Moon-Flash [Library Binding]

Patricia A. McKillip (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2005

Kyreol's small world begins at the Face, a high rock cliff, and ends at Fourteen Falls, a series of rapids. Each year, her people celebrate Moon-Flash-a spark of light that seems to come from and go into the moon, a symbol of life and joy. When a mysterious stranger arrives, Kyreol wants to know more about him, as well as the Moon-Flash, and soon she and her childhood friend Terje leave their home to look for answers. Those answers will pluck Kyreol from Riverworld and transform her life forever-by fast-forwarding her into a future she can barely comprehend. This omnibus edition combines the acclaimed Patricia A. McKillip's two science-fiction novels, Moon-Flash and The Moon and the Face-at the request of Firebird readers.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A fully successful move into new territory. . . . The eloquence will satisfy all McKillip fans. -- Locus

A powerhouse of ideas. . . . The reader travels through the ages of humankind. -- English Journal

Marvelously imaginative. . . . A great deal of action and adventure. . . . Highly recommended. -- Rochester Post-Bulletin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Patricia A. McKillip's novels include The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, which won the first World Fantasy Award in 1975; The Riddle-Master Trilogy, of which Harpist in the Wind was nominated for a Hugo; Ombria in Shadow, which won both the Mythopoeic Award and the World Fantasy Award; and The Changeling Sea (Firebird). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: San Val (April 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141770523X
• ISBN-13: 978-1417705238
• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,103,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The River is the world, March 20, 2006

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Moon-Flash (Mass Market Paperback)

Firebird Books has put out some excellent reprints, such as Midori Snyder's Oran Trilogy and the wonderful Redwall books. But they have outdone themselves with Patricia McKillip's "Moon-Flash" duology. It's bittersweet, beautifully written, and serves as an unusual coming-of-age story.

In the first book "Moon-Flash," Kyreol is a young woman living in the jungle valley of Riverworld, which the inhabitants believe is the entire universe. But while unhappily living with her betrothed's family, Kyreol encounters the strange Hunter, and realizes that he is from somewhere else. And wherever he came from, Kyreol knows that her long-lost mother went there.

So she and her childhood friend Terje escape down the River. When they finally make their way to the Hunter and his people, Kyreol and Terje are taken to a lunar Dome far above their home. Together, they will find that the universe is more complex than they ever knew -- and that nothing in Riverworld, even the sacred Moon-Flash, is what they think it is.

"The Moon and the Face" picks up four years later. Terje and Kyreol have been trained by the Agency, and are now ready for their first assignments. Terje will be accompanying Regny back to Riverworld, to observe its inhabitants, and Kyreol will be going to a nearby planet to observe the lightless Burrowers.

Except neither mission turns out right: Kyreol's spaceship crashes on a desert planet, stranding her in an abandoned city with an unknown alien. To make matters worse, she is plagued by dreams of death. And Terje returns to his old village, only to find that the Healer (Kyreol's father) is dying.

Patricia McKillip began writing the "Moon-Flash" story while she was in the middle of another science fiction book. And like her other sci-fi stories, "Moon-Flash" is light-years away from typical space operas.

McKillip's dreamy, detailed writing is still in full force here, whether she's writing about a lunar base, a rainforest, a graveyard, or a colorless city on an alien moon. Even her aliens are unusual -- some are made of water or air, while others are furry three-eyed creatures who communicate entirely in wordless song.

She also explores the idea of primitive people being exposed to futuristic technology, and the way it would change them -- they would gain knowledge, but lose innocence. The most bittersweet subplot is that of Kyreol's parents, whose love was sacrificed so that her mother could preserve Riverworld. And while Kyreol and Terje seem to learn everything a bit too quickly, McKillip makes their slow education absolutely thrilling.

The first book's main focus is on Kyreol, exploring her doubts, her curiosity, and her longing to know everything. But the second is more about Terje, who struggles with his love for Riverworld and his love for his new life. They grow from naive children to independent leaders and explorers, and in McKillip's hands, it seems entirely plausible.

The "Moon-Flash" duology is a beautiful, spellbinding piece of science fiction, and it's a good thing that this story has finally come back into print. Absolutely entrancing.

5.0 out of 5 stars fantasy, October 30, 2010

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S. ANDERSON - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Moon-Flash (Mass Market Paperback)

I do like Patricia McKillup's writing. This is quite interesting and surprising. At least, I didn't see what was coming.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great older children and young teens story, April 9, 2009

By 

Paloma Doveny (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Moon-Flash (Mass Market Paperback)

If you are selecting this book for a child, it is entirely appropriate to be read aloud and discussed with mature pre-teens. It is a great topic for early teens to read alone if they have a strong vocabulary. IF you read on and the book is for you, be warned plot points are spoken of.

Moon Flash by Patricia McKillip is an engaging story of a 13 year old girl in a primitive tribal jungle setting. When she discovers a man dressed in camoflage gear speaking into a communicator, she realizes her world is not what it seems. Seeing the man and having had her mother disappear 10 years before motivates her departure. She is also avoiding a betrothal. She and her best friend, a boy her age, take a canoe over the giant falls leaving their village and the life they've known behind. They encounter numerous scenarios on their journey down the river, some dangerous and toward the end of the book, come to a city in the modern world. The whys and whereabouts of her mother's disappearance are sought and the reason their tribe has lived untouched by the modern world is discovered. This book is beautifully written as are all of McKillip's stories. I highly recommend it. While there are some scary parts as the young travelers escape a head hunter tribe there are no sexual scenes that would make it inappropriate for pre-teens. Life is spoken of very forthrightly however. It is a lovely book that would likely appeal to girls and some boys, if they are big fans of reading and have a broad range of interests. I would not call this a fantasy in that most of it is true to real life. Perhaps only the ending is fantasical in that the city that the young explorers find is more advanced technologically than we are today in modes of travel. The sequel to this book is a full blown space travel fantasy.