Terzah's Sons by Victoria Copus Author & Book Information: Immanion Press: Terzah's Sons Amazon.com: Terzah's Sons Amazon.co.uk: Terzah's Sons

I suppose not everyone reads for the same reason. I select books which contain certain elements I enjoy, mainly vibrant imagery and interesting characters. A good plot is a bonus, but well-developed characters can cover a multitude of sins. I bought Terzah's Sons because the review on Amazon suggested I would like it, and also because I've read everything else Wraeththu and needed a fix. At the time, I wanted a dose of surrealism. What I found surprised me. It wasn't so much a journey into the fantastic as it was simply an interesting story with a lot of twists and turns, and well developed characters that kept me turning the pages.

To summarize the story, Terzah is a second-generation har of the Kheops tribe who has been displaced from his home and his family to begin a new life with his chesnari and their new harling in post-Varr Megalithica. He has some rather salty opinions about humans in general, and even about many hara. These opinions are challenged when he finds himself playing foster parent to a myriad of orphaned human children, and he must not only overcome his own prejudices, but also deal with the prejudices of those around him in order to accommodate his new family.

At first I didn't think I was going to be able to identify with Terzah. I did not like him at the outset, and the story seemed to be getting off to a slow start. This was short-lived, however, and a lot of things began to happen very quickly. The pace soon evened out, or else I learned to keep up with it. In any case, I was able to sink my teeth into it during the second chapter. It was here the story really began to take shape, with just enough intrigue to make me want to continue reading rather than answer the phone, or eat dinner.

I had begun to like Terzah. I liked his confrontational attitude, which had annoyed me at the beginning. I also liked the way the story was forming, and the fact that the author was not afraid to indulge in certain liberties, such as giving two different characters the same name. This could have been confusing, but it served a purpose, and the author even used it to a humorous outcome at one point.

I was pleased that she threw in certain details to add interest, such as Ezra's motorcycle and Deuel's colorful choices in fashion. I tend to enjoy a lot of clever imagery in a story (details such as that of little Bela chewing on his sleeve, or Telaim's tongue piercing, can add opulence to a scene), but it's always the engaging characters that keep me turning the pages. Ms. Copus did quite a good job of making me feel a vast array of emotions for them, and she allowed them to drive the plot rather than relying on a lot of heavy action and scenery. Don't get me wrong, there is action and scenery, but it doesn't dominate or overwhelm. The story moves at its own pace. It takes enough turns that you mercifully can't predict the ending, but not so many that you become confused. There are fights and moments of compassion, problems and resolutions, romance, mystery, drama, disasters, and even tragedy, and all of it is woven around a central theme.

One additional aspect worth mentioning is Terzah's tribal background, which is suggestive of Native American plains clans. As much as I hate to even try to go into analysis mode on a subject I know nothing about, I have to say that I was impressed that this element of the story was so well researched.

So if you're looking for a novel with a meat-and-potatoes sort of plot or one with a conventional storyline, you won't find it here. What you will find is a well-written story with excellent character development, clever dialogue, and a few surprises. Read it for the entertainment value, or simply as an addendum to the Wraeththu world we all love. It's really just a story about the ups and downs that accompany everyday life, about family, growing up, learning to understand each other and overcoming prejudices.

bout the Author:
Karen Chahbi can be reached at karenchahbi@yahoo.com.