The Moon and the Face

The Moon and the Face is set four years after Moon-flash. Both Kyreol and Terje are heading off on missions: Kyreol to visit another planet for the first time, Terje to return to the Riverworld to observe but not interact. Neither of these missions go according to plan. Someone notices Terje. And Kyreol’s ship crashes down on a moon.

This is a quiet, poignant story about leaving home and returning again, and about embracing change. I liked how it followed on from Moon-flash, particularly the idea that the Riverworld has to be protected from outside influence, and the emotional intensity Kyreol and Terje bring to their various challenges.

“What could happen to me in the Riverworld?”
“Well, I don’t know, Terje. You could fall out show more of a tree; you could eat a bad musk-berry; you could shoot yourself by accident—”
“With an arrow?” He was smiling, remembering then the long hours they had spent together before he had gone upriver. The sun caught in her eyes; she laughed, suddenly very close to him, though he couldn’t remember which of them had moved. He touched her cheek, thinking, at its sunlight darkness, of the black, immense slab of rock that had shrugged its way out of the earth to become, eons later, the northern boundary of the Riverworld. The childwoman Kyreol, betrothed and swarming like a beehive with questions, had drawn him past the edge of the ancient Riverworld into the future. But she wasn’t a child now. She was Kyreol of the Dome, slender and tall in a silver flightsuit, with the reflection of the Face in her skin and the shadow of its secrets in her eyes. show less

I love Patricia McKillip's writing, however, I regretfully have to admit that I was not very impressed by this book.
It's a sequel to 'Moon-Flash' - which I haven't read, so that could be the problem. But it seemed like the events of this novel are merely a coda to whatever happened in the previous book. It's extremely short, and it's obvious that the author expects you to already be familiar with the characters, their relationships, and their world - so none of these are very fleshed out.
Also, in less than 200 pages, McKillip really attempts to tell two stories. A young man, Terje, goes back to the primitive village of his birth as an anthropological observer, as he has now been educated in a more advanced civilisation (details aren't show more given).
Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Kyreol, goes on a mission to another planet, but crash-lands on an abandoned moon on the way, and has an unexpected alien encounter. (it's not very believable).
Both must deal with issues of self-perception and identity - this is where McKillip excels, and her insights are emotionally touching - but still, I can't say that this is her best book. show less

The Moon and the Face by Patricia A. McKillip (7/10)
YA SF. Sequel to Moon Flash and published as a single edition. Again I enjoyed the reread, but the world building issue remained and I think the first book had a stronger story. McKillip's strength lies in fantasy more than SF I think, although these are still well worth a read.