Castle Lark: And The Tale that Stopped Time (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780938513315)

Two teens from the twenty-second century discover and reactivate an ancient spell. Time stops. Earth's fate hangs in the balance. Adventure, romance, magic and mystery -- times two!

In the not-so-distance-future the Earth is dead. Humans have destroyed it, and Earth has been evacuated for half a century. Now, people live in domes on Luna and Mars where everything is in harmonious unison. Except for the last few survivors who remember Earth, people have never been outdoors. Climate in the domes is artificial, and the chance to experience real rain is a rare treat. Since the evacuation, humanity has let Earth rest.

Insert Alex and Fasha, two teenagers who were born and grew up in the domes of Luna and Mars. When Alex Huntly is stranded on Luna because of a misunderstanding between his divorced parents, he is rescued by their family friend Walsh. Alex joins Walsh, his wife Cammie, and their daughter Fasha on a vacation trip to Earth.

On their trip they see artificial Paris, recreated under a dome, and then get to be outside for the first time in their lives during their time in Africa. Strangely, Africa has been the first continent to recover from Earth's devastation by war and ecological disasters. It's a little too tame for Alex and Fasha, who were hoping for a chance to see "the vine."

The vine, a gigantic and mysterious ivy-like plant that appeared after a catastrophic underground oil spill, is the target of two global companies who are competing for the right to resurrect Earth. It covers much of the United Kingdom, including a place with a familiar name: Huntly Castle. Alex and Fasha's curiosity in humanity's home planet peaks when they realize Alex has an ancestral connection to ancient Scotland.

Walsh arranges for the teens to visit the area on their own while the adults relax. While exploring the vast "ocean"of green vine with Amy, a ClimaTech biologist, they discover a hidden vine-covered castle. Inside they encounter The Tale That Stopped Time.

The tale concerns a young storyteller named Aziza from the beleaguered town of Pyrandora, and Rider, a boy given in service to his King. When Alex and Fasha read the charmed narrative, they reactivate an ancient spell.

Romance prospers and the two teens realize their magical connection with the vine, the tale, and the past. But can they reach the end of the story before competing researchers find the castle and attempt to destroy the vine? It seems that Fasha and Alex have a very real role to play in the future of Earth as well.