Necromancer Nine

For a while, I thought that the book suffered from the “second book in a trilogy disease”. Peter was being a teenager. Peter went somewhere. Peter went somewhere again. And again... and again. (Still wonderfully written, though.) Then we started veering off into sci-fi territory and things got really exciting. So I ended up gulping Necromancer Nine down, more or less :-)

I found this book at a second hand store but hadn't had a chance to read it. I love Sheri S. Tepper! She has a fantastic mind and is a delightful storyteller. This book is a sequel to "King's Blood Four" and I enjoyed it more than the first. She isn't an author who typically does sequels and trilogies, at least in her later works. I am reading her early stuff now, since I've read all of her other books in her SF genre. Peter, the main character, continues to develop with the help of the Game pieces and in this story is in search of his mother, Mavin Manyshaped. Mavin is a fantastic shapeshifter who is quite famous but not flawless as she reminds her son. I love the post apocalyptic scenarios that Tepper creates for us and the ways in show more which tradition continues, even when it doesn't make any sense! The reasons the "signtists [scientists:] and Searchers [researchers:]" came to this new world eventually are brought to light in Peter's adventure to help two friends. The religious zealotry is fascinating and makes you wonder about your own unquestioned faith. Well, more likely those who have questioned it already, otherwise they probably wouldn't be reading Tepper! Right after this posting I'm going in search of the next book. I don't think I have the patience to look in all the second hand bookstores! show less

F/SF

See King's Blood Four.