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Summary
Summary
Young Alex is a slave. But recognized for his potential as an Animist, he is bought by his college and begins rigorous training. Now, Alex must begin his quest for his Anim-the animal with whom he will bond.
Alex hopes it will be an extraordinary creature that will help him earn the money he needs to buy his freedom. Unfortunately, his Anim turns out to be . . . well, not nearly what he had hoped. But as Alex finds himself caught in one misadventure after another, he will learn-and learn to appreciate-that there is more to his Anim than meets the eye.
Author Notes
Eve Forward lives in the state of Washington.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
As predictable as it may beÄa coming-of-age ramble quest through a weird world where bonded human-animal pairs battle dread black magical forcesÄthis launch novel for Forward's new fantasy trilogy steps out smartly from her earlier Villains by Necessity. Upon graduation from the College of Animism, where he seems to have majored in manure shoveling, 16-year-old, five-feet-tall Alex first seeks out his Anim, an empathetic animal that will allow him to detect and elude the magicians who are bent on destroying the rational-scientific Animists, believers that all things have souls. Alex's Anim turns out to be the tiny rat Mote, one of Forward's most appealing characters, who constantly preserves Alex from blundering into annihilation. Rigged out with the customary complement of companionsÄTemith, a world-weary, old scholar; a glamorous Princess Celine to adore from afar; a Pattonesque giant saurian generalÄAlex and Mote take on the job of freeing the Rodeni, a small rodentlike race that has been enslaved for centuries by wicked Humani. Forward is capable of some luscious descriptive passages, especially in her scenes of the gloriously intelligent Delphini rollicking through sparkling tropical seas, and she draws both her people and nonpeople with taste and sympathy, leaving plenty of room for Alex's further adventures. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Forward launches another fantasy trilogy--at least. Alex, a recent graduate of the College of Animism, embarks on a quest for his Anim, or animal with which he will bond and with whose aid he will be able to detect and resist magic. His search is something of a survival quest, too, because Alex is a slave of the college, purchased because of his talents in magic, and he needs to purchase his freedom or face a singularly nasty death. On his quest, he gathers about him a handful of comrades, on the whole well drawn by Forward. Together, he and they journey through a competently and often imaginatively constructed world. The recent fantasy fiction Animist most closely recalls is L. E. Modesitt's Recluce saga, specifically in its rationality about magic, its general intelligence, and its sometimes distinctly slow pacing. --Roland Green
Library Journal Review
Sold to the College of Animism as a child, Alex graduates and embarks on a spirit quest to seek an animal to power his magic. His journey through a world inhabited by numerous nonhuman races involves him in a series of intrigues that result in the fall of a kingdom and the discovery of his own worth. Forward (Villains by Necessity) offers a fresh and imaginative view of magic and mayhem in this first book of a projected trilogy. Recommended for most fantasy collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.