The story begins in familiar enough surroundings with realistic, albeit somewhat eccentric characters, but it isn't long before the reader is overwhelmed with strange settings and a colossal cast of equally strange characters.

      Adolescent Emma Sweeney, a.k.a. Winter, is the protagonist, and it is clear from the outset that she is a misfit, both at school and within her own family. The interesting thing is that she recognizes her "differentness" and voluntarily holds herself apart, even to the point of sleeping in the barn rather than the house. Not that Emma does much sleeping. As often as not, the night finds her restlessly prowling the farm, obeying an unexplainable compulsion to keep watch over her family, particularly her sickly younger sister, Summer.

      The Sweeney family has recently moved to a small, rural community and taken over a bee farm which had belonged to Emma's grandfather. Emma's mother tends the bees, while her artist father spends his time erecting a life-size plexiglass Stonehenge type of structure on one of the farm's fields. To ease money problems, Emma's mother accepts a summer job--on her daughter's behalf--one which calls for Emma to be a companion for an elderly neighbor, an action which sets Emma on an adventure destined to change all of their lives forever.

      In her workplace, Emma finds herself surrounded by people even more bizarre than her family. She learns to play a strange, addictive board game called Fidchell and begins having dreams about impossible places and creatures which are entirely too real. More and more, this dream world encroaches on Emma's real world until it becomes obvious that her dreams are not dreams at all, but part of a terrifying game she must play if she is to save her family.

      Though this reader found the sheer numbers of characters and their parallel identities somewhat confusing, more experienced fantasy buffs will probably have no such problem. Buffie fans can look forward to another enjoyable read.

Recommended.