Changelings (The Twins of Petaybee, Book 1)

Changelings (2005) is the first SF novel in The Twins of Petaybee series. The planet Petaybee is eagerly changing the landscape. Recently it has been pushing up lava into islands. Eventually it will produce a continent in the tropics. A sentient planet is exciting to live on, particularly if it likes humans. In this novel, Yanaba Maddock-Shongili has twins and the whole village of Kilcoole is eagerly preparing for the naming latchkay. Their father Sean leaves the babies with their guardians -- Nanook the track cat and Coaxtl the snow leopard -- and takes Yana into the kitchen to ease her hunger, then he sends her back to bed. After she has had enough sleep, Sean and Yana change the twins, wrap them up in furs and take them out to the latchkay. The whole village meets to sing, dance and give gifts to the twins. After the giving of the gifts, the villagers traipse off to the communion place, where the twins are named and introduced to Petaybee. The twins terminate the ceremony by changing to baby seals and diving down the falls at the cave entrance, with their concerned father in hot pursuit in his seal form. Although not readily apparent, the twins are telepathic with each other. Also, they can communicate with the animals around them. Maybe this ability has something to do with their faithful guardians. Nonetheless, Nanook and Coaxtl cannot swim as well as the kids and Sean is too busy governing the people on the Petaybee to have the time to swim with them. Ronan is also having trouble remembering to hide his clothes before he changes into a seal. Murel doesn't have this problem, but both could use some waterproof clothing to take with them on long swims. When they bring up the problem with their (adopted) Aunt Marnie, she finds some suitable apparel being produced by one of her plants and sends some to the twins. Now that the clothing issue is solved, Ronan and Murel still need a swimming companion to accompany them on long trips. They meet the perfect candidate one day as they are exploring the river. The otter is somewhat anxious when they share their dual nature with him, but soon Otter becomes a good friend and introduces them to his family. On another swim down the river, the twins discover that their otter friends are gone. Otter himself finds them later and tells of the scent messages left behind by his family. Some humans have captured the family and removed them from their caves. Ronan and Murel hurry back to their father and report the problem. He gathers a posse and the colonists free the captured otters and hustle the poaching scientific team off the planet. Yana and Sean realize the danger to their offspring from these criminal scientists and sends off the twins to Aunt Marnie's headquarters in an artificial satellite. The twins enjoy the people and activities in the headquarters, but they are not safe even there. Soon another attempt is made to capture the twins. Fortunately, the kidnappers are not awar

I stumbled upon this book in my local book store unaware that these two Wonderful women had written a "next step" in the series. I was absolutely delighted that it picked up exactly where the last one had ended. It was like I had never put the other 3 down! All the wonderful characters were still there mixed with just enough new ones to make it exciting and leave you wondering just where the next book will you lead you. I loved it and advise Everyone to read it if they get the chance. If you have not already read the 3 previous books in this series a lot of the remembering and nuances will be lost on you so, if you are able start at the beginning and be prepared for a most wonderful adventure!

Having read the trilogy about the stuggles of Petaybee, I was impressed with the continuing story line. Teaching a respect for others, their culture and traditions is never a waste of time. No jumping thru hoops just good old take me away reading. I love McCaffrey's writing and she and Scarborough make a good team, even though I like the Dragon books better, these are good also. I appreciate the messages but also the ability to 'take you there'. Science Fiction should set you outside the box you live in. Good book.

I finished it in an afternoon. If you haven't read the first trilogy in awhile, I recommend reading it before you read this book to refresh your memory about all the characters. This story picks up where the others left off. I eagerly await the next in the series!

The Irish and the Inuit with a sprinkling of other races have been relocated from old Earth to the terraformed planet of Petaybee, a cold desolate place. The powers that be had no idea that by terraforming the planet it would awaken the planet and make it become sentient enough to modify over time the humans who live there so they can adapt to the planet's harsh conditions more easily. Sean and Yanaba are deeply in love and quite unexpectedly they give birth to twins that have the same genetic mutation as their father. The twins turn into seals when they enter water and this proves dangerous because a visiting scientist who saw them change wants to capture and examine them. For their own safety, they are sent to a space station where people of all races and cultures live and work in harmony. Petaybee is giving birth to another landmass and Sean is exploring the area when underwater creatures capture him. His only hope is his children who can communicate telepathically with him and most other creatures of Petaybee but first they must neutralize the danger from a scientist who has a special interest in the shape shifting twins. The inhabitants of Petaybee, regardless of race or culture, live in harmony with the sentient planet who cares for them and helps them in too many ways to count. Discord comes from out-worlders who want to examine the unusual aspects of the planet and the mutations among the general population. CHANGELINGS, the first book in this second Petaybee trilogy, is full of action, danger, and adventure. Harriet Klausner