The Cloud Roads (The Books of the Raksura) [Paperback]

Martha Wells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 22, 2011 | Series: The Books of the Raksura

Moon has spent his life hiding what he is - a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself... someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community. What this stranger doesn't tell Moon is that his presence will tip the balance of power... that his extraordinary lineage is crucial to the colony's survival... and that his people face extinction at the hands of the dreaded Fell! Now Moon must overcome a lifetime of conditioning in order to save himself... and his newfound kin.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Moon's world is populated by many different intelligent species (none of them human), and he has never known which one he belongs to. Orphaned at a young age, he's wandered from tribe to tribe, hiding a dangerous secret. Like the universally hated Fell, whose only aims are slaughter and conquest, Moon can fly—which leads to predictably violent cases of mistaken identity. When he does find his own people, the Raksura, life doesn't get any easier, since their internal politics are vicious, and they too are in imminent danger from the Fell. Cue hairsbreadth escapes and feats of derring-do, as Moon helps his new family evacuate their doomed colony and then rescues a group of kidnapped children. Wells (The Gate of Gods) merrily ignores genre conventions as she spins an exciting adventure around an alien hero who anyone can identify with. (Mar.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review

But the vivid world-building and nonstop action really serve as a backdrop for the heart of the novel--the universal human themes of loneliness, loss, and the powerful drive to find somewhere to belong. - Sharon Shinn --Cover Blurb

Wells...merrily ignores genre conventions as she spins an exciting adventure around an alien hero who anyone can identify with. Starred Review. --Publishers Weekly

The Cloud Roads has wildly original worldbuilding, diverse and engaging characters, and a thrilling adventure plot. It's that rarest of fantasies: fresh and surprising, with a story that doesn't go where ten thousand others have gone before. I can't wait for my next chance to visit the Three Worlds! - N.K. Jemisin

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Night Shade Books; First Printing edition (February 22, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597802166
• ISBN-13: 978-1597802161
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (147 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #560,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Martha Wells is the author of fourteen fantasy novels, including Wheel of the Infinite, City of Bones, The Element of Fire, and the Nebula-nominated The Death of the Necromancer. Her most recent fantasy novels are The Cloud Roads (Night Shade Books, March 2011), The Serpent Sea (Night Shade Books, January 2012), and The Siren Depths, (Night Shade Books, December 2012). Her YA fantasy, Emilie and the Hollow World, will be published by Strange Chemistry Books in April 2013, and her Star Wars novel will be published in October 2013.

She has also written a fantasy trilogy: The Wizard Hunters, The Ships of Air, and The Gate of Gods, all currently out in paperback from HarperCollins Eos. She has had short stories in the magazines Black Gate, Realms of Fantasy, Lone Star Stories, and Stargate Magazine, and in the Tsunami Relief anthology Elemental. She has essays in the nonfiction anthologies Farscape Forever, Mapping the World of Harry Potter, and Chicks Unravel Time. She has also written two media-tie-in novels, Stargate Atlantis: Reliquary and Stargate Atlantis: Entanglement. Her books have been published in eight languages, including French, Spanish, German, Russian, and Dutch, and her web site is www.marthawells.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's been too long March 9, 2011

By mare

Format:Paperback

Martha Wells writes awesome books - I buy them, sight unseen, without even a thought of chasing them down through the library. I know I will read and reread. But it's been a good long time since her last book was published, and I'd lost hope.

"The Cloud Roads" was well worth the wait. Ms. Wells creates a fascinating world (though I remember another world with floating islands, I think in a book by Wen Spencer) with a fascinating mix of species. Better yet are her characters. The protagonist, Moon, has been lost and isolated from his own species since he was extremely young, and has moved from one culture and species to another, trying to fit in and find a place for himself. He has become expert at sizing up new groups, evaluating their customs and practices and adapting his own behavior to theirs. But he is never able to fully expose who he is, because his species bears an unfortunate likeness to the predators feared throughout the world for their mindless destruction of any and all species they come across. So when Moon encounters his own species, he is wary and mistrustful, reluctant to accept overtures of friendship and welcome.

Ms. Wells does her usual expert job of developing character while maintaining a breakneck pace. The book is engrossing and hard to put down, and has left me with a taste for more...even though (thank you, thank you - I am so tired of contrived cliff-hangar endings and series that extend forever) it a a story complete and to itself.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A top read February 17, 2011

By Sarah

Format:Paperback

This is a terrific science fiction adventure story with a heart.

Moon doesn't know what he is. He's been trying to live with other people, but they don't look like him (most of the various races in this world are physically different from each other), and unlike them, he can shift into another shape, one with wings, a fact he conceals because the winged shape looks something like the Fell, an evil race bent on conquering and consuming the other races. When his secret is revealed, Moon must not only discover who he is and his new place in the world, but he must strive to help his people, the Raksuran, deal with the Fell, who have been pursuing him for longer than he realizes.

As you can see from my summary, the book presents great internal and external conflicts. One of the things I appreciated most is that it's science fiction with nifty skiffy ideas, but it doesn't sacrifice characterization (internal) for the development of the ideas (external), as so much SF does. The external story, the adventure and peril involved in dealing with the Fell, is perfectly balanced by Moon's internal story--one of my favorite tropes, the lonely person finding his/her place in the world story.

That said, some of the secondary characters felt a little indistinguishable to me--the death of one of them near the end left me unmoved--but the main characters, Moon, Jade, Stone, and Pearl--are deftly realized, their stories gripping. Moon's predicament is particularly compelling. I was interested in the social structure of both the world, in which various races coexist, and of Moon's people, who are ruled by queens. The relationship between the sexes here is alien, and really interesting. Not exactly matriarchal, but something else. The real star here is the land, the Three Worlds, which is full of variegated peoples and landscapes and which demands further exploration; it's a world I want to return to. Moon and his people are wicked cool, sort-of human-looking, but who can shift into other creatures, some of which have wings and which I persisted in imagining as dragon-like. There are some great battle scenes with vivid action.

I read a review copy of this, but will for sure seek out the actual book once it's published, because it will reward re-reading. Highly recommended!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing! February 24, 2011

By Laura

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've loved everything Wells writes and this one is, once again, amazing. Vivid, extremely creative and powerful world-building, a strong and enticing main character, excellently realized secondary characters, and a great romantic relationship to top it off. Moon is a wonderful character. I highly recommend this book, as all her books.