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Book Review of Moon And The Face

Moon And The Face
althea avatar reviewed on + 774 more book reviews


I love Patricia McKillip's writing, however, I regretfully have to admit that I was not very impressed by this book.
It's a sequel to 'Moon-Flash' - which I haven't read, so that could be the problem. But it seemed like the events of this novel are merely a coda to whatever happened in the previous book. It's extremely short, and it's obvious that the author expects you to already be familiar with the characters, their relationships, and their world - so none of these are very fleshed out.
Also, in less than 200 pages, McKillip really attempts to tell two stories. A young man, Terje, goes back to the primitive village of his birth as an anthropological observer, as he has now been educated in a more advanced civilisation (details aren't given).
Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Kyreol, goes on a mission to another planet, but crash-lands on an abandoned moon on the way, and has an unexpected alien encounter. (it's not very believable).
Both must deal with issues of self-perception and identity - this is where McKillip excels, and her insights are emotionally touching - but still, I can't say that this is her best book.