The Cloud Roads (Books of the Raksura Series #1)

by Martha Wells

Overview

Moon has spent his life hiding what he is — a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself... someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community. What this stranger doesn't tell Moon is that his presence will tip the balance of power... that his extraordinary lineage is crucial to the colony's survival... and that his people face extinction at the hands of the dreaded Fell! Now Moon must overcome a lifetime of conditioning in order to save and himself... and his newfound kin.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781597803038
Publisher:	Night Shade Books
Publication date:	03/01/2011
Series:	Books of the Raksura Series , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	300
Sales rank:	65,281
File size:	463 KB

About the Author

Martha Wells was born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1964, and has a BA in anthropology from Texas A&M University. She is the author of ten previous novels, including The Cloud Roads, The Element of Fire, Wheel of the Infinite, the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy, and the Nebula-nominated The Death of the Necromancer. She has also had short fiction published in Realms of Fantasy, Black Gate Magazine, Lone Star Stories, and the Tsunami Relief anthology Elemental, and has articles in the non-fiction anthologies Farscape Forever and Mapping the World of Harry Potter. She lives in College Station, Texas, with her husband.

Editorial Reviews

Moon's world is populated by many different intelligent species (none of them human), and he has never known which one he belongs to. Orphaned at a young age, he's wandered from tribe to tribe, hiding a dangerous secret. Like the universally hated Fell, whose only aims are slaughter and conquest, Moon can fly—which leads to predictably violent cases of mistaken identity. When he does find his own people, the Raksura, life doesn't get any easier, since their internal politics are vicious, and they too are in imminent danger from the Fell. Cue hairsbreadth escapes and feats of derring-do, as Moon helps his new family evacuate their doomed colony and then rescues a group of kidnapped children. Wells (The Gate of Gods) merrily ignores genre conventions as she spins an exciting adventure around an alien hero who anyone can identify with. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Cloud Roads and The Books of the Raksura
"Breathtakingly surprising and fun. Wells is a master worldbuilder.”—The New York Times

“The Cloud Roads has wildly original world-building, diverse and engaging characters, and a thrilling adventure plot. It’s that rarest of fantasies: fresh and surprising, with a story that doesn’t go where ten thousand others have gone before.”—N. K. Jemisin, author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

“Truly inventive and stunningly imaginative world building perfectly melded with vivid, engaging characters make the Books of the Raksura one of my all-time favorite science-fiction series.”—Kate Elliott, author of the Crown of Stars series

"That rarity—a completely unique and stunning fantasy world.”—Hugo Award-winning author Elizabeth Bear

“Martha Wells writes fantasy the way it was meant to be—poignant, evocative, and astonishing. Prepare to be captivated 'til the sun comes up.”—Kameron Hurley, author of The Mirror Empire and God's War

“With these books Wells is writing at the top of her game, and given their breadth, originality, complexity, this series is showing indications it could become one of the landmark series of the genre.”—Adventures Fantastic

“An imaginative world of engaging characters . . . the dramatic battles, tough decisions, and character dynamics shine through.”—Publishers Weekly

“Martha Wells' Raksura books are dense, and complex, with truly amazing world building, and non-human characters who are quite genuinely alien, yet still comprehensible and sympathetic.”—Kelly McCullough, author of the WebMage series and the Fallen Blade novels
 

Praise for The Cloud Roads and The Books of the Raksura
"Breathtakingly surprising and fun. Wells is a master worldbuilder.”—The New York Times

“The Cloud Roads has wildly original world-building, diverse and engaging characters, and a thrilling adventure plot. It’s that rarest of fantasies: fresh and surprising, with a story that doesn’t go where ten thousand others have gone before.“—N. K. Jemisin, author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

“Truly inventive and stunningly imaginative world building perfectly melded with vivid, engaging characters make the Books of the Raksura one of my all-time favorite science-fiction series.”—Kate Elliott, author of the Crown of Stars series

"That rarity—a completely unique and stunning fantasy world.”—Hugo Award-winning author Elizabeth Bear

“Martha Wells writes fantasy the way it was meant to be—poignant, evocative, and astonishing. Prepare to be captivated 'til the sun comes up.”—Kameron Hurley, author of The Mirror Empire and God's War

“With these books Wells is writing at the top of her game, and given their breadth, originality, complexity, this series is showing indications it could become one of the landmark series of the genre.”—Adventures Fantastic

“An imaginative world of engaging characters . . . the dramatic battles, tough decisions, and character dynamics shine through.”—Publishers Weekly

“Martha Wells' Raksura books are dense, and complex, with truly amazing world building, and non-human characters who are quite genuinely alien, yet still comprehensible and sympathetic.”—Kelly McCullough, author of the WebMage series and the Fallen Blade novels

From the Publisher

For most of his life, Moon has hidden his shape-shifting nature from the human tribe that sheltered him. When his secret is discovered, he is cast out and rescued by another winged shape-shifter who introduces him to a new world and a common foe: the winged, malevolent creatures known as the Fell. Wells (The Death of the Necromancer) has created a new world of dragonlike shape-shifters and human tribes that could serve as the background for future novels in this exotic setting. VERDICT Concise storytelling and believable characters make this a good addition to most fantasy collections.

Library Journal