Maelstrom: Book Two of The Twins of Petaybee (Mass Market Paperback)

by Anne McCaffrey (Author), Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (Author)
Key Phrases: deep sea otters, sea otter cousins, alpha whale, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Perfect Fjord, New Puna (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In McCaffrey and Scarborough's action-packed, kid-friendly sequel to 2005's Changelings, Murel and Ronan Shongili, telepathic 10-year-old twins with the ability to change into river seals, rescue the inhabitants of the environmentally degraded planet Halau and bring them to their home world of Petaybee. The sentient planet's adaptation to the refugees provides dangerous adventures for the twins, their friends and their parents, geneticist/selkie Dr. Sean Shongili and former Company officer Yana Maddock-Shongili, coadministrators of Petaybee, who discover an aquatic alien race. Meanwhile, off-planet, the Intergalactic Enterprises Company arrests their friend Marmion, who helped transport the refugees from Halau. A cliffhanger ending, ecological lessons, anthropomorphic animals and simplistic good vs. evil morality will speak to middle-school readers but not adults. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School—In this sequel to Changelings (Del Rey, 2005), twin selkies use their "thought-talk" and shape-shifting powers to help their sentient planet and its inhabitants. Petaybee, the planet, has invited Ke-ola, a sentient sea turtle, and his people to make their home there. The Petaybeans must convince the Federation to allow such a move. The catch is that the Federation is off-world, and people who live on Petaybee for any length of time acquire a symbiotic relationship with the planet. For an adult to leave would mean death. It is therefore up to young Muriel and Ronin Shongili to be the off-world diplomats who can save lives and change worlds. This is the second novel in a planned trilogy that continues the story made popular by the "Powers That Be" trilogy (Del Rey). The story line combines Irish, Hawaiian, and Indian lore to create a rich history that is at once unique and familiar. Teens will identify with the actions and feelings of these shape-shifting river seals as they struggle with their role in Petaybee's transformation.—Dana Cobern-Kullman, Luther Burbank Middle School, Burbank, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (February 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345470052
• ISBN-13: 978-0345470058
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #52,586 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Newcomers on Petaybee, May 1, 2007

By	Arthur W. Jordin (Smyrna, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Maelstrom (The Twins of Petaybee, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Maelstrom (2006) is the second SF novel in the Twins of Petaybee series, following Changelings. In the previous volume, Murel and Ronan barely saved the sacred Honu from Dr. Mabo and then immediately returned to Petaybee. Their father had gone missing and Madame Algemeine shipped a load of helicopters, small submarines and other rescue equipment to search their planet. Ke-ola and the Honu were also coming with them.

Back on Petaybee, the twins soon recovered their father, alive and well, but without any memory of his ordeal. Later, the Petaybeans took Ke-ola and the Honu into the communion cave and there they received a message from the planet. Petaybee wanted to invite Ke-ola, the Honu and their people to come live on the new landmass and the twins have been selected as planetary emissaries.

In this novel, the selkie twins and Sky Otter leave their homeworld to deliver the invitation. On the outward journey, the captain of the Piaf, Johnny Green, arranges for them to learn various ship functions. They never really have time to get bored.

After reaching the Halau system, the Piaf encounters the Intergalactic Enterprises Company Corps carrier George Armstrong Custer, Colonel Zachariah Cally commanding. The Intergal crew orders them to leave, but Marmion uses her rank and reputation -- and an outright lie -- to overrule the order and land on the planet. There they find Ke-ola's hometown deserted and full of craters from meteorites.

Although the situation looks hopeless, the Honu informs them that there are survivors underground. After the surviving villagers and Honus are found, Colonel Cally asserts that there are no more survivors. Yet the Honus guide them to another nearby village where other survivors of the bombardment have also gone underground. But the twins soon discover that this village has Manos -- sharks -- as their aumakuas instead of sea-turtles.

After considerable argument and with some rationing, the Piaf returns with these survivors to Petaybee. Since the spaceport is far from the sea, the Petaybeans make arrangements to transport the Manos -- with their able-bodied people -- to the ocean. Meanwhile, the young and elderly remain aboard the Piaf, but with better meals and other supplies.

In this story, the twins and Sky have another encounter with the sea otters. Then Sky casually mentions that the sea otters have told him that the deep sea otters are still alive, despite indications that a volcano had destroyed their city. Since nobody else knows that these otters exist, the twins decide to warn them about the sharks. Murel and Ronan head out to the new island forming in the sea where the deep sea otter city had been located.

The twins also encounter a number of other creatures in the sea, including a pod of Orcas, some sea seals, and the newly arrived Manos. Murel and the Orcas have a confrontation that isn't entirely one-sided. The sea seals are helpful, but a little domineering until they meet Sean and the Orcas. The Manos are bloodthirsty, but the patriarch is rather afraid of Murel.

This story is the middle book in a trilogy, so the ending leaves the situation hanging. The sentient planet Petaybee displays some of its powers, mostly at the end of the volume. However, one wonders whether the adult Petaybeans are ever going to be able to leave the planet without dying from their planetary induced changes.

Highly recommended for McCaffrey & Scarborough fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of sentient planets, telepathic animals and precocious selkie children.

-Arthur W. Jordin

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars space opera at its finest , December 27, 2006

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Maelstrom (The Twins of Petaybee, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Twins Muriel and Ronan Shongili have the honor of living on the only known sentient planet in the universe Petaybee. Like their father Sean, the Shongili twins turn into seals when their bodies are immersed in water. Since anyone who lives on Petaybee past puberty can't leave the planet, Muriel and Ronan are going to perform an important mission that will save the people of Halau and their totem animals, sharks and sea turtle because the terraforming that was performed on their planet is falling apart.

When they arrive aboard the luxurious spaceship that belong to a Powers That Be Marmian de Revers Algemeine, an ally of Petaybee and its people they find the planet being bombarded by meteors. They want to look for survivors but company man Colonel Cally wants to leave before more meteors hit them. Marmian and company are determined to rescue the survivors, even the sharks and bring them back to Petaybee. The Shongili twins discover alien beings living on the bottom of the ocean of Petaybee when they return, the first natives of Petaybee who can help them defeat the Powers That Be who want to take over the planet and arrest the people in power. The question is will the aliens help them.

Two science fiction greats create a trilogy that focuses on the second generation of the Shongili family. This is space opera at its finest and the underwater scenes are so vividly described that readers can easily visualize them. Young adults and older will enjoy this action oriented character driven tale starring two preadolescents who get into the heart of the matter and develop a course of action that will keep their planet safe for their parents and friends from the Powers That Be.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Novel or Serial?, May 14, 2007

By	C. Gunther "Library Tech" (Southern California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Maelstrom (The Twins of Petaybee, Book 2) (Hardcover)

If you don't mind cliffhangers, run, do not walk, to your local sci-fi source and get this book. You'll enjoy it immensely. The Twins of Petaybee are back and they're lots of fun.

Like Changelings (The Twins of Petaybee, Book 1), Maelstrom is well-written, intriguing, and somewhat frustrating if, like me, you prefer stories that end when the book ends. While I enjoyed the continuing adventures of the Petaybee Twins, I strongly recommend that anyone who is considering reading this book, first find Changelings and read that, then plan on reading the next installation of this serial as soon as you can get your hands on it. Better yet, wait until the final installation of this serial comes out and read all of the story without waiting a year or so between books. Eventually, The Twins of Petaybee will make a great omnibus edition.