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Maelstrom

Author
Anne McCaffrey
Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Genre
Media
Book
Publisher
Corgi
ISBN
978-055215441
Reviewer
John

Synopsis

The Shongili twins, Ronan and Murel, accompany their friend Marmie on her luxury space craft Piaf to rescue their friend Ke-ola's family from an uninhabitable planet. They arrive to find the planet in the midst of a terrible meteor storm and when they go down to the surface find that the survivors have taken refuge under ground. Ronan and Murel change into seal form and find the survivors and their totem animals or aumakua, the giant turtles, or Honu, and the sharks.Back on Petaybee the twins, in their seal form, escort the Honus to their new home in the middle of the ocean. They also want to warn the otters and seals about the sharks. It is a long journey and Murel falls asleep and gets separated from the rest. She is surrounded by a pod of Orcas who, thinking she is a normal seal, try to eat her. Before they can do so she is caught up in a whirlpool caused by the volcanic activity in the area, as is Ronan, who had swum back to try to rescue her. They are rescued from the whirlpool by the mysterious deep sea otters and taken into their shielded city on the ocean floor.While their leader, Kushtaka, is talking to them her son Jeel sees the sharks and goes to inspect them, Murel races after him but is too late and Jeel is killed. Meanwhile Marmie and her crew are arrested on trumped up charges of kidnapping Ke-ola's family and taken to Gwinnett Incarceration Colony, along with most of the survivors they rescued. When Murel and Ronan return to their family and discover that Marmie has been arrested and the Piaf impounded they realize they need to get off the planet and go to her rescue. While staying with Kushtaka they were told that the deep sea otters were not just otters but beings from outer space who had hidden in the depths of Petaybee's oceans for years. Now that they have been discovered they plan to leave, the twins persuade Kushtaka to take them with her and to help them rescue Marmie.

Review

The collaborations between Anna McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough are always well written with lots to suit readers of all ages. This is no exception with the well rounded characters, beautifully described settings, and believable situations. The attention to detail in creating character history, including ancestral racial traits, makes the links between the characters and real people more believable. The mix of real and made up beliefs, creates the depths of background that you come to expect from such accomplished writers.

My only regret with this book is the way it ends. It is obvious that the adventure continues but the way it is ended leaves you feeling that they have ended it such that you must read the next book to find out how things go. Unlike most of these writers books this one is not complete on its own and must be read as part of the series.

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