Changelings is the result of a collaboration: Anne McCaffrey (of The Dragonriders of Pern fame) and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (The Healer's War). Although both are fine writers, I found this book less than the talents of either, rather than even just the sum of their abilities. The story takes place on a sentient planet, Petaybee, as seen through the eyes of the Shongilis, one of the many immigrant families that combine Inuit and Irish heritage. The children of Sean and Yana Shongili are twins, Ronan Born for Water, and Murel Monster Slayer. Their father, Sean, is a selkie-to-human changeling, a trait passed on to the twins.Petaybee is itself creating a landmass for the people and animals with which it feels a sense of harmony. Volcanic activity--terraforming--is the process of raising land out of the ocean, much as Michener's Hawaii described for that island. The idea of a planetary consciousness appeals to me in these times, especially that it might get to veto things that would harm it.Yet I found too many sections of the plot predictable, somewhat like a stage play in which the theater-goer sadly finds that each of the props, if there, are certain to figure in the drama. Things are seldom there just for ambiance, mood or the deliciousness of illuminating the setting or a character's choices. And, despite the precocity of the twins, some things are just too pat, too cute.Moreover, to me the writing often seemed unedited. For example, in the Prologue, the word and phrase repetition almost made me quit. Here's the first paragraph: "Petaybe was changing. It was always changing. The quakes and eruptions, avalanches and slides, great winds on land and sea, even the ebb and flow of the tide, brought about fundamental changes in the planet's surface, in the way it was. The people who lived on Petaybe knew and accepted this. If it had not been for the changes, jump-started and accelerated by a terraforming process begun only a few decades before, no one would have been able to live on Petayabee. The people made songs about the changes, celebrated them."Maybe I'm picky. Maybe it's because I'd just come off reading the amazing book Savvy by Ingrid Law, also a fantasy-adventure. Maybe I was having a tough week. But maybe not. I think there is less here than meets the eye. Another story based on a hoary formula.
SUMMARY:In Powers That Be, Power Lines And Power Play Bestselling Authors Anne Mccaffrey And Elizabeth Ann Scarborough Told The Story Of A Sentient Planet, Petaybee. In Changelings, The First Of A New Series Of Novels, They Return To Petaybee. Ronan Born For Water Shongili And Murel Monster Slayer Shongili Are The Twin Son And Daughter Of Yana Maddock And Sean Shongili. Born On Petyabee, Their Destiny Is Deeply Intertwined With The Sentient Planet That Is Their Home. For Ronan And Murel Are More Than Human. Like Their Father, Each Can Transform Into A Seal And Converse Telepathically With The Planet S Creatures Such As The Friendly Otter Whose Life They Save One Day From A Pack Of Ravenous Wolves. But The Twins Bravery Has Unforeseen Results When A Visiting Scientist Witnesses Their Startling Metamorphosis And Becomes Obsessed With Their Capture. To Protect Their Children, Sean And Yana Send Them To Stay With A Powerful Family Friend On An Orbiting Space Station. But No One Realizes How Curious Ronan And Murel Are To Discover The Origins Of Their Shape-Shifting Talent And That Their Search For Knowledge Will Place Them Squarely In The Path Of Peril. Meanwhile Petaybee Is Changing And Much Faster Than An Ordinary Planet S Natural Evolution. It Appears That Portions Of The Sea Are Heating Up And A Landmass Is Suddenly Rising From The Depths. To Investigate The Startling Occurrence, Sean Heads Out To The Open Water In His Seal Form. But The Newly Unstable Region Holds Untold Mysteries And The Potential For Disaster.
What do You think about Changelings (2006)?
McCaffrey & Scarborough return to the world of their Petaybee Series with this first book in a new series. Picking up where the first series left off, the book focuses on the early life of the twins born to Sean and Yanaba. The twins begin to learn about their sentient planet and their ability to shapeshift into seals, but when they become overly curious at the age of 8, they run into trouble with curious scientists poking about. In the meantime, Petaybee itself has decided to work on a new creation on its surface, and Sean and Yanaba have their hands full dealing with it. Consequently, the twins are shipped off to school with a family friend, only to find themselves in worst trouble than before. This was a good start to a new series, and it ended on a cliffhanger, so I'm curious and ready for the next one!
—Marissa
It would help to have read the original Petaybee books before reading this. I have read them, but long enough ago that I wished I remembered some of the details better. That said, I enjoyed this new series from McCaffrey and Scarborough. It begins with the birth of twins, part of a new generation on the sentient planet Petaybee. They are selkies, who can change into seals in the water, like their father. As they get older, they long to escape the restrictions put on them by their parents to protect them from ill-meaning people who wish to "study" them. They are sent to live on a space station in the care of a family friend, but evildoers catch up with them there. They are sent home in the nick of time and use their unique talents to help rescue their father. Some interesting side characters include Sky the otter who befriends them and Ke-ola, a young man of Hawaiian descent who helps solve another problem on Petaybee. Recommended.
—Kris
These were two of my favorite writers as a teenager and young adult, so I was very interested to catch up on some of the works I missed over the last few years. I don’t remember a lot of the details of the series preceding this one, but enough came back to me as I was reading to be able to follow along.I enjoyed the book overall and continue to appreciate their writing style, although I do think this particular book would appeal more to a younger audience, especially as the story focuses on the main characters early lives up to about age 10.
—Trish
