This is the third novel in the RanVan trilogy, and like the first two, it is well researched, fast-paced, and insightful. Rhan, alias RanVan the errant knight and video warrior, is the teenage hero of the modern-day quest romance that forms the trilogy. In each of the books, Rhan meets several challenges in his search for home and identity; in this one, he is forced to confront his greatest obstacles, the two secrets he has kept since childhood. The first secret involves the tragic death of his parents; the second, the occasional premonitions and bursts of superhuman strength that confirm his difference from other people.

The last leg of Rhan’s journey begins when he arrives in Calgary to learn television camera work. Everything runs smoothly at first: he shows talent behind the camera, and he captures the interest of Jen, one of his classmates. Soon, however, conflicts arise: the instructor is hostile toward Rhan and tries to destroy his confidence. Feeling insecure, Rhan attends a meeting of an apparently welcoming group, only to discover that they are neo-Nazis. Then, a visit from his former arch-rival and a high-pressure assignment pitch him into battle against the skinheads and into a dilemma: will he promote his own interests for once, or will he risk them for a good deed that few will appreciate?

RanVan’s code of conduct is drawn largely from video games and superhero comics, but his adventures are neither spoofs nor sci-fi fantasy. There are only a few intrusions of fantasy into an otherwise starkly realistic milieu, and the clash between the two modes adds immensely to the interest of Rhan’s quest. A panoply of social issues arise in the dominant realistic mode, including journalistic ethics, right-wing extremism, homosexuality, drug addiction, and AIDS. Wieler has not shied away from difficult subjects in any of her novels for young adults, but she brings them out here in full force and treats them with intelligence and grace. Perhaps most powerful of all in Wieler’s writing are the empathetic portrayals of characters and their conflicts, the acknowledgment of complexity in almost all experience, and the final, hopeful turn toward a transcendent vision.