Saturday, May 27, 2006
Kindred: The Shadows of Night
Ellen Fisher
Samhain Publishing Ltd.
ISBN 1-59998-016-9
In a world of the future where descendants of Earth have inhabited a new planet and found that the unique properties of their new world give them the power to shapeshift into animal forms. Three distinct societies, or Kindred, have emerged -- Antler, Claw and Fang.
Katara, a female of the Claw Kindred, finds herself rescued by Hart, a male Antler Kindred. These hereditary enemies are forced together in an effort to defend both their Kindred from a common enemy. That is, if they can avoid killing each other first. Or is the greater risk that they will fall in love?
----------------------------------------
This is listed on Samhain's site as a Romance/Shapeshifter but I was pleasantly surprised to see it was actually one of the more difficult to categorize Paranomal Science Fiction Romances.
Ellen Fisher does a terrific job of world building from the very start. The blending of the science fiction aspects with the shapeshifter societies is very well thought out and it's clear she has put a lot of thought and work into the world her characters inhabit.
Watching Katara and Hart overcome their assumptions and learned lore about each other's Kindred kept me fascinated through the whole book. The interplay and growth as they discover that for two Kindred that are supposed to be complete opposites, they are not so far apart after all. I really enjoyed watching their knee-jerk reactions to attitures and opinions that were different from their own change as they got to know each other better.
At first I was rather dubious about the idea of romance between Katara's leopard and Hart's stag but when I let go of my own preconceived notions of shapeshifter romance, it really worked and was a nice change.
I really loved the interplay between the characters and the story had me laughing at several points.
My hope is that Ms. Fisher will produce the next installment in even more depth and complexity and I'll get to learn more about this world and how it is evolving along with the story characters.
Ellen Fisher
Samhain Publishing Ltd.
ISBN 1-59998-016-9
In a world of the future where descendants of Earth have inhabited a new planet and found that the unique properties of their new world give them the power to shapeshift into animal forms. Three distinct societies, or Kindred, have emerged -- Antler, Claw and Fang.
Katara, a female of the Claw Kindred, finds herself rescued by Hart, a male Antler Kindred. These hereditary enemies are forced together in an effort to defend both their Kindred from a common enemy. That is, if they can avoid killing each other first. Or is the greater risk that they will fall in love?
----------------------------------------
This is listed on Samhain's site as a Romance/Shapeshifter but I was pleasantly surprised to see it was actually one of the more difficult to categorize Paranomal Science Fiction Romances.
Ellen Fisher does a terrific job of world building from the very start. The blending of the science fiction aspects with the shapeshifter societies is very well thought out and it's clear she has put a lot of thought and work into the world her characters inhabit.
Watching Katara and Hart overcome their assumptions and learned lore about each other's Kindred kept me fascinated through the whole book. The interplay and growth as they discover that for two Kindred that are supposed to be complete opposites, they are not so far apart after all. I really enjoyed watching their knee-jerk reactions to attitures and opinions that were different from their own change as they got to know each other better.
At first I was rather dubious about the idea of romance between Katara's leopard and Hart's stag but when I let go of my own preconceived notions of shapeshifter romance, it really worked and was a nice change.
I really loved the interplay between the characters and the story had me laughing at several points.
My hope is that Ms. Fisher will produce the next installment in even more depth and complexity and I'll get to learn more about this world and how it is evolving along with the story characters.
posted by Maura Anderson at 11:27 AM
