Review: Once again--Lovely
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 28, 2013
When John Heldt, author of my favorite time travel novels, e-mailed me about reviewing his fourth installation in the Northwest Passage series, I thought to myself, "C'mon now, Heldt. Enough is enough. You can't possibly make a fourth novel as amazing as the previous three." I mean, hasn't he seen Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skulls? Awful. So, paint me surprised when Heldt managed to accomplish what George Lucas has never successfully done by producing a third sequel--a third sequel that did not end with a cringe of embarrassment  (Yes, I'm talking about you, Spielberg), but with a breath of satisfaction.The Fire by John Heldt introduces Kevin Johnson, a recent college graduate, who travels to Wallace, Idaho, to prepare his deceased grandfather's house for sale. All of our favorite characters from the Northwest Passage series make cameos, as he is the son of Shelly Preston and favorite student of Professor Joel Smith. While relaxing in his grandfather's house, he discovers his ancestor's diary with instruction to travel through time. His prepared adventure takes him to the year 1910, where he becomes an integral part of the community--a community that is on the brink of the United States' largest wildfire.As a woman, I had a little difficulty feeling compassionate toward Kevin's romantic problem in The Fire. Courting two women who are clearly in love with you at the same time is not exactly sympathetic behavior. But I appreciated the irony that he was only able to have this romantic success in a different time period and the intricacies the situation gave his character--I hate reading about Mary Sues. Once again, Heldt was able to combine his heavenly ability with words with in-depth research of history to create a novel that I will recommend again and again.