Many Waters

This is technically the fourth book written in Madeleine L'Engle's Time series, but in the life of the Murry family, it takes places third, so that's when I always read it. Rather than really exploring much of a scientific angle as Wrinkle and Wind do, the actual space-time travel element just kind of happens, and the majority of the book is focused on Sandy and Dennys's experience where they travel. As usual with L'Engle's books, I think the premise of this one is fascinating: Sandy and Dennys are taken to Noah's family before the flood and discover that although Noah's sons are in the biblical story, Noah also has daughters, one of whom because very special to both of them. Beyond the premise, though, I don't actually love this story. Sandy and Dennys are not only very vanilla, they also describe themselves that way, in a very stilted manner, continually referring to themselves as just being the normal ones in their family. The book stirs up some interesting questions, but it all just seems to be an elaborate setup to examine those questions, and even the minimal dramatic tension in the story (will the twins make it out before the flood? What about Yalith?) is wrapped up in fairly anticlimactic ways.

Meg Murry's twin brothers, Sandy and Denys, the normal ones of the family, the regular ones, the ordinary ones, go on an adventure of their own. The two run across unicorns and seraphim and nephilim, but it is only after they meet Noah that they dimly recall a story told to them at church...and they realize what is soon to come.

Short Review: This is the first time I have read this book. The first three I have read many times. This one feels different. They are visiting biblical Noah. It is focused on the twins instead of Meg and Charles Wallace. It feels like an older book, with slightly older themes. But I think it is not my second favorite book of the series so far.

My longer review on my blog is at http://bookwi.se/many-waters/