Now that the bailiwick outbreaks have been handled by Little Blue's
all-woman peacekeeping force in Book I, "The Kanshou," a new threat to
the planet emerges. The human species may be following in the footsteps
of animal life, which deserted the planet on "Empty Monday" in the year
2021. Little Blue's children are dying – in some cases, just after
birth. In other cases, the children range from several years old to
teenagers and exhibit no apparent signs of illness. In fact, they greet
Death as a friend and go willingly, in song, singly or in groups.
Magister
Zella Terremotto Adverb and her sister magisters Lin-ci Win and Flossie
Yotoma Lutu – anchored in their Code of the Kanshou and their
responsibility to govern Little Blue – find themselves in an unexpected
alliance with Jezebel Stronglaces and her followers. Previously, these
camps had been at odds regarding support of the Testing and Protocols
that seek to identify and surgically eliminate a physical cause for
violence in the planet's habitantes, those who have committed violent
acts.
Just how much of this alliance is based on the fact that
Zude and Jez were lovers at the Amah Academy in their youth is one of
the tantalizing aspects of Book II. As are the dramatic and
soul-chaging realizations they bring each other regarding the global
threat to Little Blue's children and the spirit of all human life that
the children represent.
In this time when technology transforms
complicated planetary operations with instantaneous data exchange
through the glow of an I.D. sensor, following the heart still remains
the best approach for a civilization's salvation. As the Heart of the
Kanshou struggle to discover the link between the children's deaths,
the animals' disappearance, and whether or not humans can forgo
violence within their collective spirit, Zude and Jez face unexpected
dangers on land and at sea. They are each transformed in ways that
determine the fate of Little Blue.
Ultimately, the magic of
"going shy" reveals an ending to Book II that will surprise and startle
readers of this action-packed and philosophically challenging second
segment of the trilogy by Sally Miller Gearhart.
