Book Review: The Cloud Roads

By Sandy Amazeen Mar 15, 2011, 22:33 GMT

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 ...more

An orphan with no clear memories of his family or people, Moon hides his ability to shapeshift into a grand winged creature because the form reminds the tribes of an evil race known as the Fell. Moon’s world is populated by a variety of races, each one with distinct physical differences, all of them terrified of the Fell and failing to understand Moon is one of the Raksura. Life doesn’t get any easier for Moon when he eventually finds his people, for one thing, their backstabbing politics leave him reeling and for another, they are the latest target of the Fell. Between moving his new family to a safer location and rescuing several kidnapped children, Moon has his hands full even as he comes to realize the Fell have had their sights on him for a very long time, but for what purpose.

With the diversity of races, politics and landscapes, Wells has created a complex backdrop in the Three Worlds that begs further exploration. Plenty of cliffhanger action, grand battles and internal struggles keep the storyline taut. The main characters are nicely developed but most of the secondary characters lack enough development to feel any real connection to them. Moon is someone most readers will empathize with as he struggles to find himself and then succeeds in pulling off daring feats in the face of adversity. This is a treat.