In Nightwalker, New Brunswick author K.V. Johansen has moved from the near future of her first novel, The Cassandra Virus, to an indeterminate but vaguely medieval fantasy past. The new book gives her a chance to use both her background as a medieval scholar and her fascination with The Lord of the Rings.

Maurey is a servant boy who has been cheated out of his legacy. Of course, he is not what he seems and discovers that he is half Warlock, the magical folk who have been driven to the far west of Eswiland by the encroachment of humans. With the help of Annot, a young baroness, he escapes the clutches of the evil Chancellor, goes west to discover his true heritage, and sets in motion a reconciliation between humans and warlocks.

The book’s theme of intolerance is presented too simplistically for its target age group. The bad guy is thoroughly evil and everyone else is good, if temporarily misguided. The young king’s change of heart when Maurey and Annot return from the west is too pat, and the ending feels more like a group hug than a satisfying resolution.

The depth of background detail that is required for a fantasy reader to suspend disbelief and be drawn into an alternate world is largely lacking in Nightwalker. For example, the ghostly knights who protect the mountain passes are the most interesting element in an otherwise stock story, but they’re undeveloped. They might be fleshed out later, since this is Book 1 in a series, but that doesn’t help the reader care about what happens to the characters in this volume.

Nightwalker is not sophisticated or fully developed enough for a teen audience. However, it might appeal more to the eight- to 12-year-old age group as an introduction to fantasy.