THE FLEDGLINGS

In this fantasy sequel, the godlike Sakrosians disagree among themselves about whether or not the humanoid Fledglings should embrace violence to survive.

The Sakrosians, beings who manifest themselves and their city from a communal energy source, have taken up residence on Gaia. Those who wanted to explore the planet, both physically and through biological senses, decided to enter the evolutionary chain and become humanoid Fledglings. One group of Fledglings has succeeded in traversing the Great Divide and is now poised to start a new village in the wilds of Terrenor. This pleases El, the Sakrosian Seer, as well as the rest of the Council. And yet El and Lita the Prophetess begin to suspect that some Council members may be thwarting the Directive of keeping the Fledglings safe. For example, El uses her power to witness the Sakrosians Kostr and Ved give bladed weapons to a Fledgling. Worse, Council Leader Ak seems willing to manipulate anyone for reasons that are unclear. Meanwhile, the Fledgling Raf survived his battle with Telek during the Great Divide’s crossing—but Telek didn’t. Raf meets the forest dweller Behra, and together they encounter a burned village. Eventually Raf reunites with his Fledgling companions, and he joins them in the village of Newyk. But whoever torched Behra’s home remains at large. DeLaurentis adds heat to her tale of meddlesome deities and noble humanoids slowly but steadily. The Sakrosians, who can create clothing and furniture with a gesture, often come across as emotionally reserved, like Vulcans in the Star Trekuniverse. Indeed, they push the Fledglings toward greatness via expressions of love, which is, according to the Directive, “a more profound experience than what Sakrosians can achieve.” Yet danger lies in humanoid arrogance, which readily bleeds into Ak’s secret mission (“Some may need to be sacrificed to save many”). Though Ak plays El, Lita, and others like puppets, resulting in fatal chaos, he doesn’t possess the capacity for true villainy. The narrative splits evenly among Sakrosians and Fledglings, but the author keeps all under tight control. The next volume may call for looser, more emotionally charged plotting.

A fantasy in which the author, through her divine cast, maintains a slow-boiling narrative.