PLOTTING THE STARS

In this third series installment, Myra and Canter return to the Moon.

Myra, Hannah, and Bernard, who have been exiled to the Old World, learn what life has been like there for centuries. Meanwhile, the Botans, including Canter’s mother, Fiona, the original creator of the moongarden, live in close harmony with plants and have formulated a serum that’s effective against the Old World’s toxins. But weather-wielding adepts called Meteorons inflict violence on the Botans, whom they resent. Alternate chapters focus on Canter’s life on Venus, where he and Lila befriend Eli, a younger, nonmagical mechanical prodigy. Canter’s father also tries to reconcile with his son and thwart the insidious ambitions of Jake Melfin, who has a monopoly on food resources for the Settlements. Barry excels in demonstrating the parallels between and intersections of magic and technology and magic and skill. “If you love what you do and you’re good at it, that’s what counts,” Myra observes, emphasizing that magic isn’t the only route to accomplishment. This theme is demonstrated in the ways that the Botans work with plants to facilitate building, communication, and transportation, while Eli has an innate, hands-on understanding of electronics. A constant, intriguing underlying element threaded through this densely packed narrative is the exploration of the bridges that magic and technology provide for each other and the imaginative and practical possibilities they open.

A strong, satisfying conclusion that will please series fans.