"The Seductive Call of Outer Space"
Knights has brought us back to the world of Denahault
which includes human and non-human natives. This is the
world to which Noisy Girl, the protagonist of this
imaginative novel, was brought as a child. Raised by the
White Fur People, she knows nothing about what it is to to
be human but is about to find out as a peaceful
relationship begins between Denahault and
Earth. Commander Jeff Anderson meets Noisy Girl and slowly finds
himself falling in love. It's as strange an experience for
him as it is for her because neither are quite sure how
these growing romantic feelings should be expressed.
What's it like to act on the urges of the body when the
other knows nothing about such expression, as in kissing?
What can come from such a relationship? And
if pursued,
what would that mean for Jeff's dream of becoming a
starship captain and then lose it because of the need to
be near Noisy Girl? This is a tender and gently progressing tale. Noisy Girl
is learning about her Earth-born culture, something very
foreign to her previous life experience. At the same time
that she is growing to love Jeff more and more, she
realizes she may change his life and at the same time
doesn't know if she can "follow the rules of your life" as
she honestly says. She does know she wants him to be first
in her life and this contradiction is explored between
both of them throughout Knights' latest novel about the
connection between Earth and Denahault. Not as quickly paced as Starchild, Knights' previous tale,
Earthchild is endearing in its own right. Yes, there is
the exciting hyperspace travel, discovery
of other worlds
and prevailing cultures, and conflict over love versus
career. But the special quality of this novel is the
unique relationship evolving, next to the
discovery of
what it means to be human and what it's like to fall
irrevocably in love with a different person from one's own
familiar world. Beautiful story, Ms. Knights! Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on September 24, 2004
Reviewed by Viviane Crystal
Courtesy Crystal Reviews
Posted September 24, 2004
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