β Scribed by Czerneda, Julie E.
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
United in their natural form they are one, sharing all their memories, experiences, and lives. Apart they are six, the only existing members of their ancient race, a species with the ability to assume any form once they understand its essence.
Their continued survival in a universe filled with races ready to destroy anyone perceived as different is based on the Rules. And first among those Rules is: Never reveal your true nature to another being. But when the youngest among them, Esen-alit-Quar, receives her first independent assignment to a world considered safe to explore, she stumbles into a trap no one could have anticipated.
Her only means of escape lies in violating the First Rule. She reveals herself to a fellow captiveβa human being/ While this mistake might not ordinarily prove fatal, the timing of the event could not be worse. For something new has finally made its way into the Universe, the Enemy of the Web, bringer of death to all forms of life. And the hunt it about to begin. **
Julie E. Czerneda is going to make it into the awards nominations very soon, if her first two books are any indication. Her first novel, A Thousand Words for Stranger , was called "thoroughly entertaining" in Locus. Czerneda's second book, Beholder's Eye , is even better. Esen-Alit-Quar is the youngest of her Web, a "family" of extremely long-lived shapeshifters. Web-beings live in the diverse cultures and forms of intelligent life to learn and preserve their accomplishments. On her first assignment Es rescues a human, Paul Ragem, from the culture she's studying. But he and some on his first contact ship learn about her shapechanging. This could be fatal for Esen's Web, as an Enemy has appeared, seeking to destroy them and consuming all intelligence in its path. Es must elude pursuit by humans, who believe she is the Enemy, warn her Web members, and defeat this danger. Paul Ragem offers help, but asks Es to trust him with knowledge of her kind. He could lose his friends, his career, and his life, or he could betray Es to his human colleagues out of fear. The characters, races and cultures are marvelously distinctive and well drawn, the action swift, and the conclusion satisfying. If you've enjoyed Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books, give Beholder's Eye a once-over. --Nona Vero
Praise for the Web Shifters series:
βJulie Czernedaβs novels ignite my sense of wonder, from the amazing worlds she creates, to the fully realized aliens and likeable characters. I eagerly await her nextβ β Kristen Britain , author of Green Rider
βThe plot of Beholderβs Eye will strike the chords with readers familiar with the work of C.J. Cherryh or Hal Clement , but Czerneda stamps this with her own style, proving that a story told from the viewpoint of an alien race is worth reading when properly handled.β β Starlog
β Itβs all good fun , a great adventure following an engaging character across a divertingly varies series of worlds, with just a bit of unfulfilled romantic tension for spice.β β Locus
βThat unusual premise and excellent writing combine to makeβ¦a wonderfully entertaining book. Czerneda uses the opportunity to create widely different species, a far cry from the cookie-cutter critters found in so much science fiction.β β SF Site
FICTION -- Science Fiction -- General
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