The Yanti

Alosha #3

by Christopher Pike

In Alosha and The Shaktra , thirteen-year-old Ali Warner discovered that she was not an ordinary teenager, but was actually Queen of the Fairies. Through seven painful trials, Ali reclaimed many of her magical powers and defeated an elemental army that was preparing to attack the Earth. In the elemental world, Ali learned the true nature of her greatest enemy -- the Shaktra -- and discovered why it covets the Yanti, a mystical talisman of immense power that Ali now possesses.

Now, in The Yanti , Ali discovers that a mysterious Entity is masterminding the Shaktra's attack on Earth, an attack that will kill billions and leave both Earth and the elemental world shattered. Still reeling from the death of one of her closest friends, Ali finds herself accused of murder on Earth and besieged by enemies in the elemental world.

The Shaktra has had years to develop her magical abilities and her evil plots, guided by the otherworldly Entity. Ali has only known about her fairy powers for a month. There are holes in her fairy memories and her powers are still incomplete, while the Shaktra commands vast armies of hideous monsters and rules over hosts of dragons.

Ali's allies are few: one dragon, one leprechaun, a single troll, a handful of fairies and an African boy, Ra, who has sworn to serve Ali even beyond death. Plus the mysterious disembodied Nemi -- whose love sustains Ali through her darkest moments of despair.

Only the Yanti can stop what is to come. Unfortunately, Ali has barely had a chance to study it. The first time she tries to use it as a weapon, it nearly kills her. Unless Ali Warner can solve the riddle of the Yanti – and the mystery behind the Shaktra's insane bitterness -- then the Earth and the elemental world will be doomed.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Teen, Dragons, Adventure, Urban Fantasy

399 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Christopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.

Reviews

[Tony Lavely · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm posting this unchanged for all three books of the series, because I believe potential readers should be aware that the series is incomplete:

"Ali's story will continue in the next book in the series, Nemi" (last line of The Yanti.)

According to a Pike fan site (http://christopherpikefanclub.com/pag...
"This is Pike[....] Nemi will be published when the Alosha movie is released. I don't control the publication of the book, Tor does. And unless the movie comes out, they won't be inspired enough to continue the series. So don't be upset I didn't finish the series. I have finished it -- the conclusion of the tale is alive and well on my computer hard-drive." Posted in News on August 10, 2012 by webmasternemi

The first three books are great, but there are many threads left for the last book, being held ransom to the Alosha movie, apparently optioned by Alcon Entertainment, but not listed in IMDB. It seems as if Tor, who own the rights, aren't interested in readers that aren't drawn in by a movie connection. I'm not sure, given that opinion, what leverage we have, but feel free to write to Tor or Macmillan, who publishes Tor-Forge books.

I'd love to unreservedly recommend all theses books; the characterizations are wonderful, the plot is twisted enough without exiting the universe Pike created, and they are well-written. Unfortunately, since we can't read the ending...

I just hope that Mr. Pike retrieves his rights if Tor continues to refuse to publish, so we can enjoy the series as he intended.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in the Alosha series deals with what I had thought would be the final battle against the Shaktra. Come to find out, there's a fourth book that's not yet in print (even though this one was published in '06). That was disappointing, as the tale is not yet wrapped up.
Besides that, however, this volume of the series was excellent. More information about the Shaktra (and the Shaktra's superior) is revealed, and the story is advanced. Also, this is a happier book than either of the first two.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really awesome book. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! PLEASE FINISH THIS FANTASTIC SERIES!

[Jennifer Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I kept going with this series mostly because I've so loved Pike's horror, and love fantasy in general. Unfortunately, this finale of the "trilogy" (more on these quotation marks later) goes downhill from the earlier books, and when/if the series continues, I don't see myself continuing with it. The characters and concept of the series are enjoyable, but unfortunately, the execution falls flat--and I hate saying that, given how much I adore Pike's other work.

The first issue is a lack of editing; simply put, the book is overwritten/wordy, and would probably be quite a bit stronger if the author or an editor had cut loosely 50 pages of wordiness and needless backstory, if not more. The beginning is so incredibly weighted down with backstory (as are some parts after it), that it feels like the writer/editor expected everyone would have completely forgotten what happened in earlier books. There's no nuance to how the backstory is presented, either. If they really did feel that such a refresher was needed, I would have loved to see them offer one of those 'what happened before/up to this point' early sections/prologues that some fantasy books do, to great effect.

The second issue is a lack of centering...technically, the book is YA Fantasy, but even though the concept fits YA Fantasy, it's more of an Adult genre fantasy than not, especially once the main character (a teenager) begins acting more and more like an adult, and less and less like a teenager. There are reasons why, and I won't go into them for fear of spoilers, but the effect is that the book feels torn between YA and Adult, and it simply doesn't work. Especially in this book, when we stay with the MC for the first half and then start bouncing around between POVs...to be honest, it feels as if the book is just sloppy/unedited.

I'd love to have more good to say about this work, but the truth is that it was a slog to get through, and I don't think I would have picked it up at all (since I felt only lukewarm about the series' beginning books) if not for Pike's name and feeling like he'd present a grand finale. Story-wise, I think it was on one hand. On the other hand...the reader should know that this isn't a proper trilogy.

The book finishes up with a promise of another book/continuation in the series to follow the main character further in her adventure (which is necessary--the conclusion gave us a conclusion to plot, but no resolution to character struggle)...but as of now, 14 years after the publication of The Yanti, that fourth work has still not been published.

I'd recommend Christopher Pike's horror. I would not recommend this series.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've really got mixed feelings on this one. I loved the story - it was engaging and suspenseful and definitely not for the faint of heart. This is not a children's story. Ali kills, as does Geea (they're 2 different people now in this one) and Ali suffers major pain. I was a bit put off by Ra's continual focus on beauty and was interested to see how that worked out after Ali chose to keep most of her scars. Nira also got on my nerves once she got herself back together, but that's probably a part of her mystery. And that's where I had problems here. I'm left with a lot of questions that will unfortunately probably never be answered. This story ends on a cliffhanger as a bomb explodes and Ali seems to have disappeared. But the publisher has held the final book, Nemi, hostage for the sake of some movie rights or whatever and so now I'll never know how it ended. I signed up for this because I wanted to know more - that's how good the story is. But I'm still pretty pissed that the 4th book is done and complete but just not being published! Gah! Stupid, greedy publishers.

[Reuben Shupp · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT A FUN FANTASY SERIES!

I love Christopher Pike's writing. It always draws me in. He could write a story about a brick wall. And I would find it entertaining. Readers often compare him to RL Stine. There is no comparison. Rl Stine is for younger teens. Christopher Pike is for readers of all ages.

Now let us get to the review. This is three book series. There was supposed to be a fourth. But it was never written. The series starts out as low fantasy and ends with epic fantasy.

The story starts out with 13 year old Ali trying to save the trees from being cutting down. She is almost unalived by troll. And she meets a leprechaun. Ali journeys up the mountain to find a portal which transports her to a fantasy world.

We follow Ali as we learn she is the queen of the fairies. This is an epic battle between good and evil. If you like fairies, trolls, elves, leprechauns, and dragons. How can you not love a book about dragons. There is even an epic battle between Ali and the king of the dragons.

I highly recommend this book!

[Eleanor Geisenheimer]

Each of these books were better than the last one. Wow it keeps you wanting to read more. Dragon's, fairies, two worlds, war and more. I loved the series wish that it was finished.

note: to the publisher's , I wish you would not hold hostage books so you could try and make a film. it is not fair to the reader's. I would not now go to see it because of you holding the rights back on publishing the last books.

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book when I was kid. Really wish Tor was not preventing it being published before finalizing a movie deal that I am doubtful will happen. At least it ends with some hope.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review here:

https://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/...

I guess we can hope someday the rights get fixed so we can find out what happens next.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 2.5 stars

I kinda like this book. It doesn’t have weird new Age-y nonsense or piles of nonsensical storylines and plot twists, which is a plus. The main characters aren’t loathsome. Unlike his most recent book Witch World.

But the book’s nothing special. It’s a hodgepodge of a couple of overdone genres, and it’s not particularly original in its rendering. There’s the high fantasy of a teenage fairy queen fighting a war against her evil sister in a game of thrones set in another world. There’s the science fiction of a higher-power alien species that wants to rule worlds including Earth and blames humans for being so self-destructive that they don’t deserve to rule their own planet. And there’s the YA urban fantasy about a teenage girl who finds out she has powers which she has to use to save the world. They’re all done competently, but Pike doesn’t add anything new.

Nor does his writing make the trip definitely worth going on. The prose style feels somewhat reminiscent of his Spooksville series for kids – juvenile and with very few turns of phrase worth remembering. The characterization occasionally rises above being utterly flat and predictable.

Perhaps Pike should have condensed the book, as there are a lot of pages devoted to conversations that don’t mean anything, recaps of recent events for those with very low attention spans, internal monologues that go on for too long, and the like. I might be convinced to read the first two books for the sake of completeness depending on if the last book is any good – Pike has said that Nemi has been written, but he hasn’t finalized a publishing deal.

Maybe if in the last couple of years he’d have published a good non-Last Vampire book, there would be more confidence in him, but Witch World totally sucks and Secret of Ka kinda sucks. And aside from Thirst (aka The Last Vampire) none of his multi-volume works needed more than one book - Remember Me/Chain Letter/Master of Murder, and Final Friends had two filler buildup books before getting to the final book which could have mostly stood on its own. I'm pretty sure the Alosha series could have been completed in a book or two...though who knows, maybe Nemi is utter brilliance and I'll take back my words.

[Rusty · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first reaction was that the language was too simple but as the story evolved that reaction dissolved and I became involved with the characters. The characters exist in both the green (fairy) world and earth. Ali, the heroine, is the other half of the fairy queen, Geea. There is evil, of course, in the form of an entity which plans to destroy much of the earth's population under the guise of saving it. That entity entices Ali's sister, Doren, to become its thrall on earth to mastermind its destruction via a dirty bomb. Her other form in the fairy world is the evil Shaktra. It's a fun tale which ends in a scenario to entice the reader to pick up the next in the series, Nemi. While not outstanding, it's an entertaining read.

[Nicolle · Rating 3 out of 5]

i've loved christopher pike since my jr. high days, and i recently got into reading his "adult" novels. this one is part of the alosha series, a literal fairy tale with a sci fi feel. i was a little disappointed with this book though, as i thought this was going to be the last in a trilogy. pike ends it abruptly after the climax of the book and you are left hanging until the next book. makes you wonder how many of these books he is going to write... also, there was no real development of story, he just seemed to write things happening. also it bugs the hell out of me that i don't know what is behind the orange door. i hope that i find out before the series is over!

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This managed a four from me only because there was so much going on it kept me on my toes. Unfortunately I thought this was the final book where all would be explained and the mystery would end. Shock on me, there is another book. Psht!!

Pike likes many things in one story. Science vs. Magic, Aliens and Future etc. It is nice but can also seem very disorganized.

I did like the past romantic aspect though since it was lacking in the presence and I am the biggest fan of Reincarnation.

[Brian Palmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A blending of various genres (fairy life, extradimensional invasion, chosen ones...), this is a serviceable young adult book. But for reasons I have a hard time pinning down, it never grabbed me, and I almost had to force myself to finish it.

As a digression: I read this around the same time as I was playing the video game _Child of Light_ which has minor plot similarities, so I found it amusing to use one as the basis to enrich the other.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book series. I read this as a young child and decades later, wish we had the final book, Nemi. This book examined so many beautiful and interesting concepts to me, and created a world where fairies are what I think they should be. powerful, beautiful. the parallels between her world and ours are captivating. incredible story. this, narnia, eragon, and anne of green gables, and alanna are my favorite books for their creativity and beauty.

[Bea · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was barely tolerable. As a sequel to the Shaktra, it failed miserably. One only hopes the length of time it's taking McFadden to write "Nemi" means he's correcting all of the obnoxious plot holes and incessant need to quote from every other book of his in order to get his point across. Terrible. I remember when he actually wrote interesting, suspenseful novels.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure, the 5 star rating is from the last time I read this as a teen over a decade ago. I remember daydreaming about winning the lottery just so I could pay Christopher Pike for the manuscript of Nemi. Fast foward to 2022, I have yet to win the lottery. But if I ever do? Oh jeez, you bet I'm gonna find some way to get that last book published one way or another!!

[colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

well, at this moment i almost done with it and i cannot say it is completely compelling. that is what happens when you read series books though. this one is the book before the ending. it is wrapping up a bunch of character stories.

i will let u know if the ending is more compelling!

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shame no sequel! Even a summary would be nice at this point, though he could do so much with the world he’s built & threads he’s woven. I love the spiritual & metaphysical elements throughout the series, especially the later books. Ali is a compelling but also somewhat annoying protagonist.

[Karri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been a good little series, well written with enough adventure and mystical beings mixed in. Suspenseful and fun. A nice twist with how the elemental world mixes in with the human world. Looking forward to "Nemi" hoping that book will answer some unanswered questions.

[Bethany]

My sister bought this one for me. I enjoyed the first two so I assume that I'll like this one. If not I'll be severly upset.

[Choobie · Rating 5 out of 5]

the third of the alosha series, a good read.

[Denae Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

It completely lost my interest, and I couldn't finish it. The start of the series was good, but the memory loss and time traveling and dimensional thing wasn't put together well enough.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books i've ever read cannot wait for the next NEMI!!!! to be released!

[Tifani Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book truely pulls this series together. Putting almost all the pieces in place for the reader. Now I just need to read the fourth book in this "trilogy".

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors. Some stuff is brilliant, some is just bizarre.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked it. But when is the fourth book coming?

[Karen Desmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

4

[Rohan]

its a good site for teen <<

[Jemeika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved loved loved this series, I just wish it had an ending =( . It doesn't sound like there is going to be a forth book.