TRANSFORMATIONS

Tainted technology is tamed by nature and magic in a sequel to The Daymaker (1986). In the earlier book, Zanne--a young girl--learned how to use her strong magical bond with nature to destroy ancient technology that was sapping the world of natural magic. Here, again, Zanne sets out to find remnants of the old technology. During her quest, she happens on a village of dour, suspicious miners. At first, Zanne is not sure who her adversaries are or what the nature of the technology is that she faces; when she discovers that the wild beasts who have destroyed a flock of sheep are in fact villagers transformed into parodies of beasts by gene-mutating radiation, Zanne (aided by a young magician from the miners' community) destroys the radiation and helps the villagers transform their twisted Covenant into a true bond with nature. Like The Daymaker, this is engrossing; it is also better written than its predecessor--characters are more subtly defined and the narrative more tightly structured. Men and technology remain mischievous and misguided--but so they are.