Review: A fabulous read!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 12, 2012
The Initiate is a novella that bridges the original Cloud Prophet trilogy and the new Swarm trilogy, a prequel to both.  While the novella can stand alone, it has the threads that will eventually weave together with the trilogies of the Cloud Prophet and Swarm trilogies.  It tells the story of Eloh who we meet in the Cloud Prophet trilogy.  In that, Eloh was the wise one, while this story tells of her as she is the one in need of guidance. She is living in a world in which magic has disappeared.  Eloh has been chosen to be one of the initiates in a ritual that is to appeal to the gods that took their magic.  On the surface, it is to be ritual in which a Chosen One will pass initiation.  However, no one has ever survived.  It was as emotionally charged and full of mystery as all of the other related books, and it it explained a great deal.  As with all of her books, I wish it was longer.  Not because it was missing a single thing, but because these books just pull me in and I don't want to let them go!While the Cloud Prophet trilogy is complete and available, this novella is a perfect choice to read before starting the  Swarm trilogy with the first book, Sleepers, already available.  The next in this trilogy is Afterlife and will be out