An imaginative, daring start to what could develop in to a fantastic series.
A mysterious force known simply as the Darkness threatens a far-future Earth in Andreas’ debut YA sci-fi/fantasy.
Millions of years after an asteroid wiped out practically all life on Earth, the last traces of humanity have evolved into three separate races, each with its own distinct society. On the ground are the erdwons, a tribal people with cheetahlike legs and tails who live in huts. Meanwhile, the skywons—winged people—live in palaces surrounded by wealth and splendor in the heavens above, and the feshwons are an aquatic people with webbed fingers and flippers. The different groups know very little about one another, let alone Earth’s past history, believing the planet to have once been ruled by one race that banished a dark force called the Darkness, which eventually returned and destroyed them, until the Earth Mother created the three peoples. Now, however, entire clans are beginning to disappear, leaving people to worry that the Darkness has returned. Tor, an erdwon youth, crosses paths with a wounded skywon princess, Himmel, setting him on a course to potentially save the world. Andreas’ novel is blessed with a richly realized, deeply intelligent mythology, which helps distinguish it amid the sea of YA. He establishes all the various societies and peoples economically and with a keen eye for anthropological detail, making it as much of a delight to simply learn about the divergent cultures as it is to spend time with his likable cast of characters. Those eager for nonstop action might want to look elsewhere, but readers will find a great deal to love here if they’re fascinated by complex worldbuilding and a gradually building plot that allows its characters to breathe. Unfortunately, however, the book ends rather abruptly, and while this seems to promise a sequel, more concluding action would have allowed the ending to feel as naturalistic and well-paced as the rest of the novel.
An imaginative, daring start to what could develop in to a fantastic series.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2014
ISBN: 978-1500303778
Page Count: 274
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Wrought with admirable skill—the emptiness and menace underlying this Utopia emerge step by inexorable step: a richly...
In a radical departure from her realistic fiction and comic chronicles of Anastasia, Lowry creates a chilling, tightly controlled future society where all controversy, pain, and choice have been expunged, each childhood year has its privileges and responsibilities, and family members are selected for compatibility.
As Jonas approaches the "Ceremony of Twelve," he wonders what his adult "Assignment" will be. Father, a "Nurturer," cares for "newchildren"; Mother works in the "Department of Justice"; but Jonas's admitted talents suggest no particular calling. In the event, he is named "Receiver," to replace an Elder with a unique function: holding the community's memories—painful, troubling, or prone to lead (like love) to disorder; the Elder ("The Giver") now begins to transfer these memories to Jonas. The process is deeply disturbing; for the first time, Jonas learns about ordinary things like color, the sun, snow, and mountains, as well as love, war, and death: the ceremony known as "release" is revealed to be murder. Horrified, Jonas plots escape to "Elsewhere," a step he believes will return the memories to all the people, but his timing is upset by a decision to release a newchild he has come to love. Ill-equipped, Jonas sets out with the baby on a desperate journey whose enigmatic conclusion resonates with allegory: Jonas may be a Christ figure, but the contrasts here with Christian symbols are also intriguing.
Wrought with admirable skill—the emptiness and menace underlying this Utopia emerge step by inexorable step: a richly provocative novel. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: April 1, 1993
ISBN: 978-0-395-64566-6
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1993
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
