Armstrong, Jennifer & Butcher, Nancy. The kiln.ARMSTRONG, Jennifer & BUTCHER, Nancy. The kiln. (Fire-Us Trilogy, Book 3). HarperCollins, Eos. 244p. 0-06-447271-X. $5.99. JS* To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, March 2003: Following The Kindling kindling (kinˑ·dling), n change in brain function wherein repeated chemical or electrical stimuli induce seizures. kindling 1. parturition in the doe rabbit. (reviewed in KLIATT in March 2002) and The Keepers of the Flame (reviewed in November 2002), this concluding volume continues the compelling story of a small band of teenagers and children struggling to survive in a world where almost all the adults have been killed by a sudden and terrible virus (Fire-Us). At the start of The Kiln, the group stumbles on a retirement home where some elderly women still live, cared for by a kind doctor. This is as much of a refuge as they have come across in their difficult and dangerous travels, but the teenagers are determined to press on to locate the president. If he is still alive, they want to find an answer to the mystery of the devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. virus, and to discover if he has an antidote antidote Remedy to counteract the effects of a poison or toxin. Administered by mouth, intravenously, or sometimes on the skin, it may work by directly neutralizing the poison; causing an opposite effect in the body; binding to the poison to prevent its absorption, . In the preceding volume, The Keepers of the Flame, they had narrowly escaped from a group of murderous mur·der·ous adj. 1. Capable of, guilty of, or intending murder: a group of murderous thugs. 2. religious fanatics living in an abandoned Florida mall, presided over by a mysterious Supreme Leader. Finding the president means confronting this group again, only to discover that the president is the Supreme Leader--and that one of the teenagers in their group is his son. The president, it emerges, was responsible for the release of the virus. He wanted to cleanse cleanse tr.v. cleansed, cleans·ing, cleans·es To free from dirt, defilement, or guilt; purge or clean. [Middle English clensen, from Old English the world for a Second Coming, and he has a second vial vial a small bottle. of the virus, which he threatens to use. How can our brave gang foil his evil plans and save themselves, and the world? What kind of sacrifice will it take? The suspense runs high in this exciting SF tale, and all the loose ends from the other books are neatly wrapped up. The fierce love the teenagers have for the children they look after is deeply moving, and the religious symbolism
Religious symbolism is the use of symbols, including archetypes, acts, artwork, events, or natural phenomena, by a religion. will appeal to thoughtful YAs. This volume doesn't stand alone, but readers of the first two titles will clamor for it. Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT |
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