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Zusatztext Praise for Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough “Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough collaborate seamlessly to tell a first-rate sf adventure with strong male and female protagonists and a life-affirming theme.” –Library Journal! on Power Lines “Well-handled far-future speculation on ecological engineering and planetary consciousness . . . agreeably colorful! well-realized adventure.” –Kirkus Reviews! on Powers That Be “May be the riveting saga’s most exciting episode yet. . . . The writing and characterization as well as the infusions of Celtic and Inuit lore remain of high quality.” –Booklist! on Power Play Informationen zum Autor Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough Klappentext "[A] solid start of a new series . . . fast-paced adventure."-Publishers Weekly Twin brother and sister Ronan and Murel are true children of Petaybee! the sentient planet that is their home. Like their father! they are changelings! able to converse telepathically with creatures and to transform into seals. The Petaybeans wish to protect the twins from curious scientists! but no one realizes that Ronan and Murel hunger to discover the origins of their shape-shifting talent-and that their search for knowledge will place them in the path of peril. Meanwhile! Petaybee is changing. To investigate its sudden evolution! the twins' father heads out to the open water in his seal form-and is presumed lost. Only Ronan and Murel! with their remarkable talents of transformation! can hope to find him and bring him home . . . if they dare to risk exposure and face the dangers of the newly unstable sea. "The story is exciting and generously laced with humor! but besides those qualities! the characters . . . and their interactions are so well realized as to utterly charm readers."-Booklist Chapter 1 The Shongili twins gave almost simultaneous burps of repletion--the boy on his mother's shoulder and the girl on her father's--and were carefully laid on their backs on their fur-lined cots. Sean and Yanaba made no move to leave the nursery, unable to leave the sight of their offspring, safely delivered just a few hours earlier. The babies looked up at their parents, their dark pewter eyes as brightly focused as those of any bird. Each already wore a soft crown of deep brown downy hair, but Yana would have been hard pressed to decide whose nose or cheeks they had. Everything was still rounded and squashy, unformed and utterly adorable. Even their contented gurgles sounded for all the world like the chortle of a small and active brook swirling among stones. "Listen to them," Yana said fondly. "They sound as if they're laughing." Then, "I thought it took longer than that for babies to do things like laugh." Sean shrugged. "Babies who are always and entirely human perhaps. But a selkie's development is a bit different. Faster in some ways. I don't recall when exactly I developed what, but I do recall being aware of my surroundings almost at once. But as to the details, well, too bad my parents aren't still around to advise us." But Yana, lost in wonder at the perfection of her children, answered him only with a dreamy glance. "It's almost too much joy for one person to bear," she murmured, feeling tears come to her eyes. Sean took her in his arms. "Then let's share it. I smell food, and you're still feeding two--one at a time." He gave her a hug and a cuddle and, one arm draped on her shoulders, propelled her gently toward the door of the cube they had hastily attached to one side of the cabin to serve as a nursery. It was spare and spartan except for the furred cots, for it was the custom in Kilcoole to refrain from giving expecting parents items for their unborn children. A superstition really, but since Yana, before conceiving, had thought herself well past childbearing age, it seemed wise to encourage ever...
