The Midnight Charter

The Midnight Charter is an intelligent book full of hidden things. It is set in the ancient city of Agora, which has been hiding from the outside world within its vast walls, which have no gates, for 144 years. Inside the city a secret society, the `Libran Society, exerts its hidden influence over the lives of the citizens and in particular our two heroes, Mark and Lily, two children who must try to thread their way through the labyrinth that is Agoran society. A society that has no money, so people must trade their goods in order to live. In fact more than just goods, if they must they can trade anything they have, their children, even their emotions. So everyone must decide for themselves what they value and what they could sell. The page-turning plot is full of adventure, mystery and meanings and secrets. Some secrets are held back to the end by master story teller, David Whitley, some things are hidden in plain view (e.g. try to work out what all the characters names mean). The vividly drawn characters are almost never what they seem to be at first sight, as slowly we learn what has made them the way they are and begin to guess what they might do. The Midnight Charter is a book you could read again and again and find more secrets every time.

I ordered this book for my daughter and since she is the one who read it (and not I), I am having her write the review: The Midnight Charter was a very entertaining and inspiring novel. The way David Whitley shows how buisness and trade affect the lives of the citizens, gives the book a realistic touch. Although the Midnight Charter is written for teens and young adults, many of the buisness terms and actions are harder for younger readers to follow. Alltogether the Midnight Charter is a well written, exciting book. I look forward to reading more of David Whitley's work.

The opening chapter of this book really hooks you, and the amazing writing keeps you going as you read it. The Midnight Charter follows the lives of two young people in Agora, a city dominated by materialism and power-lust. Mark, the slightly younger of the two, pursues the path of fame, fortune, and influence, while Lilly seeks to help others by opening a homeless shelter, an institution which was beyond the imaginations of most of the Agoran citizens. Both characters are beautifully written, and I came to love them. The city itself, built around the signs of the Zodiac, is practically a character as well, as it sways between the influences of the two children. The plot had a lot of mysterious elements, especially when the children start to understand what the Midnight Charter is, and the conclusion to the story was completely unanticipated, making this an amazing read, start to finish.

In a world where everything has a price, young Mark and Lily try to bring new meaning to the word charity. Sold by his father, Mark quickly learns how cruel this alternate world can be, and quickly makes use of his new skills with the help of friends. Lily learns that emotions mean far more than any thing and tries to show the people of Agora a whole new perspective. With the fate of the future riding on the eyes of the innocent, it us up to them to lead everyone into a new way of life, and show them the most important things are always free. The writing is amazing, as are the characters. I always love reading from younger points of view, as they seem to hold the most hope and awe in their eyes, and that was no exception in this case. I especially loved the "trade" aspects. The ability to trade even emotions such as love and disgust was amazing and horrific, and I couldn't put this book down! I hope to read more from this author! Highly recommended.

In a nod to the harsh realities for children in Dickens' Oliver Twist, the magic in the Harry Potter series, and the kind of society-building of Neal Stephenson's Anathem and Bernard Beckett's Genesis, David Whitley presents a superbly paced novel about two children whose brooding, plague-infested city puts a price on everything, including human life. In The Midnight Charter, Agora is a walled metropolis that seems rooted in the eighteenth century in terms of its level of industrial development, but is simultaneously clearly outside of our known history, much as is Harry Potter's magic school. Agora is run by the reclusive Director who commands an army of "receivers" whose job it is to collect and monitor every single contract citizens make. Barter runs the city's economy for everything from food to feelings. After coming down with the gray-spot plague and being sold to a doctor by his father, a boy named Mark reaches his twelfth birthday, his "title day," and is given the coinciding right to make his own contracts. Becoming an apprentice to the city's most famous astrologer, he decides to work inside the system to gain security and respect. Meanwhile, Lily, only a little older than Mark, has other ideas. She begins the tale as a servant of that same great astrologer, Count Stelli, and living in his dark tower -- where she and Mark first meet -- but, when the opportunity arises, she leaves for a less certain life out among those who barely subsist. Lily wants to prove that charity, not profit, ought to be the basis for a good and healthy society. Although she and Mark live by polar opposite world views, they maintain their connections over the next couple years as the secretive and ruthless Powers-That-Be in Agora manipulate their lives, and those of their friends, and force them to make fateful decisions. Can this young pair change dystopian Agora forever? Can they see things more clearly than their elders? And can they hope to gain the lives they want for themselves? THE MIDNIGHT CHARTER is supposedly meant for readers ages 11-14, but it will likely appeal to people of all ages who enjoy fantasy with finely-etched characters, a constantly moving plot, clear-eyed and focused writing, and some thought-provoking ideas about the extent to which commerce ought to dominate a society (a fitting topic for us twenty-first century folk living through some serious economic "adjustments"). This novel kicks off what will be, one assumes and hopes, a series of adventures for Mark and Lily. I'm already chompin' at the bit for the anticipated sequel..... (4.5 stars)