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Reap the Wild Wind: Stratification #1

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Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer

on 09/05/2007

Cersi is a world divided by three sentient species. The Om'ray, a people almost indistinguishable from humans, are the most restricted. They must keep to their clans or face death, the only exception being Om'ray males who are called on Passage to distant females.

Among the Om'ray, the Yena is a forest clan whose people live far above the ground. Aryl Sarc is a young woman, not yet mature, but not quite a child. She is young, enthusiastic, and tends to act before thinking, especially where her considerable Talents are concerned. When tragedy strikes in the form of an incomprehensible device that flies with no discernable wings or motor, Aryl starts down a path that will change her life in unimaginable ways.

Cersi's other two species, the Tikitik and Oud, suddenly play larger roles in Aryl's life than she has ever known, and when she meets strangers who claim to be from another world, all her beliefs and knowledge will come into question. As an Om'ray, questioning the way things are can be deadly.

REAP THE WILD WIND is a prequel to Czerneda's "Trade Pact Universe." While I have not had the pleasure of reading the trilogy, I had no trouble following the action in this compelling science fiction adventure. In fact, RTWW was thoroughly enjoyable. Drama, action, all ranges of emotion, and the story itself will touch sci-fi fans, as well as many fantasy lovers.

Whether it's Ms. Czerneda's considerable background in biology, her sheer knack for storytelling, or something more ethereal, she has the ability to deliver to readers a gift of reading wonder worthy of a good night with a bowl of your favorite snack and drink. Enjoy!

Julie Czerneda is one of my favorite science fiction writers - and I have been reading scifi since the 1960s. In part this is because I am a biologist by profession and she is also trained in that specialty, but her skill at writing and in weaving a riveting tale is certainly a major factor. In the start of her new series, "Reap the Wild Wind" ("Stratification #1"), she has not disappointed me.

Her setting is one of the humanoid Om'ray clan colonies on the planet Cersi,- colonies which are barely tolerated by the "owners" of the planet, the powerful slug-like Oud and the tall, spindly, Tikitik. The young Om'ray, Aryl, of the Yena clan, surreptitiously observes the harvest of dresel, the food that her clan collects from the upper canopy at the time of the fierce wind, known as the M'hir. A mysterious spying device appears and inadvertently causes the death of most of the harvesters, as well as her older brother Costa, who has accompanied her on her illicit visit to the upper canopy (she had not been chosen to help the harvest). The only survivors are Aryl and the young Yena she hopes to join with - Bern. She had accidentally used a forbidden power that might very well end the fragile peace between the "races" on the planet and bring the lives of the entire "tolerated" Om'ray to a halt!

The tale weaves on involving a Tuana Om'ray male, Enris, and Aryl's Speaker mother Taisal di Sarc, the strangers, the fierce predators of the planet, and many other well-drawn characterizations. In the Yena, Czerneda has created a fascinating study of a humanoid clan tied to a vertical world of the tree canopy (other Om'ray are surface-dwellers) who have to make do with and adapt to the world above the water (and many predators) below. Their night time lights are the only protection between them and the swamp-emerging predatory swarm.

This is the start of another great series for hard core scifi readers. I am very much looking forward to the rest of the series! It goes almost without saying that I recommend this book highly!

Reap the Wild Wind (2007) is the first SF novel in the Stratification series. This series is a precursor to The Trade Pact Universe series. It is set on the world Cersi far in the future.

The Om'ray are the third -- and least -- sentient species on Cersi. They have mental talents such as the ability to mindspeak with other Om'ray and to sense their direction. Yet their children are being born with new and more powerful talents.

The Om'bay try to live by their Agreement with the Tikitik and the Oud -- which forbids any changes -- but the new talents directly violate this concord. They could eliminate those with such talents, but that would lead to much grief and internal strife. So most just hide these talents from the Tikitik and Oud and other Om'bay.

In this novel, Taisal di Sarc is an Adept and Speaker to the Tikitik for the Yena Clan. She also has the hidden talent of moving small objects with her mind. She is a widow, but did not become Lost as have so many others who lose their Chosen ones.

Aryl Sarc is Taisal's daughter. She has the extraordinary ability to identify individuals by their mind touch. She is also one of the best climbers in her village.

Costa sud Teerac is Aryl's older brother. He collects plants and makes them thrive. He is the Chosen of Leri Teerac.

Bern Teerac is Aryl's Heart-kin. He spends much of his time with Aryl. They wish to be each other's Chosen, but neither is quite ready.

Enris Mendolar is an unChosen of the Tuana Clan. He is a metalworker like his father. He is hiding his talent of moving heavy objects from the Oud and others within his clan.

In this story, the M'hir wind blows and the Yena harvesters are out in the canopy ready to bring in the dresel pods. Aryl expected to be selected for the Harvest this year, but she was not chosen. So Aryl has convinced Costa to climb up a rastis tree to observe the Harvest.

Reaching the canopy, they see the harvesters hooking the wings out of the air. Bern is out there among the harvesters flailing away at the dresel's wings flying before the wind. Aryl knows that she could do much better than Bern. Then the siblings see a shiny object floating toward them.

The Wastryl birds also have come to harvest the dresel pods. Seeing the floating object, the Wastryls fly toward it with outstretched claws. Thunder and lightening shatter the sky and a burst of hot air shakes the canopy. The Yena harvesters fall toward the dark waters of the Lay.

Aryl is terrified and frantic about Bern. She reaches through darkness with her mind, catches him in mid-air, and drops him on the bridge below. But the others fall into the Lay and are torn apart by the predators in the water.

Now Aryl is grief-stricken by the loss of her brother. Worse yet, the Adepts -- including her mother -- believe that Bern saved himself. They suspect a new and terrible talent. Taisal asks Aryl about her memories of the event and finally strips the memories from her mind. Then she strictly warns Aryl to never access the Dark again.

The Yena Council try to explain the reduced Harvest to the Tikitik during the next conference, but the aliens blame the Yena for the shortage. They insist on half of the pods collected during the Harvest. The Yena may well starve before the M'hir comes again.

The council decides to send all the unChosen males out to find their Chosen. Bern is one of those selected for Passage and is given a token to allow trespass on Tikitik and Oud land. Aryl is devastated.

This tale tells of the coming of the Humans and other species of the Trade Pact to Cersi. Both Aryl and Enris encounter Marcus Bowman, a Seeker of ancient sentients. He looks just like an Om'bay, but his mind is inaccessible to their mindsearch.

The Seekers have found the remains of an ancient culture. Excavation of these alien artifacts are their main concern. But their curiosity has resulted in the death of the Yena harvesters and caused frictions with the Tikitik. Aryl just wants them to leave her alone.

This volume only hints at the continuing story within the sequel: Riders of the Storm. Will Aryl learn to fly like a Wastryl? Will the Trade Pact aliens return? Will the Om'bay prove to be related to the Humans? Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Czerneda fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of xenopsychology, alien cultures, and strange mating drives.

-Arthur W. Jordin

A Thousand Words for Stranger, the first of the Trade Pact trilogy, is one of my favorite Czerneda books--so it seems only fitting that Reap the Wild Wind (first of the Trade Pact prequel trilogy, Stratification) now crowds Stranger for that very spot.

Like Stranger, RTWW focuses on individuals while unveiling a much larger story, making us care deeply about Aryl Sarc and her family--and newly acquired friends--even while catching us up in a tale that spans worlds Aryl can't yet imagine. Czerneda's deep respect for life of all forms here on Earth and her knowledge of same come through clearly, giving us all a little peek at what that vision might be like.

An excellent new trilogy from Czerneda. I thoroughly enjoyed every page. Just finished the 2nd installment and it's even better! I won't waste your time with a re-hash of the story, I'll just say - READ IT! You won't be disappointed.

REAP THE WILD WIND is the first in a series, and definitely requires reading its sequels for enhanced enjoyment. Having said that, the book delivers on world-building, creating and resolving several subplots, and most of all emotionally compelling characters.

The Om'ray are a humanoid species living in a fragile equilibrium on Cersi, a planet inhabited by several other intelligent species. A series of events nearly destroy the community of Aryl Sarc, an Om'ray adolescent. Their quest to survive, Aryl's rapid maturation, and the culture clash make for a fascinating, tense story. As in her other books, Czerneda impresses with exotic, richly detailed aliens and sympathetic and distressed protagonists.

Set in Czerneda's "Trade Pact" universe, RTWW shows a much earlier Clan, here called the Om'ray. The telepathic near-human Om'ray live in a fragile equilibrium with two other intelligent races on the planet Cersi. Their perilous spot in the biosphere is under threat when alien devices show up. Aryl and Enris, two young Om'ray, are forced to mature quickly and deal with enormously dangerous changes triggered by the intruders.

The main characters, particularly Aryl, are sympathetic and realistic. Combining lack of experience with the ability to adopt, strength with vulnerability, and near constant stress with occasional flashes of humor, Aryl and Enris keep the reader's attention firmly engaged on the next suspenseful and unexpected twist. As with other books by Czerneda, the various species, intelligent and otherwise, are interesting and multi-dimensional, with solid underpinnings in biology.

While resolving several plots, and showing excellent world-, society- and character-building, the book is clearly the first of a series, and the wait for its sequel will be filled with both impatience and happy anticipation.

--[...]

Julie Czerneda proves again she has a fine talent for storytelling and a creative imagination. She has finally decided to gift us with the back story of how the Clan came to be found among the human worlds of the trade pact universe. In this first volume she Hints how it comes about that the most gifted might need or want to leave the planet of their origin. Or perhaps not! She leaves room for uncertainty in both origin and fate. This is how it should be in the first book of a series. As always the human (or almost human) chararacterizations in the story add strong interest to the plot.

I am usually ambivalent about a prequil. This is because I sometimes feel it can interfere with the characters and story of something I have already read. This story is fascinating and stands alone, showing how the different races on Cersi interact and the consequences of that interaction. The tensions, characterisations and adventures are superb. I can't wait to read the next in the series.

I met Julie at Necronomicon 2008 in St. Peterburg,FL. Because she was one of the guest writers I usually buy a book or two to get signed. This is the one I picked up for signing. Most of the time I have never read these authors as was the case with Julie. So this was her first book I ever read and the only one by her so far. However it was good enough that I may read more by her.

As stated in other reviews it is a good development of three intertwined species on the planet Cersi. The story mainly develops around the Omray Yena clan. The Omray live in groups/clans on various geologically/biologically different parts of the planet. The Yena have the toughest life living in trees above swamps that have horrendous life forms that are always looking for a good meal, especially Yena. They only come out at night so the Yena Omray must make certain they keep light available at night or they will be eaten alive. They also survive by harvesting the natural food of the planet, dresel, and thereupon the story starts.

Aryl is out harvesting during that time of the season that the winds blow the dresel they collect to eat. During the harvesting at the tops of the trees and alien observation sphere disrupts the harvest and causes some Omray to die as the fall through the trees in the high winds that drive the dresel for harvesting. It also causes the amount of dresel harvested to be significantly less setting up a problem with the Tikitik who they trade the dresel with for supplies. Some of these supplies are the lights to keep the creatures of the night out of their homes. Omray can also read each others minds and have other mental capabilities that they limit due to agreements with the Tikitik. Aryl shows signs of developing even stronger mental powers which if used outside the treatise would endanger the Yena clan.

There is also a parallel story of another ground based Omray clan that builds metal objects for the third intelligent species on the planet, the slug like Oud. Enris from this clan is sent on passage to Yena along this parallel story track where his life will intersect with Aryls to change their lives entirely.

The primary story follows Aryl's problems after the harvesting failure and ultimate capture by the Tikitik. She is sent to spy on the "strangers" (aliens exploring Cersi) where she meets the strangers who want to learn from her and keep her safe. They take her in their flyer to return to her clan when the Tikitik attack and ultimately cause the flyer to crash with only Aryl and Marcus, a human, to survive. They almost die as well but are rescued by a group of the aliens and Oud where Aryl meets Enris. When Aryl senses that her village is being destroyed she unthinkingly uses her mental powers to transport herself and Enris to the village where they save the village from being ravaged by the swamp life. This has happened because the Tikitik removed the lighting they had given the Yena because Aryl did not return to them with the secrets of the strangers. Still the village is destroyed and another night above the swamps will result in everyone being eaten by the swamp life.

The remaining members of the clan go to the Cloisters where the adepts, their leaders and most powerful mental powered Yena, decide that they must turn these criminal Yena, including Aryl, out into the wild because they have misused their mental powers in contradiction to the treatise with the Tikitik. This means certain death unless they can come up with a way to leave the swamps. That day just before night falls another observation sphere arrives and Aryl requests, through the sphere, that Marcus save them by moving them in the flyers. The group of 23 Yena are saved by Marcus and moved to the Grona clan. The clan is glad to accept them so they plan to stay there. However a young adept of the Grona clan learns of Aryl's powers and tries to obtain them so Aryl, Enris, and the others of the Yena clan leave which ends the book and leads into the sequel.

I found the book to be very good and an excellent postulation of different species on another world. Czerdena being a biologist is therefor very adept at developing this world. She apparently postulates that another world could evolve a being extremely humanoid in biology and features as the Yena resemble earth humans. The interaction between the species is interesting and forms the basis for the plot line. I personally rated the book a 4 out of 5 as for some reason I had some difficulty becoming extremely enthused with it. As I got about half way through I found it getting much better and finished it rather rapidly after that but admit it took me a while to reach that point and my time spent with it was infrequent prior to that. The characters intertwined nicely and the ideas were excellent. It is likely I will read the sequels as it has gotten my interest up to see what happens next.