THE LIGHT

A skeletal sketch he’s drawn haunts 16-year-old Marshall (Marsh) Seaver, even as he searches for his missing best friend, Cooper Foley. As more people go missing—and turn up violently killed—Marsh is left to wonder whether he is responsible for these tragic outcomes and if his friend is still alive. Unsophisticated pacing and a convoluted plot coupled with a non-authentic narrator make MacHale’s first book after the popular Pendragon series—itself a series opener—a difficult read. The action ebbs and spikes randomly, and it is both too long for middle school and too juvenile for high school. Marshall reads much younger than 16, and MacHale’s attempted justifications—shy guy, scientific interests, gaming fan—only enhance the age disconnect. Multiple climax points pile revelation upon revelation, and the cliffhanger ending reflects a very heavy hand. There’s a few too many sharp turns for this narrative to be anything but a rough ride. (Horror. 10-14)