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crowyhead
, December 28, 2006
(view all comments by crowyhead)
This is an enjoyable, if at times somewhat obvious, fantasy novel. It concerns the denizens of a place known as Green Sky. The planet seems to be largely rainforest, and a society of human-like beings known as the Kindar live in the canopy. The Kindar have a utopian society, where it is taboo to speak of or show anger, and where the concept of violence is almost unheard of. The only fear they hold is of the fearsome Pash-shan, creatures that live below the forest floor, where they are trapped by a magical network of roots that imprisons them underground. The Pash-shan have always been blamed for the disappearances of children who fall to the forest floor, and rumor has it that the Root is weakening, and the Pash-shan have started to kidnap adults as well. The Kindar used to have psychic abilities that allowed them to mindspeak, move objects with their minds, and influence the growth of plants, but the old talents have been fading and now only appear in the very young.
The setting and concepts in this book are very rich, but the actual storyline and characters aren't handled as deftly as one would hope. In many ways the characters end up feeling like archetypes, or like useful props to stand for a specific idea or personality type, rather than like full-fledged people. Still, this was a diverting read, and I plan to read the two sequels.
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