Keeper of the Isis Light

by Monica Hughes

Book Overview

In this addition to the Isis series from Phoenix Award-winning author Monica Hughes, settlers from Earth are finally coming to join Olwen on her planet, but will they accept her after discovering what she's become?

It was her tenth birthday on Isis. Though Olwen Pendennis had never been to Earth, she knew it would be her sixteenth birthday on the foreign planet. She was born on Isis and since her parents' death, Olwen had lived there...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416989633
• ISBN13: 9781416989639
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

One of the best science fiction books I have ever read

I got all three of the Isis books about four years ago. My mom reviews books and we get a ton for free in the mail. I never really got into them, partly because mine had terrible drab and depressing covers and next to nothing on the back. The I found the first one at my cottage with an extremely interesting cover and I was hooked emediatly. I love this book the best out of the first two I've read (I plan to finish the third today so I can't comment on it at present) because it is so unlike your usual romance imbedded in a science fiction or fantasy. Usually the plot is so complicated already that any romance works out perfectly. I not going to give any thing away but lets just say that some of the characters weren't what they seemed. I loved Guardien because he was so eager to please but so determined to do what he thought was right for Olwen at the same time. I liked Jody as well even though he didn't really act like a nine-year-old. I have placed this book on the shelf with the rest of my absolute favourites and I hope everybody will get to read as good a science fiction as this.

It's not that easy bein' green

There are plenty of books out there about powerful young women. In these stories the female protagonists usually either have super powers or were born as magical semi-human beings. "The Keeper of the Isis Light" is a little different than partly because the main character spends much of the book in a complete fog about her life, her capabilities, and who she truly is. The book is as much about overcoming the prejudices of others as it is about the meaning of happiness and its importance. If you're looking for a book that explores deep emotional and spiritual issues in a sci-fi context, I think you've found your match. Olwen Pendennis was born on the planet Isis ten years ago (sixteen by Earth's sun). Living alone with only her faithful companion Guardian to keep her company, Olwen leads a rich and exciting life on her planet's surface. As the official Keeper of the Isis Light, Olwen's job is to maintain the signal that radios information about Isis's surface to Earth for future colonists. When these settlers appear one day, Olwen finds her world strangely shaken. Guardian has done his best to keep Olwen safe and happy while living on Isis, but now she must deal with other people and all the good and bad things humans can do. Through it all, Olwen discovers truths about herself and her own inner strength and abilities that she might never have found while living contentedly on her own. In the end, the reader is left wondering whether or not it's a good thing Olwen met with these colonists and, if good, how. I was incredibly disappointed that the book flap accompanying this little novella gave away too many of the book's delightful secrets. My advice to you if you want to read this story is to go into it blind. Don't read any more of the synopsis than the one I've given you above. It'll only ruin the surprises that dot this intricate book. There are many things to love here as well. The plot is tight and well formed. Olwen never questions her happy existence until the moment that things begin to change. In many ways she's like Miranda in "The Tempest". In others, she's Caliban. Author Monica Hughes is particularly good as conjuring up a visual sense of the Isis landscape. In this story you see the planet as the heroine does and you regret (as she does) that settlers have arrived to muck it up. I also loved the Guardian in this tale. A character that professes to not feel emotions, he often belies this idea by growing agitated, touched, or worried at key moments. Now for my favorite part of any review. The flaws! Actually, there aren't many to complain about in this book. Originally published in 1980, "The Keeper of the Isis Light" suffers from a few pre-P.C. terms. A black child, for example, is referred to as "negroid" at one point. Later, that same child (though supposedly nine years of age) acts far more like a six year old. Thus ends my summary of all flaws this book contains. As you can see, they're few in number. Great science fic

An excellent book on Prejudice.

Though I am currently a college student, when I first read this book in 9th grade I was captivated by the young woman who is the main character. A book that deals with preconceptions and the need for acceptance.

Wonderful

This is a wonderful book. Beautifully written with exquisite description and characters who become so real that you remember them 6 or 7 years after you read it (I know I do). Anyone who hasn't read The Guardian of Isis and The Isis Pedlar I urge you to do so at the earliest opportunity.

best book ever!!!

I loved this book, it is science fiction but it is also about companionship and belonging. I won't tell you the ending, it would spoil it.