Dark Moon (Firebringer Trilogy)
Grade 6-9-- In this sequel to Birth of the Firebringer (Four Winds, 1985; o.p.), Pierce takes readers back to the world of the prince of the unicorns, Jan. When he chooses Tek as his mate, there is an unprecedented attack by harpies, in which Jan is lost and believed dead. His father, mad with grief, starts to domineer over the other unicorns, forming his own guard to punish unapproved behavior. Meanwhile , Tek is in foal and is trying to escape to her mother to bear her foal in safety. Meanwhile , Jan is actually alive and has been taken by humans to their city where he is treated like a prize stallion (complete with a mare harem) and deprived of his freedom. He escapes with one of the mares, overthrowing the totalitarian religious order in the town, and is helped by sea unicorns to return to his homeland. There, he solves all the problems of the herd, finds out that Tek has borne twins, and starts making alliances with every other species with whom the unicorns have been at war in the last 200 years--except the wyverns, who (one assumes) will be taken care of in the next book. This plot has everything in it but the kitchen sink, but Pierce just doesn't pull it off successfully. The old-fashioned words and turns of phrase that lent such charm to Firebringer are here poured on by the bucketful, and slow the novel down. The story is predictable, and the characters are one dimensional. Readers who loved the previous book will want to read it, but it does not stand alone. --JoAnn Rees, Sunnyvale Public Library, CACopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.