The Prince Who Fell from the Sky

by John Claude Bemis

Overview

In Casseomae's world, the wolves rule the Forest, and the Forest is everywhere. The animals tell stories of the Skinless Ones, whose cities and roads once covered the earth, but the Skinless disappeared long ago.

Casseomae is content to live alone, apart from the other bears in her tribe, until one of the ancients' sky vehicles crashes to the ground, and from it emerges a Skinless One, a child. Rather than turn him over to the wolves, Casseomae chooses to protect this human cub, to find someplace safe for him to live. But where among the animals will a human child be safe? And is Casseomae threatening the safety of the Forest and all its tribes by protecting him?

Middle-grade fans of postapocalyptic fiction are in for a treat with this fanciful and engaging animal story by the author of the Clockwork Dark trilogy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375898044
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/22/2012
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

JOHN CLAUDE BEMIS is the author of the Clockwork Dark, a fantasy-steampunk trilogy composed of The Nine Pound Hammer, The Wolf Tree, and The White City. His books have been described as "original and fresh" and "a unique way of creating fantasy." John lives with his wife and daughter in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Visit John's website at johnclaudebemis.com.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

The Forest was green with summer when the bear lumbered up from the creek bed where she had been cooling off. As she crested the bank, she paused to sniff. The air was heavy with the scent of new life.

Moist smells. Earthy smells. Flowery smells.

And mixed with them was the sweet aroma of death.

The bear's coppery-black body was massive, and it was nothing for her to push aside saplings and tangles of creeper as she followed her nose toward the carcass.

The odor grew ripe. She hurried, loping through a bed of the relics rusting among the laurels. She drew in a deep sniff and stopped.

She had found it. But she was not alone.

She edged out from the thicket of laurels. A trio of cubs tumbled on the ground. At the sight of Casseomae, they squealed and ran clumsily toward their mother, who was eating from a day-old elk, her face buried in the cavity of the elk's body. She lifted her face at the sound of her cubs. Blood was smeared on her snout and nose. An assembly of crows who were waiting for their turn in the branches of a hickory overhead began jeering with loud caws.

The sow rose and circled around from behind the carcass. "Get behind me, cubs," she growled, and they retreated nervously behind their mother. "You know you are not welcome, Casseomae. I've warned you before."

"I don't mean harm," Casseomae said, dipping her head. "Not to you, Dubhe, or to your cubs. I only thought we might share this--"

Dubhe bounced on stiff front legs and popped her jaws, as their kind would to show menace. "And let you curse my cubs! No, get away from here, witch, before you steal their breath away like you did your own--"

"That's enough, Dubhe!"

Dubhe dipped her nose to the newcomer. "Alioth!"

Dubhe's cubs dropped to their bellies at the sight of their chief. "Big One," they whimpered in unison.

Alioth lumbered forward slowly, his fur looking almost red as he passed through a patch of sunlight. He was not the biggest of their clan, but he had been tough enough and strong enough to convince even the larger males that he was their chief. He was the Big One and had been for several summers now.

"Dubhe," Alioth grumbled as he came closer. "What have I said about that sort of talk? Let us all finish this lucky find together. And with haste before the Ogeema's hunters smell it."

Alioth shuffled over to the elk and bit in greedily, but neither Casseomae nor Dubhe moved. The chief pulled a stretchy piece of tissue and crunched, looking back at the sows.

"Come now," he said. "Don't let grudges dampen your appetites."

Dubhe nudged her cubs to leave. Quickly Casseomae said, "No, let Dubhe share the viand with you, Big One. She has cubs to feed. I'll forage. The Forest is rich. Isn't that what we old sows always say?"

Casseomae trotted off through the trees. She hadn't gotten far before Alioth called out behind her, "Casseomae." When he caught up, the bear chief spoke in a low voice. "You're still mourning. What can I do for you?"

"Nothing, Big One," she replied.

"Don't call me that, Casseomae. You of all my bears don't have to call me that."

She gave a huff. "I'm fine, Alioth. Don't worry about me."

"But I do," the chief said. "I always have."

She bowed her head and turned to go back to her meadow. Alioth called out, "The bear's path is marked by heavy steps. You remember, don't you? You taught me that lesson long ago."

"I remember, Alioth," she said, and lumbered away.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2012:
"A compassionate bear defies everything to save a boy from certain death in this original story blending creation myth with post-apocalyptic and animal-fantasy traditions.

The Forest, where Casseomae hunts, forages and has given birth to several litters of stillborn cubs, is littered with relics of the humans, or Skinless Ones. Ages before, Skinless cut down the trees and nearly drove hunting animals, or voras, into extinction until the Ogeema (wolves) eradicated them. When a human starship crashes in the Forest, Casseomea discovers a human boy in the wreckage. Instinct compels her to save this cub who is “not so different from the ones she lost.” Determined the new Skinless One will “upset the order of the Forest,” the Ogeema pursue Casseomae, who flees with the boy. She is joined by Dumpster, a sassy, street-smart rat, and Pang, an outcast dog. Together they travel along overgrown highways, past abandoned power lines, gas stations and garbage dumps to ruined cities, seeking a safe haven. In contrast to the somewhat bleak social commentary, Casseomae’s unwavering hope for the silent boy in her care never waivers. Appropriately, animal characters are fully developed and complex while the boy remains a pivotal unknown.

Compelling animal fantasy grounded in ecological warnings."

Booklist, May 15, 2012:
"The folklore staple of a human child raised by wild beasts gets a postapocalyptic twist in Bemis’ novel. Humans, known as Skinless Ones, Old Devils, or Companions—depending on who is speaking of them—are supposedly extinct. Their cities are empty and the Forest is now controlled by vicious packs of wolves, who claim to have exterminated the humans, and who maintain a strict hierarchy in which formerly domestic pets are despised by the wild animals. When childless bear Casseomae rescues a boy “cub,” the sole survivor of a spaceship crash, she sets off to find a place where she can raise him in safety, away from the wolves and dogs who wish to claim him alternately as a sacrifice and a savior. This is a thoughtful fantasy, rich in characterization and drama, with a unique language that is simultaneously ancient and familiar. Bemis creates a believable reality in which all that is left of humanity is the oral tradition of rats (who lived among humans without befriending them)—by passing on stories, the rats preserve the truth."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July/August, 2012:

"In this intriguing animal fantasy turned post-apocalyptic tale, an old bear defies the traditions of her world to care for an orphaned human boy. Casseomae’s peaceful ursine existence living and foraging among the ruins of the “Skinless Ones” (i.e., humans, whose dominance over the natural world was finally brought to an end by the wolves long ago) is interrupted when a “metal bird” crashes near her home and the old bear discovers a human boy among the wreckage. Reminded of the many cubs lost to her, Casseomae is drawn to protect the boy, despite the fact that the Forest’s ruler, the wolfish Ogeema, will most certainly want this new Skinless One dead; with the help of a clever but temperamental rat and a faithful dog, Casseomae leaves her territory in search of a safe place to raise the boy herself. This isn’t a warm and fuzzy animal fantasy but a bleak-toned tale of pointed social commentary; the animal characters are deftly drawn, reflecting the strict, heartless survival code that defines their existence, while a few terrifically poignant moments reveal their more benevolent, relatable attributes. Fans of zombie books and other end-of-the-world scenarios will be thrilled by the multiple chase scenes and the death-at-every-turn motif, and the clearly built world and brisk dialogue will make this an easy transition for middle-school readers looking to jump on the YA dystopia bandwagon."

Editorial Reviews

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2012:
"A compassionate bear defies everything to save a boy from certain death in this original story blending creation myth with post-apocalyptic and animal-fantasy traditions.

The Forest, where Casseomae hunts, forages and has given birth to several litters of stillborn cubs, is littered with relics of the humans, or Skinless Ones. Ages before, Skinless cut down the trees and nearly drove hunting animals, or voras, into extinction until the Ogeema (wolves) eradicated them. When a human starship crashes in the Forest, Casseomea discovers a human boy in the wreckage. Instinct compels her to save this cub who is “not so different from the ones she lost.” Determined the new Skinless One will “upset the order of the Forest,” the Ogeema pursue Casseomae, who flees with the boy. She is joined by Dumpster, a sassy, street-smart rat, and Pang, an outcast dog. Together they travel along overgrown highways, past abandoned power lines, gas stations and garbage dumps to ruined cities, seeking a safe haven. In contrast to the somewhat bleak social commentary, Casseomae’s unwavering hope for the silent boy in her care never waivers. Appropriately, animal characters are fully developed and complex while the boy remains a pivotal unknown.

Compelling animal fantasy grounded in ecological warnings."

Booklist, May 15, 2012:
"The folklore staple of a human child raised by wild beasts gets a postapocalyptic twist in Bemis’ novel. Humans, known as Skinless Ones, Old Devils, or Companions—depending on who is speaking of them—are supposedly extinct. Their cities are empty and the Forest is now controlled by vicious packs of wolves, who claim to have exterminated the humans, and who maintain a strict hierarchy in which formerly domestic pets are despised by the wild animals. When childless bear Casseomae rescues a boy “cub,” the sole survivor of a spaceship crash, she sets off to find a place where she can raise him in safety, away from the wolves and dogs who wish to claim him alternately as a sacrifice and a savior. This is a thoughtful fantasy, rich in characterization and drama, with a unique language that is simultaneously ancient and familiar. Bemis creates a believable reality in which all that is left of humanity is the oral tradition of rats (who lived among humans without befriending them)—by passing on stories, the rats preserve the truth."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July/August, 2012:

"In this intriguing animal fantasy turned post-apocalyptic tale, an old bear defies the traditions of her world to care for an orphaned human boy. Casseomae’s peaceful ursine existence living and foraging among the ruins of the “Skinless Ones” (i.e., humans, whose dominance over the natural world was finally brought to an end by the wolves long ago) is interrupted when a “metal bird” crashes near her home and the old bear discovers a human boy among the wreckage. Reminded of the many cubs lost to her, Casseomae is drawn to protect the boy, despite the fact that the Forest’s ruler, the wolfish Ogeema, will most certainly want this new Skinless One dead; with the help of a clever but temperamental rat and a faithful dog, Casseomae leaves her territory in search of a safe place to raise the boy herself. This isn’t a warm and fuzzy animal fantasy but a bleak-toned tale of pointed social commentary; the animal characters are deftly drawn, reflecting the strict, heartless survival code that defines their existence, while a few terrifically poignant moments reveal their more benevolent, relatable attributes. Fans of zombie books and other end-of-the-world scenarios will be thrilled by the multiple chase scenes and the death-at-every-turn motif, and the clearly built world and brisk dialogue will make this an easy transition for middle-school readers looking to jump on the YA dystopia bandwagon."

From the Publisher

A compassionate bear defies everything to save a boy from certain death in this original story blending creation myth with post-apocalyptic and animal-fantasy traditions. The Forest, where Casseomae hunts, forages and has given birth to several litters of stillborn cubs, is littered with relics of the humans, or Skinless Ones. Ages before, Skinless cut down the trees and nearly drove hunting animals, or voras, into extinction until the Ogeema (wolves) eradicated them. When a human starship crashes in the Forest, Casseomea discovers a human boy in the wreckage. Instinct compels her to save this cub who is "not so different from the ones she lost." Determined the new Skinless One will "upset the order of the Forest," the Ogeema pursue Casseomae, who flees with the boy. She is joined by Dumpster, a sassy, street-smart rat, and Pang, an outcast dog. Together they travel along overgrown highways, past abandoned power lines, gas stations and garbage dumps to ruined cities, seeking a safe haven. In contrast to the somewhat bleak social commentary, Casseomae's unwavering hope for the silent boy in her care never waivers. Appropriately, animal characters are fully developed and complex while the boy remains a pivotal unknown. Compelling animal fantasy grounded in ecological warnings. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews