Review: Nebador: Journey by J.Z. Colby

NEBADOR Book Two: Journey
by J. Z. Colby
Nebador Archives (2010), Paperback, 312 pages

‘What are your lessons about?
The students looked at each other, they all said at once, Everything!’ (p. 74)

The adventures of Ilika and his nine students continue: after escaping the city where the students were tested, the countryside awaits them.
The countryside challenges them: trust, happy and sad discoveries, love affairs, and they become aware that the journey is one way.
At the end of the book, coming to a mountain pass the group faces their past: from this high point of view, like a rite of passage, a step towards adulthood has been conquered.
‘Ilika was very proud of all his students. Each had, in his or her way, wrestled dragons to help solve their first serious trigonometry problem.’ (p. 269)

Colby chose trigonometry instead of dragons, vampires, etc. to talk to young adult. Is it a good choice? In part I think so, maybe the first book, The Test, narrated with an atmosphere of mystery (medieval city, monasteries, bracelet) grip the reader to the book better than Journey. Journey needs a bit of ‘taste’ of dragons.

‘- I wonder if I’ll have stories someday - Misa pondered out loud.
- Someday, you’ll be able to tell the story of the fire. … Sometimes they’re a little painful at first, but at time passes, they get easier to tell. Stories are like that.’ (p. 243)