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Loading... The Meq (original 2005; edition 2005)by Steve Cash
Work detailsThe Meq by Steve Cash (2005)
None.  vpfluke | Apr 26, 2009 |  A truly interesting read, with elements of science fiction, historical fiction, and a little mystery for good measure. I thought the author did a great job of capturing the dreamlike feeling of what life would be like if you had forever to live it. While Z and his Meq companions are strong characters, much of the life and compelling nature of this book is due to the vivid human characters. I was riveted by the stories of Carolina and Solomon, even as I was intrigued by the subtler personalities of the Meq. This might be a little slow for some people, but I really enjoyed it. (  ) vanedow | Apr 10, 2009 | While a lot of my reviews tend toward the negative, there are a few truly awful books out there. The Meq is one of them. Steve Cash attempts to write fantasy outside the swords & sorcery high fantasy sub-genre. Unfortunately for him, his book is crap. (Full review at my blog) (  ) KingRat | Jun 16, 2008 | I enjoyed The Meq until about 3/4s of the way through when I realized that the story would not end in this book. I don't like it when books are not complete in themselves and when I realize that there is no way that the plot twists and conundrums will be complete in the present book, my interest lags. Why should I race through when I will have to wait, perhaps even years, for the completion of the story? The Meq are interesting people. When they turn 12 they stop developing physically until such time as they meet their life mate and decide to move on together into adulthood. The Meq have been all over the world for centuries but seem to have originated in Spain. The Meq heal quickly from almost all wounds and some Meq carry special stones which convey powers. Z finds out that he is Meq when his parents die in a tragic accident when he is 12. Finding out who and what he is and looking into the mysteries of the Meq and their enemies takes decades but the Meq have time. I found the name dropping in this book annoying. That Z might meet one or two famous people of that time is not unusual but the large number of names and people broke the flow and reduced the believability of the story. sara_k | Oct 6, 2007 | What if you learned you would never age past 12 years old and you could never die unless you chose to cross into mortality with the one you loved? I liked the unusual concept and I liked the way characters traveled through history and cultures. However, there was almost too much mystery, too much unknown. I had a hard time keeping track of the tenuous connections between the multitude of characters. I think high school students who enjoy fantasy (LOTR) and historical fiction would like this first of three books. (  ) readerspeak | Aug 1, 2007 | no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0345470923, Paperback)In every generation, a fantasy novel is published that captures something essential and enduring about life that no other book has expressed in quite the same way. Here unfolds a journey of discovery–in a story that surprises us on every page. . . .THE MEQ On May 4, 1881, the day that Zianno Zezen–Z, for short–turns twelve, his life changes forever. Amid the confusion of a tragic train wreck, he has the first inkling that he is no ordinary boy . . . that he is not human at all, but instead a member of a race known as the Meq. The Meq have lost all memory of their origins; they do not know why they heal with astonishing speed, or why, once they turn twelve, they stop aging unless they meet the single other member of their race destined to join with them. Certain Meq possess even more amazing powers, thanks to mysterious Stones they have carried since before the dawn of recorded history. Z’s father carried such a Stone, the Stone of Dreams. Now that Stone is Z’s to bear . . . and to protect. The Meq are far-flung and elusive, but Z finds allies. He will need them; for a challenge comes from the renegade Meq called the Fleur-du-Mal–the Flower of Evil. A sadistic assassin in the body of a twelve-year-old boy, the Fleur-du-Mal will become Z’s archenemy in a story that spans decades and continents and features an unforgettable cast of characters, human and Meq alike. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 11 Jan 2013 07:19:24 -0500) Zianno Zenzen discovers that he one of the Meq, an immortal race whose origins have been long forgotten and who live anonymously among ordinary humans, and that, at the age of twelve, he will no longer age until he encounters the one Meq who is destined to be his soulmate, and embarks on a decades-long search for his legacy and to stop an evil Meq called the Fleur-de-Mal. In every generation, a fantasy novel is published that captures something essential and enduring about life that no other book has expressed in quite the same way. Here unfolds a journey of discovery-in a story that surprises us on every page. On May 4, 1881, the day that Zianno Zezen-Z, for short-turns twelve, his life changes forever. Amid the confusion of a tragic train wreck, he has the first inkling that he is no ordinary boy, that he is not human at all, but instead a member of a race known as the Meq. The Meq have lost all memory of their origins; they do not know why they heal with astonishing speed, or why, once they turn twelve, they stop aging unless they meet the single other member of their race destined to join with them. Certain Meq possess even more amazing powers, thanks to mysterious Stones they have carried since before the dawn of recorded history. Z's father carried such a Stone, the Stone of Dreams. Now that Stone is Z's to bear . . . and to protect. The Meq are far-flung and elusive, but Z finds allies. He will need them; for a challenge comes from the renegade Meq called the Fleur-du-Mal-the Flower of Evil. A sadistic assassin in the body of a twelve-year-old boy, the Fleur-du-Mal will become Z's archenemy in a story that spans decades and continents and features an unforgettable cast of characters, human and Meq alike.… (more) (summary from another edition) |
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Wikipedia in English (1)
1
The hero is Zianno Zezen. His name perhaps symbolizes coming a the last of his tribe of Meq's. Meq children come about when, after hundreds of years of yearing, a couple takes the shift into mortality and can bear children,b ut will age and die. The Meq have special powers and most try to do good. But there is an eveil one the Fleur de Mal and Z must battle him, if mostly obliquely throughout the book.
We do get a picture of life in the United States, particularly St. Louis and New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century. And the story lines takes the characters to both China and northern Africa. (