Ninth Lord of the Night

Shirley Wetzel - Librarian -- Rice University

NINTH LORD OF THE NIGHT By Diana L Driver

Seventeen year old Zack is one unhappy surfer dude when his folks sit him down and give him some very bad news, then top that off by telling him that he and his older brother Kyle are being shipped off to the jungles of Guatemala to stay with their uncle at an archaeological excavation. Zack plans to live up to his reputation as a teenage screw-up, and is determined to hate everything about this experience. It doesn't help his mood that on his first night in Guatemala he witnesses a murder and gains the attention of a major bad guy who wants something he thinks Zack has. Zack does, in fact, have it--a crude map leading to a priceless artifact--but it takes him awhile to realize that. As time goes by, Zack finds himself strangely drawn to the ruins, even having visions that both terrify and excite him. He has to deal with the usual teenage problems: standing up to bullies, fighting with his big brother, trying to understand teenage girls, and so on, while staying one step ahead of a band of vicious smugglers, finding the precious treasure, and, and learning who he really is.

Diana does a great job on every level--getting into the head of a teenage boy, creating realistic characters, and depicting the Maya culture and the lush jungle setting by showing, not telling, the reader. Her research is meticulous. I know that because in my misspent youth I did graduate work in anthropology as a Maya specialist.