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Index Interviews: Karen Swenson Articles: Where Do You Get Your Ideas...? (Part I) You've Finished Writing the Play: Now What? (Part II) An Inside Look At... george jr. Upcoming Events Calendar Book Reviews Reader Mail Return to This Issue's Index Return to Homepage Subscribe
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Horror/Fantasy/SF Book ReviewsThe Godmother's Web by Elizabeth Ann ScarboroughAce Books, Feb., 1998.Hardcover, 304 pages. ISBN: 0441005039. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
Horse trainer Cindy Ellis sets out on a cross-country journey in
Arizona to train a friend's horse for the trail. Before she has gone
far, she encounters an elderly Navajo woman dressed in the traditional
fashion wearing a fortune in beautiful turquoise jewelry. Kind-hearted
by nature, Cindy allows the old woman to travel with her to the next
town where Cindy intends to find relatives of the old woman to take
her off Cindy's hands. When she finally finds the old woman's grandson,
however, he merely laughs at the idea of his grandmother needing help.
The pair's strange tour leads them into the sad and
embittered world of the Navajos and Hopi reservations where traditional
beliefs are sometimes at war with the riches and corrupting influence
of the modern world. As the stories unfold it is clear that the old
woman is much more than she seems and that the threads of all the
different lives of the people they meet are subtly being woven into a
web which can
release the hurts and begin the healing process for this troubled people.
Nebula award-winning author Elizabeth Ann Scarborough has crafted a clever and magical fairy tale using the rich history of the Navajo and Hopi peoples. Populated with creatures from the old stories and modern-day humans struggling to make their way in a difficult world, Scarborough's America is a captivating destination. Deftly weaving reality, current social and environmental issues with fantasy elements, Scarborough creates a world which is at the same time, recognizable and mystical. Another excellent work by an author who is sure to become one of fantasy's greats. Imposter by Valerie FreireichRoc, Nov., 1997.Paperback, 336 pages. ISBN: 0451456165. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
The Polite Harmony of Worlds is a coalition of like-thinking
worlds, most of which follow the Jonist belief system which
advocates logic, politeness and a striving towards Order.
Marcer Brice, an Altered Human, has achieved the status
of Academic Researcher, despite the fact of his altered senses,
which are looked down upon in the Harmony of Worlds.
His alteration, an echo-locating ability similar to those of
dolphins on ancient Earth, creates suspicion and fear among
the populace so he has learned not to use his altered senses
in public. While lecturing to a class, without warning
or explanation, Brice is arrested and deported to a crude enemy
world known as the Emirates which is ruled by despots. The
Emirates culture is based on the old earth middle-eastern cultures
with some strange variations. Men who agree to make the
journey to Paradise return with beautiful wives known
as the Houris -- cruel women with unearthly beauty and
a strange power over men. Worshipped as divinities, the
Houris bear only sons, never daughters which is much prized
in this culture. The Sons are strange, warlike, cold men
whose ambition knows no bounds. Destitute and on the
run in a strange world, Brice becomes entangled in a web
of lies, deceit and political maneuvering after saving the
life of the most powerful Son of all -- Idryis Khan. Hoping
only to return to his beloved Harmony, Brice's journey
will take him from the dregs to the pinnacles of the Emirates
society and will lead him to discover a horrifying threat to
the survival of the human race which he must neutralize.
With Imposter Valerie Freireich firmly cements her standing as one of fantasy's rising stars. The universe containing the Polite Harmony of Worlds, the Emirates, and the Neulanders with their Altered Humans is fascinating and finely-drawn. With non-stop action and a likeable hero with a heart, Imposter is a fast-paced, intelligent read which further explores the themes of racial and sexual bigotry and prejudice introduced in her first book set in this universe, Becoming Human. A compelling new entry in an intriguing fantasy universe. Return to Book Reviews Index ** To visit the archives of fantasy/sf books reviewed in The IWJ, please click here. |