Sydney J. Van Scyoc

My younger sister, being made of awesome, of course found me several of Scyoc's books recently (see my latest In My Mailbox post) that I had thought lost to time and space (thanks to a mishap during a move almost a decade ago that resulted in me losing an entire box of books). I hadn't read Sunwaifs before it was lost so I was excited to read it now.

The one thing you have to understand about Scyoc's books is that they tend to involve very little aggressive conflicts. More often then not the conflicts arise from a miscommunication of beliefs/lifestyles or lack of harmony. From the four books I've read of hers previously the most violence I've come across has been in Darkchild (Book 1 in the Darkchild Trilogy) and again that was because the people that Darkchild was sent from were a people of conquerors invading a relatively more passive race.

Sunwaifs begins at the end, sort of. Nadd is our first narrator and he begins by telling us about how he worries for the new generation. He recounts the hardships the original colonists had to endure their first years on Destiny--a planet that had seemed at first so perfect, but quickly proved itself to be anything but. His intentions is to leave a logbook for the next generations so that they may be able to avert the disaster he sees brewing. To this end he asks an...aquiantence of his for help in writing the log book. I hesitate to call them friends, or companions, because in truth the six original 'Sunwaifs' aren't really.

Each original Sunwaif has an extraordinary gift, bestowed upon them while in the womb by the radiation of Destiny's sun. This both saved them and cursed them, marking them as different in a world of dogmatic people who had given up hope and nutured their bitter, hard lives.

As the story unfolds we meet the other four Sunwaifs--Feliss, Trebble, Ronna and Herrol--and watch as each matures and wants different things. But always are they connected, by a bond they can't break no matter what.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I'm glad I'm reading it now, since I think the pacing and narrative style would have irritated me when I was younger and first bought it. My tastes have matured and I appreciate novels that build a world so intricately and expand about characters so deeply. The chapters alternate between Nadd and Corrie as they discuss important events and happenings during a year or stretch of years. While both have a similiar yearning undertone to their 'voices' in all other mannerisms they are different. Nadd has a faintly pessimistic quality to his narrative, as if he's resigned to the failure of the plan, but will persist anyway. Corrie is more pragmatic--believing in the force of their wills and strength of their bond to make a difference. In no way is she optimistic--even she thinks things may have been left too long.

While we don't 'hear' things from the other four's first person voice, their feelings and personalities are saturated in the narrative. Trebble who disappears now and again, Ronna who heals others, Feliss who is mischievous and inquisitive and Herrol who is steadfast and sure. You can feel the affection each feels for the others, but also the irritation that the bond forces onto them.

Definitely a book to read whether you are a teen or an adult--also a good way to begin your journey into Sydney J. Van Scyoc's worlds!… (more)

Darkchild is the first in the 'Daughters of the Sunstone' trilogy and a very intriguing beginning.

Possibly the oldest book I've read in a while (published in 1982) that I haven't read previously at least, Darkchild is told from a variety of third person POV's and slowly chronicles the coming of age of both the title character, but also the young girl who takes him in and cares for him.

A fantasy with scifi leanings is a good way to describe much of the book. The immediate environs are, for the most part, pre-industrial. The only exception to this rule are the quarters of alien visitors to the planet, the Armini, who conduct studies of the peoples and planet.

Then also you have the over-reaching menance, who are technologically advanced and use Darkchild (and others like him) to gather intel on the planet they despoit them on to see if the planet is a viable planet for exploiting or if they can leave it well enough alone.

At times I was tempted to double check the internet to make sure the author wasn't a pseudo for [author:Louise Lawrence] who wrote books of a similiar trend.

I look forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy.… (more)