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4.0 out of 5 stars
"There will be betrayal; faith will be broken", 15 Mar 2005
I am always looking for fantasy novels that "break the mold", since sometimes I get tired of the same story getting told over and over again, with different characters and in slightly different settings. Of course there are several authors out there that provide original works, like George R.R. Martin or Jennifer Fallon. Now I have to add Paul Witcover to the list. In this novel, he uses a very interesting idea that comes close to alternate fiction in the sense that we find ourselves asking the "what if?" question. Jack and Jill are twins that spend their summers in Middlesex Beach, Delaware. They share a special connection, and are aware of the feelings of each other without talking. At night, they get together with their uncle and sometimes other members of the family to play a role-playing game created by Uncle Jimmy. The game follows the style of Dungeons & Dragons and is called Mutes & Norms. On a different world, we meet Kestrel, who is an airie, one of the mutant races that, as the name suggests, shares some of its characteristics with the birds. The five races of mutes were the result of the Viral Wars, and since that moment they have been preparing themselves to confront the human race and destroy it (it is interesting to know that the humans are the bad guys here). Witcover does a very good job in alternating the action between Kestrel's and Jack's worlds, and after Jack is the victim of an accident on the beach that nearly cost him his life, something in him changes and we start seeing a connection between the two worlds. While Jack and his family play the games in our world, Kestrel and the rest of the mutes determine which path to follow on theirs according to the roll of the dice. Based on this premise, the story goes on and we find ourselves delving into a complicated plot that has not only parallel worlds, but that also leaps back and forth in time. That is why I recommend that those that like linear stories consider this aspect very seriously before deciding if they want to read the book. Even though the author uses several novel concepts, he also falls into some trite concepts and ideas. For example, Kestrel is part of a pentad, which is a group formed by one mute from each of the five races that go together on a journey. Of course, this idea has been used by many authors in different variations, but most notably by Tolkien when he forms the Fellowship of the Ring in his masterpiece "The Lord of the Rings". Overall, I would say that this is a very original work though, and one that has led me to search for the author's first novel and to be willing to read his next one too. In the final words just a warning, the author presents the topic of incest in the book, and even though this is done in a tactful way, some people may feel uncomfortable.
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