The Wilding

I have only just finished reading the book that this was a sequel too. I loved that one so was very eager to repeat the experience. I wasn't disappointed. It was very different. The writing style of the author has changed considerably in the almost 20 years since the first book was written. The first book did an amazing job of making you feel like you were inside the heads of completely alien races with very complex social structures and conditioning etc. You felt like you were in these people's worlds and could understand their actions no matter how odd or "wrong" they are to you personally. In this second book, I think the author tried to describe the world in ways that we could understand. It felt more "edited for human consumption". It felt watered down. The story was just as exciting and there were just as many plot twists and adventures and strange worlds to explore but the feeling of this book was all different. There was less of that alien/socio magic that made the first one so unique and so you are left then with a story that was a lot easier to predict. Far fewer "what is going on!?!" moments. If you really dug the first book then I'd recommend this as a great second chapter to the story. It doesn't follow any of the same characters as it is set 200 years after the first but it is set within the same universe and continues the stories of what happens to the two great waring races and the impact of those earlier events. All good stuff. Loved it. Just not as much as the first.

Although "The Wilding" is billed as a sequel to the unforgettable "In Conquest Born," which was written more than a decade and a half ago, if you're a newcomer to C.S. Friedman's works, don't worry. While this novel picks up the "Never Ending War" generations later, the characters are new, and the situation is very different. Friedman uses the old twins separated at birth plot as central to this episodic work dealing with the overthrow of a tyrant. Less a novel than a series of incidents that coalesce at the end, the point of view keeps shifting, even within chapters sometimes. With this author, there are always complications, and you need to be on the alert for foreshadowings and surprises. You need to keep careful track of the characters, too--fortunately there's a glossary to help out. Friedman writes well, and she creates fascinating characters, all of whom become pawns in a game that's greater than they know. I hope it doesn't take another 15 years before the author drops back into this universe.

I'll be short, as I can't really argue this is her best -- especially after This Alien Shore which was extraordinary. By itself this is certainly hovering somewhere between mediocrity and good. If we're lucky, it's the beginning of a new trilogy. That ending left too many loose ends for me to wholly believe it's not the beginning of a series. Her books have ambiguous endings, it's true, but there were enough loose ends left for me to hope.

After 15 long years, C. S. Friedman has returned to the universe that put her on the map. In Conquest Born remains one of the only space opera series I've ever enjoyed, largely because of its focus on the fascinating cultures of her far-future humanity and the even more fascinating characters who embodied them. In this long-awaited sequel set 200 years after the first book, the Azean Empire and the Braxin Holding are still locked in their endless war. However, this time around the Great War takes second place to internal strife within both civilizations. The Azeans are still struggling in the aftermath of losing their greatest advantage against the Braxins: the psychics. This is in part fallout from Zatar's attack on their homeworld in the first novel, but also because his attack revealed the psychics' hidden agendas and made the Azeans realize they couldn't be trusted. So the psychics are now hunted throughout the galaxy, believed to be helpless and scattered -- but in truth they've regrouped and begun growing in strength. At the beginning of the novel a pair of infant twins are separated as psychics kidnap one of them (Rho) and leave the other (Zara) behind. Meanwhile, the Braxin Holding has troubles of its own. The ruling Braxana tribe is on its last legs, weak enough that other tribes are actually beginning to contemplate rebellion. Tathas, leader of an outlawed tribe, is betrayed and captured by the Braxana. His only option is to undertake a ritual called "the Wilding", in which he goes in search of genetic material worthy to be added to the Braxana bloodlines. He decides to track down the psychics in the hope of finding the descendants of Anzha lyu Mitethe, the heroine from ICB. Zara grows up, living a normal and comfortable life in the Empire until without warning she begins to develop psychic powers. This forces her to flee before she can be imprisoned; she undertakes a desperate search to find the psychics so that they can help her learn to control her power. Tathas goes in search of the psychics as well, and coincidentally runs across Zara. Together they end up on a quest which takes them from primitive worlds to the galactic seats of power, ultimately working their way through conspiracies which threaten to destroy both empires. As before, this sequel is full of intrigue and awesome, galaxy-shaking events. The characters are briefly but thoroughly developed, each giving further insight into their respective cultures. Tathas was my favorite character, even though as a common Braxin he's essentially a brutal animalistic rapist and murderer. He had a wry, obnoxious streak which made for a nice contrast with the austere Braxana depicted in the first novel. Zara took awhile to grow on me, but I think this is in part because I've always liked the Braxins more than the Azeans. Both cultures have their pros and cons, but I respect the Braxins' honesty about their flaws over the Azeans' secrecy. Zara did grow on me once we met Rho, he

Once again I have been transported by C.S. Friedman into a world so rich with wonders yet full of all the quirks of humanity. I am glad that I own the book because I know that I will be reading and re-reading this wonderful story over and over again. If you have enjoyed C.S. Friedman's other novels you won't be disappointed. Ever since I read the "Coldfire Trilogy" I've been a dedicated reader awaiting the latest release. "The Wilding" is well worth the wait.