BOOK REVIEW by K.

Children Of The Shaman by Jessica Rydill

In an Eastern-European land, a 13 year-old girl and her 18 year-old brother travel to live with the father they barely know.

Their dad is serving as a doctor in a frontier town while secretly investigating murders connected with the expansion of the steam-powered railroad. He is also a bisexual shaman, and the girl shares his magic powers. Her brother dislikes their dad and, seeking his mother's people, disappears into a parallel world ruled by an evil nature goddess. The girl, her father, and a married couple who are his friends, pursue her brother.

What's fascinating is the "Wanderer" folk (to which the girl’s family belongs) are modeled on the Hasidic Jews. The native people, who distrust the Wanderers, resemble French-Christians. Both the dad and the girl are three-dimensional: cranky, arrogant, and also brave and well-meaning. The author doesn't shy away from complex, painful situations: the dad and his best friend's wife fall in love with each other. The potential for pain and betrayal creates great suspense. A fascinating book. 

This story gives us a refreshing break from the worn-out fantasy cliché of the medieval, white, Northern European, heterosexual patriarchy.  Look for the sequel, The Glass Mountain .