From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up Rich in imagery, description and characterization, The Moon and the Face takes place four years after Moon-Flash (Atheneum, 1984). Kyreol, who left the primitive Riverworld with her friend Terje, has trained in the Domecity as a space pilot, while Terje has become a hunter-observer. They prepare to make separate journeysKyreol to an alien planet, and Terje to return to Riverworld. While the focus of the first novel is the bold adventurer Kyreol, this novel maintains its suspenseful pace by alternating a chapter on Kyreol and her efforts to survive after she crashes on a Niade moon, with a chapter on Terje as he comes to grips with his new role in the Riverworld. The novel is filled with dichotomies: imagery of the sun (associated with Terje) versus imagery of the moon (associated with Kyreol); the Healer's dream-wisdom versus the scientist's assumptions; and the rich, natural color and textures of the Riverworld versus the sterile, abandoned moon upon which Kyreol crashes. There is also a pull between dreams and reality, between the future and the past, between feelings and the law. When Terje becomes the new Healer after Kyreol's father dies, he re-establishes Kyreol's place in the Riverworld, for he literally paints her back into the world of dreams by drawing her portrait on the ritual cave wall. Not only can she go back home again, she must go back for her answers. Although it is a short book, The Moon and the Face is packed with imagery and symbolism that demand second thoughts and readings, and are well worth them. Yvonne A. Frey, Peoria Public Lib . , Ill.
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