Guy Gavriel Kay is justifiably renowned for his historical fantasies, but after a family trip to France he has produced what could be a breakout book for him, his first contemporary fantasy in many years, Ysabel. Ned, 15-year-old son of famous photographer Edward Marriner, is simultaneously bored and excited to be accompanying his father to Provence for a six-week photo shoot. Ned is a lively, prickly character always ready to speak his mind—or to sulk if that will keep the adults around him off-balance. Within a day of arriving in Aix-en-Provence (where his father is going to shoot Saint-Sauveur Cathedral), Ned meets Kate, an exchange student from New York City. Kate is a history geek and the two are soon enjoying being with each other and away from the pressure of their hometown crowd of friends. While in the cathedral—which has been roped off from tourists during the shoot—Ned has a strange experience when he realizes they're not alone. Somewhat freaked out by his expanded perceptions, Ned confronts a stranger they see climbing out of a grate in the floor of the baptistery. The stranger has a knife. Suffice it to say, the stranger is no friendly fellow. From this quick start, Kay builds a fantastic novel of modern people confronting ancient powers. Ysabel is a great way to kick off the year and should make more readers aware of Kay's remarkable backlist.

Gavin J. Grant runs Small Beer Press in Northampton, Massachusetts. Copyright 2007 BookPage Reviews.

Ned Marriner joins his father, the famous photographer Edward Marriner, for an extended stay in Provence, an area of France steeped in both Celtic and Roman history. Then, a visit to Saint-Sauveur Cathedral in the town of Aix brings Ned together with Kate Wenger, an American exchange student, and a man who appears to be much, much older than one would think—and both Ned and Kate become caught up in another time where the reenactment of an old story draws the two young people into a cycle of myths and legends in which truth, love, courage, and sacrifice are the only things that matter. An explorer of history and myths, Kay (The Last Light of the Sun ) has a special affinity for the people behind the larger-than-life legends that persist through time. His latest fantasy blends time and place in a crossing of worlds and universal truths. Highly recommended.

Kay (The Last Light of the Sun ) departs from his usual historical fantasies to connect the ancient, violent history of France to the present day in this entrancing contemporary fantasy. Fifteen-year-old Canadian Ned Marriner accompanies his famous photographer father, Edward, on a shoot at Aix-en-Provence's Saint-Saveur Cathedral while his physician mother, Meghan, braves the civil war zone in Sudan with Doctors Without Borders. As Ned explores the old cathedral, he meets Kate Wenger, a geeky but attractive American girl who's a walking encyclopedia of history. In the ancient baptistry, the pair are surprised by a mysterious, scarred man wielding a knife who warns that they've "blundered into a corner of a very old story. It is no place for children." But Ned and Kate can't avoid becoming dangerously entangled in a 2,500-year-old love triangle among mythic figures. Kay also weaves in a secondary mystery about Ned's family and his mother's motivation behind her risky, noble work. The author's historical detail, evocative writing and fascinating characters—both ancient and modern—will enthrall mainstream as well as fantasy readers. (Feb.)