THE SILVER DOOR: Moon & Sun, Book Two
Holly Lisle
Orchard Books/Scholastic
Fantasy
ISBN: 9780545000147
368 pages

In THE SILVER DOOR, book two in Holly Lisle's Moon & Sun series, Genna continues on her journey as Sunrider, the person chosen to save her people and unite in peace the humans and the nightlings. She has been studying language and magic along with her brother Dan and friends Catri, Doyati and Yarri in the underground nightling city of Arrienda. But her enemies are closer than she realizes, and she is led to certain doom in the dragon's lair. Though the dragon spares her life, his reasons for doing so are unclear. As she and Catri wander the beautiful and strange halls of the Spire, their family and friends all think them dead.

While searching for the silver door, behind which they are told lies great knowledge, they come across Jagan, a handsome young man who has been kept magically in stasis for hundreds of years. They wake him, and he acts as their guide to the Spire, yet is overcome with grief upon learning that his own civilization was destroyed long ago.

Soon enough, Genna and Catri have to leave the relative safety of the Spire to find the survivors from recent violence in their own village, and Genna once again must walk the moonroads that summon her. With every step she comes closer to danger and to fulfilling her destiny, and with every page readers come closer to solving the mysteries and riddles in Lisle's exciting fantasy. Who or what is the mind-reading cat, and does it have Genna's best interest at heart? Can she trust the magic of the ancient Sun Wizards? Will the evil Banris catch up with her or finally destroy her family? Who is the audiomaerist, and what role does she play in the events that are unfolding?

THE SILVER DOOR is well-written, fun and otherworldly, but not so far-fetched that the story gets lost in gimmicks. For all her bravery, instincts and intelligence, Genna remains real: flustered at the affections of the wise and attractive Doyati, sick and hysterical when riding in ships-of-the-air, willing to trade adventure for the comforts of home. Lisle balances well the extraordinary with mundane details. The story lacks the darkness that was found in the first book but seems to promise future horrors and tragedies in the next installment. Here, Lisle focuses on the complexities of the world she has created and further develops Genna as a likable and believable hero, so the pace is a bit slower.

THE SILVER DOOR is a lively novel drawing on many tried and true conventions from several genres, and adding enough unique twists and turns and original devices to keep it fresh and compelling.

   --- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

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