weren't all that hearty and interesting as in the previous book. Lorca became a total thorn and I wasn't at all disappointed when he got killed off. I thought he wasn't that great a character to deserve a big spotlight.
Jamie got sulkier, Ramsay was hidden away for large chunks of the book, and Wishaway just became a sissy girl who couldn't say no or refuse someone. Theyy became more-or-less stereotype and the book lost its spark completely.
I'm not so interested to find out what happens in the third book cause I get the feeling the storyline gets even worse. Who knows, maybe if I come across it in the library I'll pick it up but to be honest I'm so not interested in buying an actual copy.
First of all, for me personally the first book was good enough to be a stand-alone novel, but instead the author bolted on another book which from my view shouldn't even have been because it ruined the picture I had of the previous book and of the world of Jamie and Wishaway.
I found it boring, in a lot of places. That was the main problem with this book. I felt like the characters weren't all that hearty and interesting as in the previous book. Lorca became a total thorn and I wasn't at all disappointed when he got killed off. I thought he wasn't that great a character to deserve a big spotlight.
Jamie got sulkier, Ramsay was hidden away for large chunks of the book, and Wishaway just became a sissy girl who couldn't say no or refuse someone. Theyy became more-or-less stereotype and the book lost its spark completely.
I'm not so interested to find out what happens in the third book cause I get the feeling the storyline gets even worse. Who knows, maybe if I come across it in the library I'll pick it up but to be honest I'm so not interested in buying an actual copy.
August 9, 2010
July Book #20: I counted this in my July book count despite the fact that I didn't finish it because I got at least halfway through before giving up entirely. And isn't this kind of like when you have a dollar that's been torn in half and you only have the piece that has a little bit more than half, but the bank will still give you a new one? Well, I read a little more than half and so I will count this. Jamie's friend Ramsay is even more annoying and their dialogue wearied me before I got even a few chapters in. However, if you really love fantasty YA books, I'd tell you that reading the first book in this trilogy is not a total waste of time. I don't think that the books are poorly written, they just aren't my style.
To return to my review on the first book in this series: The Lighthouse Land
To return to my review on the first book in this series: The Lighthouse Land
May 1, 2012
Part two in this Trilogy was right along the lines of part 1. This time, it’s one year later. Jamie and Ramsay concoct a plan to recharge the space travel device (the Salmon of Knowledge). Of course, it works (if not, they’d be stuck on Earth!) and they travel back to Altair. This time, however, the Witch Queen and her brother (yes, he’s still alive!!) have a plan to trap the boys and steal the Salmon. A new character, Ramsay’s moody brother Brian and a love triangle, between Jamie, Wishaway and Lorca add a few more twists into the plot.
Again, some silly parts in this book - like how the Altairians are ready for forgive and forget the near annihilation of their country and make nice with their enemies just because they coughed up a huge hunk of cash. However, like book 1, the battle scene at the end of the book is decent and makes up for some of the slower parts.
Having gone this far, I guess I’ll have to see how it ends...
Again, some silly parts in this book - like how the Altairians are ready for forgive and forget the near annihilation of their country and make nice with their enemies just because they coughed up a huge hunk of cash. However, like book 1, the battle scene at the end of the book is decent and makes up for some of the slower parts.
Having gone this far, I guess I’ll have to see how it ends...
April 28, 2016
***SPOILER ALERT***Enjoyable second book, with an interesting interplay between Jamie and Lorca in winning Wishaway's heart.
Lorca has an immaturity that causes trouble, but in the end, he valiantly sacrificed himself to save Wishaway.
Even though Ksar is the enemy, the way the story focusses on him at times makes it easier to understand his view and his interest in saving his country. I even find him somewhat likeable in his devotion to try to save his world, and his refusal to give up the fight.
Both Ramsay and his brother, Brian, are very intelligent, and make it more believable that the group can figure out how to get back and forth between earth and Altair.
I like that Wishaway and Jamie don't betray Lorca's trust, even though they must leave him behind at the end when trying to escape on the spaceship.
Hope the last book wraps up the problems of the poor Altarian planet that is destined to have an ice age.
Lorca has an immaturity that causes trouble, but in the end, he valiantly sacrificed himself to save Wishaway.
Even though Ksar is the enemy, the way the story focusses on him at times makes it easier to understand his view and his interest in saving his country. I even find him somewhat likeable in his devotion to try to save his world, and his refusal to give up the fight.
Both Ramsay and his brother, Brian, are very intelligent, and make it more believable that the group can figure out how to get back and forth between earth and Altair.
I like that Wishaway and Jamie don't betray Lorca's trust, even though they must leave him behind at the end when trying to escape on the spaceship.
Hope the last book wraps up the problems of the poor Altarian planet that is destined to have an ice age.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2016
I listened to the audio version of this story. I enjoyed the narrator, and over all a good story too. As with book #1 Plenty of action when Jamie and Ramsay return to planet called Altair. On earth Jamie is an ordinary boy with one arm, on the planet Altair he has his arm and the people there call him Lord O'Neill. He and Ramsay once again make a good team helping out the people there. In this book Ramsay's older brother Brian and Jamie's Mother make the trip to Altair where Brian and Anna are captured by the witch queen. Lots of action and in the end They make it back home with Wishaway (princess) in an ancient space craft. When they return via space craft and not by the wormhole, Jamie arrives on earth with his arm intact! How to explain that to all his friends at school? Of course they come up with a good explanation.
December 16, 2016
"This is a heart-pounding sequel to The Lighthouse Land.
Jamie O'Neill is back on Earth, where no one but his best friend Ramsay knows he's the hero of a great war that saved an alien nation. Now he's back to being a kid with one arm, no girlfriend, and a band that plays bad songs about intergalactic romance. Then news breaks on the Internet: a space probe has picked up a coded message from far across the galaxy. NASA's best scientists can't figure out what it says. Only Jamie and Ramsay realize it's a message from Altair. They're needed again.
This thrilling sequel to The Lighthouse Land is packed with even more adventure, battles, and humor than its predecessor, and secures Adrian McKinty's place as one of science fiction's most exciting new voices."
I am enjoying this series. Now I need to find the third book quick. Because the author really leave you hanging.
Jamie O'Neill is back on Earth, where no one but his best friend Ramsay knows he's the hero of a great war that saved an alien nation. Now he's back to being a kid with one arm, no girlfriend, and a band that plays bad songs about intergalactic romance. Then news breaks on the Internet: a space probe has picked up a coded message from far across the galaxy. NASA's best scientists can't figure out what it says. Only Jamie and Ramsay realize it's a message from Altair. They're needed again.
This thrilling sequel to The Lighthouse Land is packed with even more adventure, battles, and humor than its predecessor, and secures Adrian McKinty's place as one of science fiction's most exciting new voices."
I am enjoying this series. Now I need to find the third book quick. Because the author really leave you hanging.
October 23, 2014
I listened to the Lighthouse Trilogy as an audio book. I had to get used to Gerard Doyle's reading, beacause initially I found his voice too "old" for a story which is about a 13 year old boy, but you forget that more and more. In fact, I afterwards quite liked the way he gave an individual tone to all the persons.
The story is really beautiful: combining old Irish Fairy tales with wormhole-theory and the story of a teenager, who has to recover from cancer and his parents divorce - altough this is young adult fiction it got me again immediately, like all of McKinty's books, that much that I bought the print version for my teenage daughter additionally. This is a coming-of-age-story in the best sense.
The story is really beautiful: combining old Irish Fairy tales with wormhole-theory and the story of a teenager, who has to recover from cancer and his parents divorce - altough this is young adult fiction it got me again immediately, like all of McKinty's books, that much that I bought the print version for my teenage daughter additionally. This is a coming-of-age-story in the best sense.
April 3, 2013
This is the second book in the Lighthouse Trilogy where the story of Jamie and his young friend he meet in Ireland when he moved there with his mother are called back to the other world they were able to travel to through the secret "Salmon" they found in Jamie's lighthouse. Different agencies on earth are receiving a message that no one can decipher except them and realize they are being called back to help on the other island where the young teenagers are thought of as royalty and also as the greatest enemies. This time Jamie's mom travels with them as well as his friends cousin.
July 31, 2011
In part two of the trilogy Jamie and Ramsay return to Altair in response to a signal they think is from Jamie’s love on Altair. Instead the message is from the Witch Queen of Balanmanik on Altair. She wants to lure them there so she can acquire the Salmon of Knowledge, the device Jamie and Ramsay use to travel between Altair and Earth via a wormhole. Jamie, Ramsay, Ramsay’s brother, and Jamie’s mother are all captured and must fight for their freedom to be able to return to Earth.
May 25, 2009
If you guys have ever read the first book in this series, the Lighthouse Land, they are fascinating Sci-Fi stories about outer life. This one is about conflict in the alien world, and the aliens possibly coming to invade Earth-- that is, if Jamie and Ramsay don't stop them through the Lighthouse.
July 14, 2012
The sidekick character Ramsay makes this book possible due to his intuitive understanding of science and maths. Books 2 are supposed to be the meat of the triolgy, and McKinty, as usual, delivers. Cliffhanger ending of course.
August 8, 2014
Overall, I like this story. I wasn't happy with some changes made and felt this book was a little lacking. But I'm trudging ahead to find out how it ends.
Here's my full review:
http://abookishcompulsion.blogspot.co...
Here's my full review:
http://abookishcompulsion.blogspot.co...
March 19, 2015
After a long and painful wait to get this book, I got this for Christmas! Amazing second book! For me the book kept me extremely interested and after every chapter was finished I couldn't help but start another!
July 14, 2015
This series just gets better and better. Without spoiling anything, the Lighthouse Wars has sprung to the top of my list of favorites. Definitely one good for teens and the young-at-heart adult. (Plus, who wouldn't want to move to Ireland now?)
April 23, 2018
I definitely like this but better than the first book in the series. Once again, it is an enjoyable book for someone who enjoys sci-fi/fantasy novels. The characterization in this book is better than the first one as the characters develop.
May 31, 2008
Better than the first one I think. More action and more romance and more... good. ;)
January 4, 2009
I did enjoy this second book better than the first and I am quite interested in reading the 3rd and last of the trilogy. McKinty is keeping my curiosity alive...
January 15, 2009
Interesting book. Not as good as the first, but almost.
November 20, 2009
This one I had a little harder of a time getting into it until the last 1/3. However, I liked how it ended and it leaves you wanting to read the next one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews