It doesn't get much better than a malicious forest that can move. At least not for me. Although we don't see a lot of it in this book, which is the first in a new series. Oh, there are people too. Humans and...others. The Shoia, a race that is not common in the province of Sacorra, and it would seem the Shoia can die six times without it becoming permanent. It's that seventh time they need to watch out for. ( )

The Deepwood moves. When people go into it they come out changed, different, unable to deal with those they knew before and they don't tend to survive long. Sancorra has been conquered by the Hecari. Audrun and her husband Davyn and their children join a karavan to somewhere away from the fighting. The Deepwood is on the move and it's heading for the Karavan.

There's layers here that make this a different story and I really do look forward to the next book in the series. There's a lot of politics and a lot of different motives for all the characters. ( )

I recently finished Karavans by Jennifer Roberson. I read it in about a day, maybe three hours total reading time. It's a quick read, and fairly good. The story itself isn't terribly complex; it's set in a war-torn land, and the plot centers around a refugee family who are fleeing the conflict. They join a Karavan guided by a man named Rhuan, who isn't what he seems to be. The plot also involves a sentient forest that twists and re-shapes any who are unlucky enough to find themselves within it's boundaries. Unfortunately, the forest can move itself unexpectedly.

The pace of the book is a little slow, typical for the first in a series. First books tend to need a little bit of extra time spent on exposition and world building so the reader has a clear view of where they are and what the rules are for the story. But what bothered me was that there didn't seem to be enough exposition in the book. You learn very little about your protagonists and who they really are.

Which isn't awful.... I prefer not enough exposition to the dreaded "As you know, Bob...." method. But a little more background would have been nice. Still, I'm interested enough to pick up book number two to continue the story. Just not in hardback.

All in all, a quick, fun read. ( )

As the first book in a new series, there's a lot of front-loading and implied information that isn't yet fleshed out. This was always intended to be the launch of something much bigger (Roberson plans big! Look at Cheysuli and Sword Dancer series), so get on board and hold on for a fabulous ride. ( )

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