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5.0 out of 5 stars
Peter, Peter, Shapeshifter., Dec 6 2002
After the great game at Bannerwell, Peter quickly tires of life at the Bright Demesne. There is much he still has to discover about his own nature, and Himaggery and Windlow never seem to lack for tasks to distract him. Finally, Peter takes matters into his own hands (claws) and declares his intention to find his mother, Mavin Manyshaped, and find out more about his heritage and powers. He visits first with Mertyn at Schooltown, where his old teacher gives him a riddle that will guide him to Mavin. An Elator suddenly arrives with news that Himaggery and Windlow have disappears, and what Peter thought was a leisurely voyage turns out to be a desperate quest.And so begins the second volume in Sheri Tepper's series about the lands of the True Game. Peter's travels will take him all over the map of the Lands of the True Game, and by the time he finds Mavin he will visit a city haunted by a ghost of the future, he will find friends in the shadows, and visit the shifty valley of Schlaizy Noithn. He will avoid an attempt to capture him. In the process, he will learn to work better with the game pieces of Barish as they provide him with needful talents for getting past the rough spots. Mavin and Peter have a quest all their own, as they seek to solve the mystery of the disappearances. They find themselves embroiled in the strange workings of Magicians and Monsters. The prize is a better understanding of how Peter's world came to be and a sense of the scale of what the young shifter must hope to accomplish if he is to bring justice to the game. Just when we were satisfied that Sheri Tepper was a promising fantasy writer. We discover that she has actually written a crossover novel where the Talents that make everything seem magical are true forces as well. This is fiercely intelligent and imaginative work, where even the most eccentric minor character is memorable. First you think the author has concocted everything out of whole cloth, and then you find that there is a convincing logical coherence that drives the events. Prepare to put this book down and immediately reach for its sequel,
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