Product Description

Planet Bountiful, where humans and aliens live side by side. However, the alienshave their own rituals which are incromprehensible to humans, but children do learn by imitating those around them...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1346972 in Books
• Published on: 1995-06-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Customer Reviews

UNPUTDOWNABLE
Wow! This is one of the best sci-fi books I have ever read. It's a novel about an isolated group of human colonists living on a planet where the native alien species - the Dancers - fascinate the local children to such an extent that they, neglected by their own parents, start to mimick the Dancers' way of life and culture. When this culminates in the horrific murders of a number of the children, the authorities descend - along with the press - and the remaining children are carted off to prison... Then the story really starts...
If you're not a sci-fi fan, don't let this put you off, this book can be read and reread on many levels. It is deeply thought-provoking and moving. It really is one of those rare, unputdownable books you will read more than once, and get something different out of every time.

The best book I have ever read
The title of my review sums this up. It's just fantastic. It's the story of several young children who are arrested and outcast for the murder of other children. It is soon established that they were following the example of the Dancers, the native race of their colony.

The rest of the book after the first two sections deals with the lives of the children after the incident, and how they cope, or don't. The main part of the book focusses on the character of John, as he attempts to solve the mystery of what happened to his friends, and to bring them all to rest. However, the best part of the book is Beth's tale, which is quite early on, and is extremely heart wrenching, and Rusch at her best.

The second half of the book takes on a mystery theme, and is incredibly emotional, as we see how each of the characters fared after their realease from prison. The pure human emotion that Rusch conveys is amazing, as is her way of inducing emotion in her readers. The only criticism I would make is that it is too long, and goes a very long way round at times.

In short, this is a compelling, powerful read, that is just impossible to put down. It will leave you physically and emotionally drained.

A thought provoking, yet absorbing read
Rusch at her best in this tale of how an alien culture is misinterpreted by children in an isolated community, with disastrous consequences. As usual the characters are richly described leaving one with a feeling of great sympathy towards them as the plot unfolds. A bold plot which sometimes jumps around a little too much, but comes together well at the end.