RanVan: A Worthy Opponent

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

This sequel to RanVan the Defender continues Rhan Van’s odyssey of
self-discovery. This latest instalment finds the 16-year-old and his
grandmother in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where they are living and working
in a motel owned by Gran’s cousin Zoe. As in the earlier volume,
Rhan’s alter ego and video game monicker, RanVan, rashly leads him
into “knightly” pursuits, but instead of trying to defend damsels in
distress, RanVan finds himself confronting another video-game player,
Lee Dahl (aka the Iceman). Rhan comes to discover that Lee’s cool
faзade masks great emotional pain. Balancing the conflict between
RanVan and the Iceman is Rhan’s evolving romantic relationship with
his boss’s daughter, Kate Gervais.

While this title stands on its own, readers encountering Rhan for the
first time will probably be sufficiently intrigued to seek out the
earlier work. Highly recommended.