From Publishers Weekly
As a rare black cheetah, Kichebo's color has always created problems. She was only reluctantly accepted by her kin when she was a cub and later, it was almost impossible for her to hunt without the camouflage of a cheetah's usual coloring. What's more, she is singled out for pursuit by humans in helicopters. Her one benefit is a heightened power of mental communication. While all of her species are telepaths, she can go back in time and enter the mind of Asu-Kheknemt, a favorite cheetah of young pharoah Tutankhamen. Although Kheknemt can sometimes share his thoughts with Tut, he is unable to prevent Tut's assassination. Kichebo uses that knowledge of human beings to protect an infant, the survivor of a car crash, whom she has adopted. Bell slowly weaves her exotic subjects into a tantalizing tapestry. However, a too-neat conclusion may be a letdown for readers who might expect a really grand finale to an unusual book.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up In this striking and boldly original blend of science fiction and fantasy, Bell creates another race of large sentient cats struggling to survive in a primitive environment. Unlike the intelligent beasts in Clan Ground (1984) and Ratha's Creature (1983, both Atheneum), who live in a world 25 million years in the past, the cheetahs in this new tale are fighting against extinction on a future world ravaged by ecological disaster and abandoned by humanity. The young Kichebo, rejected by her fellows because of her solid black coat, adopts a very young child after rescuing her from the burning wreckage of a crashed spacecraft and soon finds herself pursued by more of these strange human visitors from the sky. She establishes a mental link with another black cheetah, one sending messages from many centuries in the past to reveal scenes from his life with the young pharaoh Tutankhamen. As the stories alternate between Kichebo's actions and those of the distant past, it becomes likely that this long-dead cheetah may be able to explain both Kichebo's genetic heritage and her unusual empathy for the human child. Bell's inclusion of many physical details of appearance and behavior, combined with good dialogue, create a vivid society of animals who speak with almost human voices while retaining the limitations of their natures. Although the alternation of past and present sometimes slows down the pace, readers will enjoy such rich and wondrous details as the training of hunting cheetahs in ancient Egypt and some superb action scenes. The resolution ties together the two plot lines in an unexpected and satisfying way. Lyle Blake Smythers, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
