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Changelings: Book One of The Twins of Petaybee

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Overview

With three acclaimed novels-Powers That Be, Power Lines, and Power Play-bestselling authors Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough launched a vibrant new science-fiction saga that told the story of a sentient planet, Petaybee, and the humans who fought to protect it from the rapacious designs of an all-powerful interstellar corporation determined to exploit the icy world's natural resources. Led by Yana Maddock and Sean Shongili, Petaybee's protectors prevailed. But now Petaybee is changing in mysterious, unprecedented ways, and the return of off-world scientists threatens the amazing planet and its equally amazing inhabitants with new dangers.CHANGELINGSThey are Ronan Born for Water Shongili and Murel Monster Slayer Shongili. Twin brother and sister. Children of Yana and Sean. Children of Petaybee. As such, theirs is a destiny deeply intertwined with the sentient planet that is their home.

Editorial Reviews

Those familiar with McCaffrey and Scarborough's first SF trilogy about life on the sentient planet Petaybee will best appreciate this solid start of a new series, which picks up where Power Play (1995) left off. Murel and Ronan, the precocious twins born to Maj. Yanaba Maddock-Shongili, administrator of Petaybee, and geneticist/selkie Dr. Sean Shongili, lead an idyllic, if frigid, life on the icy planet for their first eight years. Protected by their snow leopard and track-cat nannies, they change into seals, play with otters and telepathically communicate with each other and the fauna. When it appears their abilities have aroused the sinister interest of off-world scientists, they're sent to live on a space station with a family friend. Fast-paced adventure follows as the twins thwart their enemies and further deal with their selkie natures. Flat characterization, anthropomorphic animals, sentimentality and simplistic takes on various cultures (including Inuit, Irish and Hawaiian) make this novel best suited for those with a taste for less-sophisticated SF. (Dec.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

Author Information

Bio of Anne McCaffrey

Anne McCaffrey, the Hugo Award--winning author of the bestselling Dragonriders of Pern novels, is one of science fiction's most popular authors. She lives in a house of her own design, Dragonhold-Underhill, in County Wicklow, Ireland.

Bio of Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Elizabeth Ann Scarborough grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, and went into the Bethany Hospital School of Nursing after high school. Afterward she joined the Army Nurse Corps, and served in Vietnam. The novel that came out of that experience, The Healer's War, won the 1989 Nebula Award for best novel. Afterward she came back to the world and settled in Alaska, where she wrote the first of her more than thirty published novels while also working toward her History degree. Currently she lives, writes, and beads in the Pacific Northwest. Her novels include three of the Petaybee books, co-written with Anne McCaffrey, as well as the last several books in the bestselling Acorna series. Her solo novels include The Lady in the Loch, Channeling Cleopatra, and the sequel Cleopatra 7.2.

Customer Reviews

  • 4 stars out of 5A very good free e-book download

    Posted September 29, 2009 by MB, Texas

    I liked this book and plan to read the next two in the series.

  • 1 star out of 5Well at least it was a free download.

    Posted September 30, 2009 by Bob in Glendale, Glendale, AZ

    I downloaded this book with high hopes because of the Authors. What a disappointment to start reading and find the main characters the "Changlings" are just kids that turn into glorified seals when they are in or are exposed to water. Brings back memories of the lamest two super heros in the Justice League - The Wonder Twins.

    I pushed on thinking that a living planet - a thinking planet.. hmm that could be interesting. I wonder where they are going with this. Answer... Nowhere. It was a freee download, so I am not too upset. The only thing I lost is my time.

Additional Info

Imprint

Ballantine Books

Filesize

802.90 KB

Number of Pages

288

eBook ISBN

9780345490995

Excerpt from: Changelings by Anne McCaffrey

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 every sort of good luck.

As Sean opened the door, Nanook, his black-and-white track cat, and Coaxtl, his niece Aoifa's snow leopard, slid into the nursery. Nanook took a place under the boy's cot, while Coaxtl, after one long look at her charge, flopped beside the girl's.

"The sentries are on the job," Sean said, and continued to push his wife to the door.

"I just never thought I'd have children," Yana said, looking back over her shoulder at her twins even as Sean closed the door behind her. He left it slightly ajar so they could hear the babies if they cried out or if one of the cats needed to go out or get their attention.