"Splendid tale of exotic magic and human courage."

Kevla Bai-sha, whose surname means "female without father," knows only hardship and hunger as the daughter of Keishla, one of the halaans (prostitutes) in Arukan. Every day, she stands under the fiery sky and "calls" for visitors to sample Keishla's many talents. However, one such day she finds herself confronted by none other than Tahmu-kha- Rakyn, the Khashim of the Clan of the Four Waters. Unbeknownst to Kevla, she is the love child of Keishla and Tahmu, and her father has come to take her away from the squalor and hard life she's lived. When her mother "sells" her to the strange Khashim, she's whisked away and placed in the service of his wife, the Khashima Yeshi.

Instantly, the young, capable and caring Kevla becomes Yeshi's favorite, and Tahmu's old nurse/slave Sahlik takes Kevla under her wing. No one, save Tahmu and Sahlik, know that Kevla is his daughter, until the day Tahmu's son and heir, Jashemi, returns from his fosterage and sees Tahmu and Kevla side by side. Intrigued and drawn by some unforeseen power, he entreats Sahlik to aid him in finding the time for Kevla and him to get to know each other. Then Kevla, through no fault of her own, is shunned and falls out of favor with Yeshi. Now the lowest of the low, she must fight the nightmares she shares with Jashemi and the growing fiery power inside her. Together they must figure out just who and what the Dancers and the Lorekeepers are, not only to protect the life of Tahmu and the future of the Clan of Four Waters, but also to save all of the clans of the Great Dragon.

Ms. Golden weaves a splendiferous tale of exotic magic and the courage of the human heart. Her characters stand out within a tapestry of emotions, where hope is the loom upon which love and desire, fear and despair and stubborn perseverance continue to weave. An elemental tale with an amazing, and unforeseen, climax, keeps the pages turning seemingly by themselves. This is a definite gem in the world of sci-fi fantasy and a must-read for those who love to hope and hope to love.

Reviewed by Anne Barringer
Posted June 12, 2004