The Foreign Service Journal, November 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2022 45 “[James] Nealon’s beautifully written first novel will cause the reader to question his assumptions and what might have been (and give Irish patriots a smile). A must-read,” says Ambassador (ret.) Thomas Robertson about this book. “A perfect book for fiction lovers who love history, or history buffs who love fiction,” says author David P. Wagner. Ambassador (ret.) James Nealon served at 10 posts in Europe and in North and South America, including as chief of mission in Honduras, during a 33-year diplomatic career. He retired in 2017. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he was a history teacher. He has published numerous works on foreign policy and immigration and resides in Exeter, New Hampshire. YOUNG ADULTS Out of Time Elizabeth A. Drysdale, Sweetwater Books, 2021, $16.99/paperback, e-book available, 248 pages. Seventeen-year-old Sophronia, or “Soph,” has grown up resigned to an existence as only moderately skilled in comparison to her family members, all witches. Not fully sharing her relatives’ magical aptitude, she is still affected by a dark curse that has plagued the family for generations. Soph often feels as if she is an outsider among both the magical and nonmagical communities. When an opportunity arises for Soph to put her limited abili- ties—which allow her to engage in time-travel—to use, as well as potentially end the curse on her family, she faces a series of tough decisions. Out of Time follows Soph through this challeng- ing journey from the struggles of a 21st-century teenager to the ominous threats of witch trials in 17th-century New England. Elizabeth Drysdale is an award-winning author of young adult fiction and the daughter of a Foreign Service officer and Air Force veteran, Clay Allen. She accompanied her father on tours across Asia. Her first novel, Curse of the Forgotten (2021), was a Swoony Award finalist. She resides in a small town in Northern Utah with her husband and three sons. Destiny’s Cradle Paul Crawford, CreateSpace, 2019, $11/paperback, e-book available, 366 pages. Science fiction meets drama in Paul Crawford’s multidimensional novel for young adults, Destiny’s Cradle . A work of “hard science fiction”—i.e., based on scientific fact and inspired by “hard” natural sciences like chemistry, physics, and astronomy—the book also features well-developed characters and a compelling story. When a stranger emerges unexpectedly near their cotton field one afternoon, teenage farm-dwellers Ben and Tessa are shocked and intrigued. In time, however, the newcomer, Thomas Morgan, becomes their ally in a tense conflict between the citizens of Ben and Tessa’s rural community and their more technologically advanced ancestors. Set in a picturesque if rigidly delimited biosphere contained within a single starship that is on a thousand-year journey to colonize a distant planet, the story follows the three characters as they boldly uncover the mysteries of how and why they came to be in this space—and what they must do to protect the future of their own existence. Retired FSO Paul Crawford served in the Peace Corps in Colombia before joining the USAID Foreign Service in 1983. From various locations across Latin America and Africa, he worked to promote agriculture and natural resources programs over the course of a 33-year career. He resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan. For more sci-fi in the form of short stories by Crawford, visit https://paulcrawford-scifi.com/. Luminous Mara Rutherford, Inkyard Press, 2022, $11.99/paperback, e-book available, 384 pages. Revered as “wonderfully lush and enthralling” and “a beautiful, enchant- ing tale” by acclaimed authors within the same genre, Luminous is a captivat- ing fantasy centered on a young witch, Liora, and the obstacles she must face to rescue her sister and her closest friend. In Liora’s world, having magical powers is a status that carries with it the constant risk of being identified and forced to serve the king’s devious warlock, Darius, who seeks to expand ( Young Adults section continued on page 51 )