This novel is the sequel to City Of Golden Shadow and the second volume of the Otherland saga.Nine
companions are united
by a single motive: to save the childrenwhose minds have been trapped in a virtual simulation
network, calledOtherland.They are pitted against highly influential enemies: the GrailBrotherhood. Its leader, Felix Jongleur, has in mind to proplong hisunnaturally long life. In pursuit of his aim, he even even riskschildren getting drawn into Otherland.Renie, one of the
companions, is looking for her little brother Stephen. Without claiming leadership, she quickly grows into it.In book one, a programmer had gotten them into the Grail network, butwas killed by the security system. They met their protector Mr. Sellarswho had chosen them. Now they are supposed to find a man called Paul Jonas. Their firstnasty discovery is that they are trapped online, unable to unplug.Wearing sim masks, they cannot be recognized so easily. Without theirknowledge, however, one of them has already fallen prey to serialkiller Dread, Jongleur´s servant. Unlike them, he can go offlineand take turns with his assistant Dulcy. Fortunately, his murders in thereal world have not gone undetected, and two police officers are on hisheels.Martine, a French researcher, can solve the group´s technical problems.Blind in the real world, she has developed something akin toextra-sensory perception.!Xabbu, the bushman, is a good storyteller and keeps up the group´smorale. Renie´s and !Xabbu´s real bodies are fed intravenously and lieimmersed in V-tanks at a deserted military base. Renie´s father and afriend, Jeremiah, observe their vital signs. For Renie and !Xabbu it ishard to remember that they own real bodies while they move throughOtherland.The companions follow a river that connects the various sim worlds.Suddenly their boat transforms into a leaf, and they find themselves ina world of mountainous trees and monstruousinsects. After a narrow escape from a giant mantis, they pass a gatewayand land in the next simulation: Aerodromia. In a cave, they meetmysterious beings and are told of the Other; they flee when they feelhis frightening presence. Otherland is becoming increasingly unstable. Will Jongleur lose control of his own network?Moreover, the puppets (soul-less replicants) think they are alive.There is evidence to suggest that they are more than software. Do theyfeel anything when they die?Separated from the others, the teeagers Orlando and Fredericks enter acartoon world of walking vegetables. Later, in virtual Egypt, theylearn about Osiris, also called the Old Man or Jongleur.They walk through the desert drawn towards a temple in which they feel resides a horrifying presence.Again, we meet Paul Jonas, who had escaped his evil guardians with thehelp of Mr. Sellars. His memory still being crippled, he doesn´t knowthat he is trapped in a sim world. Saved by Neanderthals who call himRiverghost, he has to adapt to living in the Ice Age. The bird-womanappears to him, telling him to find the wanderer´s house, the weaverand the black mountain.The cast of characters widens to include Olga, a child entertainer. Shediscovers that the condition the children are suffering from, has to dowith the Net. Hearing voices, she sets outton a journey to save them.The series turns moreand more complex. New characters are introduced who all have a stake in the outcome.River Of Blue Fireis less satisfying than the fisrt book in the series, because thecharacters are reduced to struggle along without clues. Only graduallydo they understand how to move through the ever-changing Grail network.There are many sidelines and parallel actions. Step by step, however,we move into more and more fascinating worlds. Moreover, we enter theminds of the villains, which keeps things interesting. In addition tothat, there is no way of knowing who might be a citizen (real person)or a puppet.In any case, there is much to reward the diligent reader.The search for the lost children continues with Mountain Of Black Glass.