Alysa of the Fields: Book One in the Tellings of Xunar-kun
Tina Field Howe
Booklocker.com, Inc.
Box 2399, Bangor, ME 04402
ISBN 9780976858515, $16.95
"Alysa of the Fields" begins when Alysa, a young Field
Folk woman, is crying by a stream. She lives on the alien world of
Xunar-kun. Three-thousand years ago a great event called the Cataclysm
took place, ravaging the land and killing most of the inhabitants of the
world. One of the few remaining groups, the homesteaders, was led, just
before the cataclysm, to the mountains where they remained safe since
that day. Years later, when Alysa's father died, she becomes a
trader. The trader's job is to trade with the wondering nomadic
tribe of the Trailmen. After becoming lost in the snow and being rescued
by one of the tribesmen, she learns that they are not indeed savages,
but intelligent and skillful people with origins close to their own.
Now, when children are being snatched by mutants from the cataclysm,
Alysa must go, with no survival knowledge whatsoever, on a long journey
to find these people and request eight.
Tina Field Howe writes so exquisitely, though targeted at girls,
male readers can find some enjoyment. While it takes time to get into,
"Alysa the Fields" will enrapture you and you will be unable
to put it down. Readers who enjoy post-apocalyptic events, cultural
exchanges and unlikely heroes, will almost certainly enjoy this book. Be
sure to read Book 2 in the "Tellings of Xunar-kun."
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Review Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
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NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.