Mindstormer

Gr 9 Up—When readers last saw 18-year-old Lain Fisher in Mindwalker, she was headed to Canada to join the resistance movement against the all-powerful Institute for Ethics in Neurotechnology (IFEN). Now, three months later, she is a prisoner at IFEN and her memories of the past several months have been erased, including all memories of Steven, the boy whose story of abuse and trauma turned her away from IFEN in the first place. The majority of this fast-paced second novel is devoted to exploring Lain's introduction to the resistance, known as the Blackcoats, her time training with them as a soldier, and the events that led up to her capture and memory modification by IFEN. Throughout, introspective Lain grapples with right and wrong, sacrifice and necessity, duty and ethics, and must decide how far she is willing to go to fight for the Blackcoats' cause. At center stage is Lain's relationship with Steven, which is strained by their induction into the Blackcoats' ranks. To complicate matters, Lain's best friend Ian also joins the resistance, creating a love triangle that is sure to appeal to teen romance fans. The ending seems to set the stage for a third entry in the series, but an awkward tacked on epilogue suggests that this is the end of Lain's story. This sequel poses some interesting ethical questions about human rights and war tactics.