Changer

...to read this book in one or two sittings. I guarantee you will not want to put "Changer" down for any length of time. The story's central character is Changer, aka The Trickster or Coyote, who is the oldest of the "Athanor" an ancient race of legengs, including such a King Arthur, who walk this world today. Changer has to join forces with Arthur in this tale, which pits his inhuman values with those of the human King against a common problem. Lindskold's writing style is graceful and lyrical. While Changer doesn't on the surface appear to be someone we all have a lot of common ground with, the reader forms a strong bond with him and Lindskold's other characters quickly. The plot also sweeps you along. As I said in the opening sentence, be sure to have plenty of time set aside to read this book. You will not want to put it down. I envy that you will be reading "Changer" for the first time.

The coyote Changer returns from the hunt one evening to find his mate and pups killed by ranchers. But Changer is no ordinary coyote; he is one of the immortal anathor and a shape-shifter. Enraged, he takes human form to seek his vengeance. The trail quickly points to another of the anathor, and so he goes to Arthur Pendragon to register his vendetta. Arthur is the king of the Accord, a government of sorts for the eclectic mix of immortals that make up the anathor: shape-shifters, sorcerers, animals and mythic creatures such as yeti and fauns. Joining forces, Changer and members of Arthur's court find that the murder of the coyotes is just one facet of a much larger plot. Changer tries to protect his one remaining coyote pup while digging further into the mystery of who instigated the slaughter of his family. In the meantime, Arthur and his court are beset with their own share of difficulties, including pranksters, assassins, human reporters, and political turmoil. The hidden anathor, the ones that cannot pass for human, are increasingly agitating for the existence of the anathor to become public so that they can live in the open. The threads of trouble are woven together deftly; saving the Accord will stretch Changer, Arthur and the others to the limits of their abilities. The idea that ancient gods, legends and myths were all sourced from individual immortals is interesting and author Jane Linskold does a good job of tying together similar archetypes from several different cultures. Her various incarnations of Arthur Pendragon, the hero king, include King Arthur, Frey of Norse legend, the pharaoh Akhenaton, and Gilgamesh. Linkskold also manages to inject humor into the mix, imagine sasquatches and satyrs chatting over the Internet or the idea that Elvis was also Dionysus. I liked this book a lot. The plot grabbed me immediately and the characters are interesting and complex. Even though the characters are immortal, they are by no means portrayed as perfect which makes them easier to identify with. It was easy to cheer on the good guys in their defense of the Accord. But it was also nice that not everything dealt with in terms of pure black and white. There are several shades-of-grey issues dealt with in the book including the needs of the hidden ones and whether or not the anathor should interfere in various current problems such as the destruction of the rain forests.

I first encountered Ms Jane Lindskold in a short story included in Worlds of Honor, by David Weber, and was impressed enough to purchase Changer. This work I would classify as fantasy as there is very little hard science in it. This is NOT a liability, even though I normally prefer hard SF. I would certainly class this tale with any that Larry Niven has done with his fantasy magic series. I classify Niven as one of the current masters - his predecessors no longer living or writing - just kidding Larry.I normally do not give authors 5 stars, but in this case I could not find anything wrong. The characters are well established, consistent, interesting, and the tale moves seamlessly. The story introduces us to the Athanor, an immortal species co-existing with us in contemporary time. The central figure, "The Changer" gives us an interesting character, whose value system is quite unique. Being a shapeshifter who prefers animal shapes and there relationships, causes friction with normal human values and relationships (sorry folks this is as close to one of the plot lines you will get from me).The premise of the story is intriguing and the flow of story lines and characters kept me turning the pages (I polished off the 499 pages in a weekend - I was hooked).Being older than dirt (according to the grand children) and apparently outliving the Science Fiction masters of my age, I am continually searching for good authors who will be replacing them. I feel extremely fortunate in finding Ms Lindskold and being able to add her to my list. I look forward to more of her work (maybe some hard SF?). This tale needs to be read as well as this author.

Before, I thought urban fantasy as something only pimply Dungeon & Dragons fans could love. I couldn't have been more wrong! Out of desperate need for reading material, I took this book, and its sequal, Legends Walking, off the shelf in a bookstore, somewhat dubious as to their potential. I curled up with Changer, after a brief moment of confusion where I wasn't sure which book came first, and I expected to lose interest within ten minutes. HARDLY!!! For the next few hours I couldn't put it down as I came to love all of the characters (except for the Head and that Sasquatch lady, who grated on my last nerve). The plot developes quickly, the characters are brought to life so artistically that you feel like you really know them, and the conflict is such that you're actually in agony wondering if the book will end well. At first it was hard to get used to the way the author wrote in the present tense, but I started to enjoy the unique style of it. As soon as I finished Changer, I loaned it to my uncle, and told him he HAD to read it, and then I breathlessly picked up the sequel, which I loved just as much. You can't go wrong with these books!

Urban fantasy is hard to find -- there are few authors out there, and many of them (sorry, Mr. DeLint) are getting a little tired. I was overwhelmingly pleased to find Jane Lindskold's Changer -- it was subtle and intelligent, light-handed and complex, and if nothing else a brilliant character study. It made me go back and look at my Jospeh Campbell, to study up on hero myths, and think about why exactly it is that we all want to believe, as a reviewer mentioned below, that beings such as the Athanor do really exist. I have since tracked down several of Lindskold's earlier works, and while more heavy-handed, you can still see the attention to character and the fascination with technology interlinked with the fantastic. I have ordered the next Athanor novel, and am sure it will be as good, if not better.