Faces in the Water

The haunting York trilogy continues in "Faces in the Water," picking up the threads that the first book left dangling, and weaves them expertly into further complexity.Dan has returned from York with some haunting memories of the odd gypsy family of Ambrose Faw, visions of Romans and Picts, and the discovery of a hereditary family disease. Now he's determined to leave the unusual vacation behind him, and spend some time with his kindly grandmother Blossom. But his time in York keeps intruding on the present.His grandmother has hired a migrant worker named Lonnie, who reminds Dan of one of the gypsies from York. A letter comes from Joe, saying that the Faw family wants the silver denarius that was given to Dan at the end of the first book. Blossom makes some cryptic comments about Huntington's disease being an "evil" handed down through the family. And when Dan goes into the basement, where a stream runs through, he sees the face of Ambrose Faw watching him from the water.When a magpie begins following him, Dan captures the bird and later sets it free. He is swept back in time over a thousand years, to York in the declining years of the Roman Empire, where he encounters an ancient parallel to the Faw family. How does this connect to the present, and how can he help the beautiful gypsy Orlenda?The plot picks up the pace in "Faces," as some of the puzzles of "Shadows" are solved, but produce more questions as they are solved. For example, we see why Dan saw Jaspar as a wild man; but why does he see the Faw family sixteen hundred years in the past? What is the connection between these events and Huntington's disease? Or the connection between Blossom and the Faws? And what is up with those magpies?Naylor's atmospheric writing is still present, with the nuanced dialogue and intricate characterizations of the first book. Not everyone is revealed on the outside, and that adds an aura of mystery to all the characters except Dan, who is our window to the events of the book. And though time travel is a well-worn cliche, Naylor manages to make it feel fresh and intriguing. It's virtually impossible to predict what is ahead for the characters or the plotline, and that's a delightful change from the usual ghost stories.Undoubtedly "Footsteps at the Window" will be as good as "Shadows" and "Faces," as the second book leaves the readers waiting for the answers to its many questions. Excellent fantasy story for kids and adults alike.