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Stratification #2
Riders of the Storm
The next chapter in the Stratification saga that 'delivers all the right elements.'(Sci Fi Weekly)
On the distant world of Cersi, Om'ray Aryl Sarc and her supporters have been exiled from the rest of their people. Finding refuge in the mountains, they work to rebuild the ruined village of Sona, even as they try to discover what happened to the original Sona Clan. But Sona has a history among all three of Cersi's races-a history that may soon threaten the future of Aryl's newly founded clan....
On the distant world of Cersi, Om'ray Aryl Sarc and her supporters have been exiled from the rest of their people. Finding refuge in the mountains, they work to rebuild the ruined village of Sona, even as they try to discover what happened to the original Sona Clan. But Sona has a history among all three of Cersi's races-a history that may soon threaten the future of Aryl's newly founded clan....
464 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
12 people are currently reading
322 people want to read
About the author
Julie E. Czerneda
103Ìýbooks743ÌýfollowersHaving written 25 novels (and counting) published by DAW Books, as well as numerous short stories, and editing several anthologies, in 2022, Julie E. Czerneda was inducted in the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. Her science fiction and fantasy combines her training and love of biology with a boundless curiosity and optimism, winning multiple awards. Julie's recent releases include the standalone novel To Each This World, her first collection Imaginings, and A Change of Place, #3 in her Night's Edge fantasy series. Out July 2025 is A Shift of Time, #4 and the second last of the series.
For more visit czerneda.com Julie is represented by Sara Megibow of Megibow Literary Agency LLC.
For more visit czerneda.com Julie is represented by Sara Megibow of Megibow Literary Agency LLC.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 47 reviews
June 18, 2011
This moves the story forward without hitting the "middle book of the trilogy" trap, where everything gets worse and the book isn't any fun.
Picking this up after a year, I hit a "silly words SF" speedbump until I resynced with all the people, races, and plants in this world. Czerneda is a biologist, so all the names feel justified, not just an authorial whim.
Interestingly, this really works as a prequel. The context of knowing where this story goes many generations later allows the story to expand into the future. I can feel the evolutionary past and future in the story.
Picking this up after a year, I hit a "silly words SF" speedbump until I resynced with all the people, races, and plants in this world. Czerneda is a biologist, so all the names feel justified, not just an authorial whim.
Interestingly, this really works as a prequel. The context of knowing where this story goes many generations later allows the story to expand into the future. I can feel the evolutionary past and future in the story.
January 6, 2017
I restrained myself from devouring this book until book 3 was due... but my timing was off by almost a month. Now I have to wait to see what happens to the clans...
dangit
Pretty cover (as usual) from Luis Royo,too.
Note to self... stay away from Vyna clan!
dangit
Pretty cover (as usual) from Luis Royo,too.
Note to self... stay away from Vyna clan!
November 13, 2009
Czerneda is an amazing, unique voice in SciFi. This comes through in all of her series and, if pressed, I'm not sure I could choose a "favorite." Given that context, know that the Clan Chronicles series is well worth a read. It falls between, or crosses the line between, "core" SciFi and adult fantasy fiction.
Character and plot are fundamental in most fiction. In SciFi, well, much of SciFi, we readers expect not only character and plot, but also a plausible futuristic vision and/or plausible species with whom we humans interact. What's very cool about Czerneda's work is that the other species are at the heart of the story; it is their story, not ours. In the Clan Chronicles humans are one of "the Other." ("One of" because there are many "Others.") The Om'ray are very like us in many ways, yet are distinct.
Here, we have a bit of gender play (guess which is dominant), as Czerneda deals with many of the "big" issues. There is commitment to one's mate that goes way beyond romantic love as we know it, commitment to one's people that certainly goes beyond the self-centered individualism of 21st. century U.S.A., heroism (and the lack thereof), questioning of taken-for-granted reality (Clan version), and more.
Sue & Godzilla are demanding attention, so I have to stop. Just read it!
Character and plot are fundamental in most fiction. In SciFi, well, much of SciFi, we readers expect not only character and plot, but also a plausible futuristic vision and/or plausible species with whom we humans interact. What's very cool about Czerneda's work is that the other species are at the heart of the story; it is their story, not ours. In the Clan Chronicles humans are one of "the Other." ("One of" because there are many "Others.") The Om'ray are very like us in many ways, yet are distinct.
Here, we have a bit of gender play (guess which is dominant), as Czerneda deals with many of the "big" issues. There is commitment to one's mate that goes way beyond romantic love as we know it, commitment to one's people that certainly goes beyond the self-centered individualism of 21st. century U.S.A., heroism (and the lack thereof), questioning of taken-for-granted reality (Clan version), and more.
Sue & Godzilla are demanding attention, so I have to stop. Just read it!
March 7, 2012
Cxerneda continues to build her beautifully textured world with new and old threads pulled together. She also pulls love into the plot. I'm a boob. I cried. This second book in the trilogy is quite compelling. It is a very good read.
November 21, 2023
I really liked this book because I hadn't read any sci-fi for a while. Reading a good sci-fi novel challenges my brain. It's fun taking the author's descriptions of other than earth-type planets and non-humanoid forms and forming my mental pictures. Probably not the mental pictures the author may have envisioned, but I'll never know. It's also a story with several strong female characters and that's important to me. The story line was intriguing enough that I realized I was reading book #2 of a trilogy. So now I have ordered book #1 and book #3. The best part of reading older released books is that all the books of the trilogy are available.
February 9, 2020
Book 2 of the _Stratification_ trilogy.
While it's definitely the middle book of a trilogy, which means a lot of maneuvering to get the pieces in place for the ending, this one has a fair amount to recommend it. Part of it is the sheer joy of Czerneda's worldbuilding, which becomes more elaborate as the story continues; but part also is the characters. We have two viewpoint characters, Aryl Sarc and Enris Mendolar. Both exiled from their Clans, they have founded a new clan at Sona, a place where a Clan formerly lived.
Aryl and Enris are members of the Om'ray, a species humanoid enough that when Aryl saw her first Human in the first book she was bewildered - he looked like an Om'ray but wasn't "real," meaning that the telepathic bond which joins all Om'ray did not touch him at all. To the Om'ray, the other two sapient species on their world of Cersi also are not "real".
And those other species are dangerous, because they are far more technologically advanced than the Om'ray, and the one thing that unites the Oud and the Tikitik is their concern that the Om'ray must not develop technology. This is expressed in the Agreement between the three, whose most important tenet is that there must be no change.
But change is happening, in two major ways.
First, emissaries from the Trade Pact have reached Cersi, and Cersi bears some long-hidden technologies they covet. Their coming accidentally set Aryl's clan on the path to starvation, made worse by the demands of their Tikitik neighbors. The Tikitik's technology is biological, bending other species to their will; they are swamp-dwellers by nature.
Secondly, and almost simultaneously, Aryl discovers the ability to teleport, and is able to teach it to _some_ Om'ray. This is Change indeed, and threatens the balance between the three species.
At any rate, Aryl and others with dangerous Talents are exiled from their Clan, and - with the help of Enris, who has been sent away from his own clan for different reasons - they set up camp at Sona. Here the Oud rule, but their presence changes the nature of that rule, with dire results for Enris's former Clan.
The Oud, underground burrowers whose technologies are based on metallurgy, are nearly incomprehensible to Om'ray; they can speak the same language, but mean very different things by it. Not quite a hive mind, the Oud care very little for individuals of their species, and don't understand that other species _do_; nor do they understand how "fragile" Om'ray are, compared to themselves. They appoint Aryl as "Speaker" for Sona, meaning that she must negotiate with Oud and Tikitik for the survival of her new Clan.
Meanwhile, Enris sets out to find the mysterious eighth Clan of the Om'ray, the Vyna. With the help of a not-entirely-benevolent Tikitik, he finds them; but they are insular and dangerous to outsiders, considering themselves superior. He escapes, and eventually he and Aryl get the room readers have been waiting for since the first book.
There is, of course, much more than this going on. The situation on Cersi is complex, and Aryl and Enris are only beginning to realize _how_ complex it is.
_Riders of the Storm_ is, as I said at the beginning, the middle book of a trilogy, meaning that it has neither a real beginning, nor a real ending. It isn't shapeless, but its shape is part of the larger whole, and it would not be satisfying on its own. In the context of the first book, however, it propels the reader forward and sets things (and the reader) up for the third book; which is what the middle part of a trilogy is _supposed_ to do.
While it's definitely the middle book of a trilogy, which means a lot of maneuvering to get the pieces in place for the ending, this one has a fair amount to recommend it. Part of it is the sheer joy of Czerneda's worldbuilding, which becomes more elaborate as the story continues; but part also is the characters. We have two viewpoint characters, Aryl Sarc and Enris Mendolar. Both exiled from their Clans, they have founded a new clan at Sona, a place where a Clan formerly lived.
Aryl and Enris are members of the Om'ray, a species humanoid enough that when Aryl saw her first Human in the first book she was bewildered - he looked like an Om'ray but wasn't "real," meaning that the telepathic bond which joins all Om'ray did not touch him at all. To the Om'ray, the other two sapient species on their world of Cersi also are not "real".
And those other species are dangerous, because they are far more technologically advanced than the Om'ray, and the one thing that unites the Oud and the Tikitik is their concern that the Om'ray must not develop technology. This is expressed in the Agreement between the three, whose most important tenet is that there must be no change.
But change is happening, in two major ways.
First, emissaries from the Trade Pact have reached Cersi, and Cersi bears some long-hidden technologies they covet. Their coming accidentally set Aryl's clan on the path to starvation, made worse by the demands of their Tikitik neighbors. The Tikitik's technology is biological, bending other species to their will; they are swamp-dwellers by nature.
Secondly, and almost simultaneously, Aryl discovers the ability to teleport, and is able to teach it to _some_ Om'ray. This is Change indeed, and threatens the balance between the three species.
At any rate, Aryl and others with dangerous Talents are exiled from their Clan, and - with the help of Enris, who has been sent away from his own clan for different reasons - they set up camp at Sona. Here the Oud rule, but their presence changes the nature of that rule, with dire results for Enris's former Clan.
The Oud, underground burrowers whose technologies are based on metallurgy, are nearly incomprehensible to Om'ray; they can speak the same language, but mean very different things by it. Not quite a hive mind, the Oud care very little for individuals of their species, and don't understand that other species _do_; nor do they understand how "fragile" Om'ray are, compared to themselves. They appoint Aryl as "Speaker" for Sona, meaning that she must negotiate with Oud and Tikitik for the survival of her new Clan.
Meanwhile, Enris sets out to find the mysterious eighth Clan of the Om'ray, the Vyna. With the help of a not-entirely-benevolent Tikitik, he finds them; but they are insular and dangerous to outsiders, considering themselves superior. He escapes, and eventually he and Aryl get the room readers have been waiting for since the first book.
There is, of course, much more than this going on. The situation on Cersi is complex, and Aryl and Enris are only beginning to realize _how_ complex it is.
_Riders of the Storm_ is, as I said at the beginning, the middle book of a trilogy, meaning that it has neither a real beginning, nor a real ending. It isn't shapeless, but its shape is part of the larger whole, and it would not be satisfying on its own. In the context of the first book, however, it propels the reader forward and sets things (and the reader) up for the third book; which is what the middle part of a trilogy is _supposed_ to do.
February 20, 2020
This book is a great and imaginative story, well told.
The middle book of a trilogy is one which I approach with patience. I know it won't have the zing of the new - Book 1s have all the fun of introducing new characters and situations and can throw all sorts of problems and dangers at the characters without having to worry too much about cleaning up the mess. Book 3s have the grand climax with all the emotional pay off. Book 2s are stuck with "...the plot thickens...".
Somehow Ms Czerneda has avoided this pattern most triumphantly. Not only does she add tons of character development, she expands and deepens the world in a way that just took my breath away. The challenges thrown at the characters were resolved in an immensely satisfying way, enough that other authors would have just left it there - but Ms Czerneda managed to walk a tightrope of giving closure while at the same time leaving threads loose and mysteries to be solved so that if I didn't have Book 3 handy then I might go a bit batty wanting to know what happens next.
I am so glad I discovered this author. This is great stuff!
The middle book of a trilogy is one which I approach with patience. I know it won't have the zing of the new - Book 1s have all the fun of introducing new characters and situations and can throw all sorts of problems and dangers at the characters without having to worry too much about cleaning up the mess. Book 3s have the grand climax with all the emotional pay off. Book 2s are stuck with "...the plot thickens...".
Somehow Ms Czerneda has avoided this pattern most triumphantly. Not only does she add tons of character development, she expands and deepens the world in a way that just took my breath away. The challenges thrown at the characters were resolved in an immensely satisfying way, enough that other authors would have just left it there - but Ms Czerneda managed to walk a tightrope of giving closure while at the same time leaving threads loose and mysteries to be solved so that if I didn't have Book 3 handy then I might go a bit batty wanting to know what happens next.
I am so glad I discovered this author. This is great stuff!
April 16, 2021
The first book of this prequel (Reap the Wild Wind) focused on the exciting business of world building and introducing all the conflict. It was a story of loss and destruction. The second book begins to tell the tale of redemption and rebuilding. Many of the mystery threads that were introduced int he first book continue to be developed. Meanwhile this book continues to show how interpersonal conflict as well as biological changes and interspecies misunderstandings shaped the history of the Om'ray. It is a good story in and of itself, and it plays beautifully into the tapestry of the larger "universe". It is a lovely continuation of the 1st book, and I'm looking forward to reading more about how these events resolve in the final installment.
November 9, 2008
Started with this book by Ms. Czerneda, a biologist by education, and have read my way through everything she's written. Love them all. Skillful treatment species.
February 19, 2019
Reading, it sucks you in. The plot is thick with everything you could want. Friends, family, love, betrayal, disaster and an ending that leaves you wanting more. Aryl's story is about wanting to do anything to save and or help her people. Thrust in a position of leadership that one of her age isn't done. She's brought her people safe to Sona, now is trying to find that path to the future for their survival. Unitentional consequences have been thrust upon her and her time of choosing upon her.
October 21, 2022
Another average entry into the Trade Pact universe. This continues from Reap the Wild, Aryl and group are wandering through the mountains as winter sets in and they find an abandoned village. Mysteries and adventures ensue. As much as the author works to make the aliens really alien and interesting, they come across as too cartoonish and the tall, thin ones cartoonishly evil. Also, the true bond component remains as tiring as it does in other authors' works.
April 17, 2019
Suddenly we are in a whole new ecological world with new problems and new biology. I was a little grumpy about that at first, especially as we were trudging along looking for safety, but it turns out to be necessary in order to understand this plant we are on, and the relationship between the species. A good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2021
The story in the second volume gets more clear than the first.
I think the ending was too messed-up, a clan was massacred then a minute later main characters were making love? what the...
Anyway, I'm not gonna read the next volume.
I think the ending was too messed-up, a clan was massacred then a minute later main characters were making love? what the...
Anyway, I'm not gonna read the next volume.
March 26, 2022
There are concepts in here, worth exploring and even if you read it once, it's not a story you entirely forget, very interesting world building choices!
February 7, 2023
Read this book at least two times
July 15, 2023
I read the first book in this series in a day and a half and this one in less than 24 hours. I really like these books.
April 8, 2025
And the plot thickens. Those who have read the trade pact series will love this glimpse into the origins of the clan.
December 15, 2022
45. stars,
Summary
On the planet Cersi, humanoid Om'ray, arachnoid Tikitik, and insectoid Oud live in careful balance. But Aryl and a group of her fellow Om'ray have been left homeless - in part because Aryl's growing teleportation powers disturb a longstanding, tripartite agreement. Now they must find a new home and deal with the interference of the greater galaxy's Trade Pact representatives.
Review
I liked the predecessor to this book, Reap the Wild Wind, more than I recalled. Happily, that’s true of this book as well. While not quite perfect, it’s a very strong follow-up, and a great bridge in the series (both this trilogy and the larger trio of trilogies it is part of).
Initially, it feels odd that this book is so little about Morgan, the human, and his Trade Pact compatriots. At the end of the last book, Aryl told him to stay away and � he mostly does. But that’s true to the central story here, which is about Aryl and her newly-forming Clan. The Trade Pact is an interesting, intriguing, but largely peripheral element so far. Instead, we follow Aryl as she struggles to find the Clan a safe home, learns more about her powers, and comes closer to � if not understanding, then at least predicting � the actions of the Tikitik and Oud.
Enris, the other chief protagonist, is not left out. He continues his own storyline, following hints of Om’ray technology and a mysteriously distant Clan. Here, Czerneda stumbles a bit. Enris� path is both a little too easy, and his discoveries a little too extreme (shades of Barsoom, I felt). I felt both were given (literally) short schrift, and would have liked to see them quite a bit more developed.
Overall, though, it’s a compelling, exciting narrative with satisfying ending. I look forward to rereading the last book in the trilogy.
Summary
On the planet Cersi, humanoid Om'ray, arachnoid Tikitik, and insectoid Oud live in careful balance. But Aryl and a group of her fellow Om'ray have been left homeless - in part because Aryl's growing teleportation powers disturb a longstanding, tripartite agreement. Now they must find a new home and deal with the interference of the greater galaxy's Trade Pact representatives.
Review
I liked the predecessor to this book, Reap the Wild Wind, more than I recalled. Happily, that’s true of this book as well. While not quite perfect, it’s a very strong follow-up, and a great bridge in the series (both this trilogy and the larger trio of trilogies it is part of).
Initially, it feels odd that this book is so little about Morgan, the human, and his Trade Pact compatriots. At the end of the last book, Aryl told him to stay away and � he mostly does. But that’s true to the central story here, which is about Aryl and her newly-forming Clan. The Trade Pact is an interesting, intriguing, but largely peripheral element so far. Instead, we follow Aryl as she struggles to find the Clan a safe home, learns more about her powers, and comes closer to � if not understanding, then at least predicting � the actions of the Tikitik and Oud.
Enris, the other chief protagonist, is not left out. He continues his own storyline, following hints of Om’ray technology and a mysteriously distant Clan. Here, Czerneda stumbles a bit. Enris� path is both a little too easy, and his discoveries a little too extreme (shades of Barsoom, I felt). I felt both were given (literally) short schrift, and would have liked to see them quite a bit more developed.
Overall, though, it’s a compelling, exciting narrative with satisfying ending. I look forward to rereading the last book in the trilogy.
December 24, 2008
It is no fault of this book that every time I think of the title, I keep songvirusing myself with "Riders on the Storm". The titles are merely similar, not identical, and certainly the book's rather cheerier of atmosphere overall.
Book 2 of Julie Czerneda's "Stratification" series, this one focuses on the efforts of Aryl Sarc to forge her exiles of Yena Clan into a new incarnation of the previously destroyed Sona Clan. Thrown up against this are any number of challenges for Aryl: the Oud and Tikitik's ideas about what exactly the emergence of a new Om'ray Clan should mean, the discovery by her human friend Marcus Bowman of the forbidden talent she possesses, and her own blossoming as a Chooser. Meanwhile, Enris Mendolar of the Tuana continues on his own Passage--and discovers secrets about the most reclusive Om'ray Clan of all, the Vyna.
There's no real sign yet of the "Stratification" to come, although hints have now been laid down that Tuana Clan as well as Yena have taken their own steps to quell the rising of forbidden talents. Ominous hints are given, too, about what exactly the news of Om'ray gifts would do out in the surrounding galaxy. And Aryl is definitely now coming into status as well as power, in this installment. One therefore presumes that Book 3 will bring in the actual Stratification--and that we'll see the rising of the M'hiray.
For this installment, three and a half stars.
Book 2 of Julie Czerneda's "Stratification" series, this one focuses on the efforts of Aryl Sarc to forge her exiles of Yena Clan into a new incarnation of the previously destroyed Sona Clan. Thrown up against this are any number of challenges for Aryl: the Oud and Tikitik's ideas about what exactly the emergence of a new Om'ray Clan should mean, the discovery by her human friend Marcus Bowman of the forbidden talent she possesses, and her own blossoming as a Chooser. Meanwhile, Enris Mendolar of the Tuana continues on his own Passage--and discovers secrets about the most reclusive Om'ray Clan of all, the Vyna.
There's no real sign yet of the "Stratification" to come, although hints have now been laid down that Tuana Clan as well as Yena have taken their own steps to quell the rising of forbidden talents. Ominous hints are given, too, about what exactly the news of Om'ray gifts would do out in the surrounding galaxy. And Aryl is definitely now coming into status as well as power, in this installment. One therefore presumes that Book 3 will bring in the actual Stratification--and that we'll see the rising of the M'hiray.
For this installment, three and a half stars.
May 22, 2013
Displacement is a factor that is prevalent in the lives of many people who have had to leave home for whatever reason. The finding of “home� is a nebulous, complex, and constantly changeable phenomena. Julie Czerneda explores the search for home in a foreign and confusing space in Riders of the Storm. On a planet with three self-aware and hugely biologically different species (the Om’ray, Oud, and Tikitik), agreements exist to keep the balance between these three peoples from shifting. Czerneda focusses on one group, a small band of travellers from the Om’ray who defy social customs by their biological differences. They threaten the balance that the Om’ray seek to maintain by the fact that they are different, that they represent change in a society that resists change and prefers to conceive of existance only in the form of living people (ignoring notions of the past). This small group of travellers are manifesting new abilities beyond the natural abilities of the Om’ray, which include telepathy, healing, collective dreaming.
As outsiders wherever they end up going, this group of exiles create community through their willingness to accept change, to create community through difference and to cooperate with others who their society traditionally resists or views as insignificant.
If you are interested in a longer review, you can explore it on my website at
As outsiders wherever they end up going, this group of exiles create community through their willingness to accept change, to create community through difference and to cooperate with others who their society traditionally resists or views as insignificant.
If you are interested in a longer review, you can explore it on my website at
October 28, 2015
This is my second time through ROTS -- and I loved it more the second time because I understood things better. Previously, I missed several references to elements that will become important in later books.
The story itself however, was engrossing. While flipping back and forth between two of the main characters, Aryl and Enris, Czerneda does an excellent job of keeping the ultimate climax hidden just enough so that it's a surprise in the end -- but "obvious" after examination of the clues.
Her aliens are REALLY alien, which is one of the main reasons I read her novels. The Oud's method of communication is fascinating -- it's a sound, but they do not make it by expelling air...the question that leaps to mind is, "How can Ms. Czerneda come up with this?" The answer, to those who have followed her for a while, is that she's a BIOLOGIST.
Not just any kind of biologist -- she's a creative biologist. She looks for the strange in the animal world, then tweaks it until the science behind her aliens makes perfect sense. THIS is the reason I fell in love with SF. Her science fiction books are the reason I keep reading.
The story itself however, was engrossing. While flipping back and forth between two of the main characters, Aryl and Enris, Czerneda does an excellent job of keeping the ultimate climax hidden just enough so that it's a surprise in the end -- but "obvious" after examination of the clues.
Her aliens are REALLY alien, which is one of the main reasons I read her novels. The Oud's method of communication is fascinating -- it's a sound, but they do not make it by expelling air...the question that leaps to mind is, "How can Ms. Czerneda come up with this?" The answer, to those who have followed her for a while, is that she's a BIOLOGIST.
Not just any kind of biologist -- she's a creative biologist. She looks for the strange in the animal world, then tweaks it until the science behind her aliens makes perfect sense. THIS is the reason I fell in love with SF. Her science fiction books are the reason I keep reading.
November 25, 2022
So, my first read of this in 2008 must have been during a burn out or something. I only remember that it took me forever and I gave it 3 stars. Even though Julie Czerneda is one of my favorite authors, I didn't continue the series. Book 3 has been in my to read pile since 2009. I decided my year end reading goal was to re-read books 1 and 2 before jumping into book 3 then moving into re-reading the original trilogy then the sequels. I may actually get this done by the new year... maybe.
I read this in 2 evenings and have upgraded the rating to 4 stars. This book expands our knowledge of how the trade agreement works while Aeryl and her companions work to build new lives for themselves in a dangerous world. The pacing is different then in book 1, a little uneven, but the author manages to cover a large cast without leaving anyone behind. I'm glad I finally decided to get a move on with this series.
I read this in 2 evenings and have upgraded the rating to 4 stars. This book expands our knowledge of how the trade agreement works while Aeryl and her companions work to build new lives for themselves in a dangerous world. The pacing is different then in book 1, a little uneven, but the author manages to cover a large cast without leaving anyone behind. I'm glad I finally decided to get a move on with this series.
May 13, 2012
Excellent continuation of the Stratification trilogy. As in book 1, details continued to be teased out about the origins of these people and why things were they way they were. Having read the series to which this one is a sequel adds an extra dimension of "oh no!" to some situations. It's really filling in creatively how their society became the way it turned out. I had several moments where I was like that person that shouts at the screen "don't go in there!" I know how some affiliations end up generations(?) in the future and it's sad to see how they came about, out of ignorance and necessity. Or, you know, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." This book ended with the event that I'd been waiting for since midway through book 1. I can't wait until I can read the conclusion of the trilogy, as soon as my local library finishes processing its purchase which I requested. :)
January 23, 2016
Czerneda's books always leave me wanting more. She creates extremely believable worlds, and characters that you really care about. Then, she makes it thrilling, harrowing, joyful & triumphant, and really makes you keep turning pages. Of course, after you've burned through the latest, you're left saying, "Is the next one out yet?", despite the fact that you rushed right out and got this one, as soon as it was available. This trilogy, is a prequel to her "Trade Pact" series, chronicling the beginnings of the mysterious "Clan", who look like humans, but have cool talents, like telepathy & teleportation. This, as all of Ms. Czerneda's work is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! If you haven't read the "Trade Pact" series yet, you could read this one first, although the 3rd book in this series, "Rift in the Sky" isn't due out until July, 2009.
June 30, 2009
I was a little worried that this book wouldn't be nearly as good as its predecessor, Reap The Wild Wind, but things picked up after a somewhat slow start and I realized I was not to be disappointed. Once again Czerneda immerses readers in a world where a powerful but powerless race struggles for a home and a life against two technologically superior species and the arrival of strangers from distant worlds among other things. I enjoyed the development and deepening of the Aryl/Marcus friendship, as well as the aspects of Clan life we get to explore here. And the ending was all I could've wanted, expected but beautiful once it eventually arrived. Aryl and Enris are absolutely perfect for each other, and I can't wait to see how they change the world further in the sequel.
October 2, 2021
Super continuation of the saga; great imagination and story development.
November 9, 2010
Stop. Dead in my tracks. Recognise Author, eyes blink abnormallly fast. smoke begins to swirl out my ears. I shake my head,shake it again, hoping the confusion is temporary. Nope. Typical for me. I read far too much. I need a permanantly updating list of books/authors so I can know wether I have read the series, the authors previous works.. uggh! I read far too much.
This is one author I recognized. I got the book home before erealizing that this was the book I was looking for for months. Confusion again..Sigh..Didn't I request it? and Why not...
Oh well, at least I got it. Damn good read, But all of Julies work is.
This is one author I recognized. I got the book home before erealizing that this was the book I was looking for for months. Confusion again..Sigh..Didn't I request it? and Why not...
Oh well, at least I got it. Damn good read, But all of Julies work is.
March 6, 2020
Once again, I was mesmerized by the writing; this author has a real gift for description that is not heavy-handed like so many others. The clash of cultures is really highlighted in this book, as we learn that the Agreement is not such a straightforward thing. The way Aryl is opening her mind (literally and figuratively) to new concepts, such as the place of Power, the idea that the world extends beyond her people, and her maturation, happens so naturally that it's a real pleasure to experience.
My full spoiler review can be found here:
My full spoiler review can be found here:
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