The Flight of Mavin Manyshaped

Sheri S. Tepper 1985 Buy from Amazon.com

The Flight of Mavin Manyshaped is the second novel in the Chronicles of Mavin Manyshaped trilogy, which follows the adventures of Mavin, mother to Peter from the True Game trilogy. This book is unusual in that it is not from Mavin’s point of view, but from that of Beedie, a girl who lives in a giant chasm, spanned by bridgetowns and living off the roots of giant trees from above. Mavin has been searching for her lost sister Handbright for fifteen years, ever since leaving their brother Mertyn with the Seer Wondlow.

Her search has taken her across the sea, to land without Gamesmen and with it’s own peculiar culture. Handbright has ended up deep in the chasm, kept by the religious caste as a sign from their God. Beedie and Mavin decide to adventure together to solve a problem the bridge people are having.

Beedie discovers the truth behind some of the legends of her people, including the true story of Lostbridge, known as Waterlight, and what is really at the bottom of the chasm. There are some interesting creatures down there, and they raise questions about what it means to be human and to have human emotions.

This novel is quite a departure from the other books set in the world of the Game, but it contains just as much wonder and complexity as the others. People here do not have Talents, do not Game, but they have their own problems and society that encompasses their entire world. The story told by Beedie is entrancing and certainly up to the high standard of the other novels.

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