CLAN OF THE SHAPE-CHANGERS

Newly trained shape-changer Susan—despite a law that puts her, and the rest of the green-eyed clan, at risk—is sent on her learning quest. She and her wolf companion Farrun run afoul of a vicious but incompetent shaman who reports her to the real power in the land, Ometerer. This evil mage has bespelled the king to order all green-eyed subjects imprisoned so that shamans can question them and learn the secret of their shape-changing. Together, Susan, Farrun, and Jeffrey (a young and as yet untrained shape-changer) kill Ometerer, releasing the king from the spell, ending the persecution, and freeing Jeffrey and Susan to search for their roots and the true source of magic. Though the story holds attention, it's talky and a little uneven, with black and white magic and mysterious elders mixed together; presumably the loose ends hold a sequel. Susan's other ``natural'' shape is a shewolf, but she and best friend Farrun lope long hours shoulder to shoulder without a hint of estrus- -suggesting a different, and perhaps more intriguing, story than this one. (Fiction. 10-14)