For readers who love a thrilling, time-twisting quest, follow a determined boy as he steps into the unknown to uncover the mystery of his parents' sudden disappearance.
A parent might reach for this book when their avid reader finishes a popular fantasy series and is looking for a new, complex world to dive into. The Obsidian Blade is a thrilling science fiction adventure perfect for kids who love puzzles and high stakes. When thirteen-year-old Tucker Feye’s parents vanish, he discovers that the shimmering disks of air he’s been seeing are portals through time. He plunges in to find them, launching a frantic chase through history. The story explores themes of bravery, perseverance, and family loyalty, all wrapped in a mind-bending mystery. Appropriate for mature middle-grade readers, it’s a smart, fast-paced read that will challenge their thinking and keep them glued to the page.
Deaths occur during chaotic disaster scenes, but are not focused on or emotionally dwelled upon.
Sensitive Topics
The book deals with parental abandonment (though not by choice) and frequent peril. Character death occurs, particularly within the context of historical disasters, but the approach is plot-driven and not deeply emotional or graphic. The conflict and philosophy are secular, focusing on scientific and pseudo-scientific concepts of time. The resolution is a cliffhanger, setting up the next book in the series.
Ideal Reader
A 12 to 14-year-old who loves complex, fast-paced speculative fiction. This reader has likely enjoyed series like Percy Jackson or The Maze Runner and is ready for a story with more intricate plotting and intellectual puzzles, like temporal paradoxes. They enjoy a challenge and aren't deterred by a cliffhanger ending.
Parent Prep
Parents should know this is the first book of the Klaatu Diskos trilogy and ends on a major cliffhanger, so the next book will likely be an immediate request. The scenes depicting historical disasters (fire, sinking ship) are intense and filled with peril, which may be frightening for more sensitive readers. No specific context is needed to start reading. A parent's child finishes a major series and complains, "Everything else is boring! I want something exciting and different." The child shows an interest in concepts like time travel, history, or paradoxes, and is ready for a book that doesn't talk down to them.
Age Experience
A younger reader (10-11) will focus on the thrill of the chase, the adventure of traveling to different times, and the core mystery of finding Tucker's parents. An older reader (13-14) will be more engaged with the mechanics of time travel, the philosophical arguments of the Lahpet, and the implications of cause and effect across the timeline.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many middle-grade time travel stories that focus on a single period, this book treats time as a chaotic, interconnected web. Its rapid pace and willingness to engage with complex, paradoxical ideas about fate and history give it a more sophisticated, puzzle-box feel than a typical action-adventure series.
Read plot summary
Thirteen-year-old Tucker Feye's eccentric scientist parents disappear from their locked home. Tucker's only clue is the strange shimmering disks of air he's been seeing, which he soon discovers are time portals. Stepping through one, he is flung into the past and becomes embroiled in a conflict between two ancient secret societies: the Lahpet, who seek to preserve the timeline, and the Ko-Kalen, who wish to alter it. Tucker is relentlessly pursued through various historical events, including the Great Chicago Fire and the sinking of the Titanic, as he tries to find his parents and understand his own role in this temporal war.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
The Lahpet believe the past should never be changed, even to prevent a disaster. Do you agree with their rule? Why or why not?
2
Tucker's parents kept their work with the Disks a secret from him. Do you think they made the right choice? How might things have been different if they had told him everything from the start?
3
If you found a Disk that could take you to any point in history, where and when would you go, and what is one thing you would be tempted to do or see?
4
The book explores the idea of cause and effect through time. Can you think of a small action Tucker took that had a surprisingly big consequence later on?
