Dervish Daughter [Mass Market Paperback]

"Jinian Footseer", "Dervish Daughter", and "Jinian Star-Eye" were all published in "The End of the Game." This is a sequel to "The True Game" and tells the story of Jinian, who appeared in the third story of that book, "Wizard's Eleven".

Jinian has been traveling and exploring with Peter, Queynt, and Chance following the battle at the end of "Wizard's Eleven" and "Jinian Footseer". Tattered and torn by her three-year oath of celibacy, she nevertheless continues with the group, hoping to find out about Dream Miner and Storm Grower and learn why they want her dead. The group encounters storm wreckage, yellow death crystals, and old enemies of Peter, which lead them ever closer to their goal.

Ultimately, Jinian deals with Dream Miner and Storm Grower, who have been tormenting the world these past centuries and been motivating forces behind certain events in "The True Game.&qu! ot; Unfortunately, in the process, she learns something ever worse about the world itself, known as Lom.

What was it really about the shadow? Was there supposed to be a shadowmaster somewhere? How did Jinian and the group manage to avoid it when it was everywhere at night? When the humans all huddled in the wagon when the shadow lay over everything, what happened to the birds? What happened to Jinian whenever she had to sleep all night out in the open?

We learn that Huld was moved by Dream Miner and Storm Grower to bring the legion of bones to the Wastes of Bleer; Huld wouldn't have done that otherwise. Could it be possible that Huld in himself was the honorable, decent Gamesman he was thought to be in the first story of "The True Game"? But then he came under the influence of the crystals and was corrupted and controlled by them. I don't know; it's interesting to speculate.

I have been feverently thanking whatever benevolent god led me to the original book "True Game"- Found in a Library Pitch Sale. Well, I feel very sorry for which ever idiot pitched that triology, because they were incredible books. Usually I don't read fantasy books with male heros, but in this case, Peter captured my interest from the first page and onward. With the addition of Jinian, I really felt that my satisfaction was complete. But the discovery of three new books -"The End of the Game"- all told from Jinian's point of view made me- well, desperate/anixious/panicked/furious/hopeful. If you follow that. And though I tried, I couldn't find any of them until a month and a half when I unearthed the first. I was disappointed to find it fairly dry and perhaps a little tedious. But "Dervish Daughter" certainly made the first book worth while. Scene One, Act one. Jinian, Quenyt, Chance and Peter, plus assorted Kyrlbobs(?) Are searching for the mysterious StormGrower and DreamMiner, two enities who have it in for Jinian. As important as the central plot, however, are the other plots that wind throughout the lush- if slightly confusing- landscapes. The conflicts between Jinian and Peter are certainly an example, but there are other subplots less romantic- and in my jaundiced opinion, less rewarding too- including the disturbing persistence of the slighly pesky and very enigmatic Oracle. Evil or Good? It seems fairly decided that Oracle is Evil now, but then again, one never knows; it did sort of help Jinian before. Still the idea of a large colony, even a race of 'Oracles' makes my skin chill. Good. Very Good. Read it.

And pray you find Star-Eye.

Jinian, Peter, Queynt and Chance are now on their way north in a cart drawn by Yittleby and Yattleby, two giant krylobos, native birds of Lom. Their quest has turned into a hunt for the source of a yellow crystal even the slightest taste of which will cause its possessor to fall victim to a deep sense of peace and then die. Jinian has buried whole families who have chosen to die by the road, and she knows something is horribly wrong with the world.

They follow the trail to Bloome, where a continuous series of festivals are held to use up the products of the cloth mill before more is produced. The Dream Merchant's Man seeks them out hoping to trap them into taking his job and finds himself trapped into letting Queynt take over for them (you have to have been there). For coming to Bloome are the Duke of Betand, Huldra the witch, Dedrina Deadeye, and Valearn the Ogress, all folk who have plotted evil against Peter and Jinian. They are on the way to Fangel to meet with the Dream Merchant and make their deal with Storm Grower and Dream Miner. Jinian's sense of evil tells her that this is the route to the source of the deadly crystals, and she intends to travel along.

Once again, we find ourselves on a tricksy tale that will march from Bloome to Fangel and thence under the Great Maze to the Backless Throne and the evil upon it. Distracted by the ripples of her relationship with Peter, Jinian's survival skills are put to the test. Soon she finds out that the secret of the crystals are of deep importance to the entire world, not just the Lands of the True Game.

Tepper continues to deliver a story that is always, somehow, more than we could expect. Jinian is conflicted between her feelings for Peter and her need to complete the Wyse-ard term of celibacy. Peter is confounded by the sudden appearance of his first female partner and the child he did not expect Queynt reveals an unexpected story, and Jinian learns even more about the Dervishes, her true people. Last, but far from least, the reader discovers that this isn't a story of Peter, or Jinian or any group of Gamesman. The true game belongs to Lom, the world itself.