A Serial?
The main plot of the story extends across a sequence of novels or installments. The installment may end in a cliff hanger. Unlike a serial in a magazine, each serial in The Saeshell Book of Time is a full length middle school/young adult novel.
What's the Premise/Setting
The Children of Sophista is set on present day Earth and on the alien planet, Sophista. The basic premise of The Children of Sophista universe is that magic from fairies, Saeshells, and other similar characters is actually science that is so advanced, we perceive it to be magic. After extensive contact with humans, the aliens and human-alien hybrids think that the human mythology surrounding magic is fun and they adopt the trappings of magic. 
The members of these advanced civilizations are so close in appearance to humans, that they walk among present day humans unnoticed. However, some humans are taking great evolutionary leaps in the present day. These advanced children must learn to use their superhuman talents ethically or they will be euthanized to protect the safety of all intelligent life. Paradoxically, the advanced human children must be protected from regular humans, who might dissect them to understand how they work. A continual conflict exists between needing to kill or needing to protect these advanced children. Intertwined with this backdrop are the needs and politics of the various advanced civilizations.
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| Stefan's anger drives his talents. |
Who is the target readership?
The target age group for the series is 6th grade through adult. I state that the novel is targeted toward gifted teens. When I say that, I don't mean that a non-gifted teen would necessarily not be able to or want to read the book. It's just a bit harder than many novels targeted toward teens in terms of intricacy and knowledge. If a teen is bothered by reading a story with a lot of science terms, then they will not like the book. Some teens blow through the science with no effort and thus are able to enjoy the plot. Some struggle so much with the science orientation that they have a hard time focusing on the plot. 
Why not simplify the science/intricacy?
Because that would lessen the experience/enjoyment of the more advanced teen readers who hunger for more intellectually challenging material. Surprisingly, there are more people beyond that demographic who enjoy the novel and the puzzle it presents. However, it usually is not attractive to casual readers of light material due to the novels' ground breaking structure. The novels are an accurate simulation of telepathic communication, with telepathic and out-loud conversations interleaved and occurring simultaneously.
