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Sunwaifs
The children of catastrophe, they were humankind's greatest threat -and only hope!
214 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 29, 2016
My younger sister, being made of awesome, of course found me several of Scyoc's books recently (see my latest In My Mailbox post) that I had thought lost to time and space (thanks to a mishap during a move almost a decade ago that resulted in me losing an entire box of books). I hadn't read Sunwaifs before it was lost so I was excited to read it now.
The one thing you have to understand about Scyoc's books is that they tend to involve very little aggressive conflicts. More often then not the conflicts arise from a miscommunication of beliefs/lifestyles or lack of harmony. From the four books I've read of hers previously the most violence I've come across has been in Darkchild (Book 1 in the Darkchild Trilogy) and again that was because the people that Darkchild was sent from were a people of conquerors invading a relatively more passive race.
Sunwaifs begins at the end, sort of. Nadd is our first narrator and he begins by telling us about how he worries for the new generation. He recounts the hardships the original colonists had to endure their first years on Destiny--a planet that had seemed at first so perfect, but quickly proved itself to be anything but. His intentions is to leave a logbook for the next generations so that they may be able to avert the disaster he sees brewing. To this end he asks an...aquiantence of his for help in writing the log book. I hesitate to call them friends, or companions, because in truth the six original 'Sunwaifs' aren't really.
Each original Sunwaif has an extraordinary gift, bestowed upon them while in the womb by the radiation of Destiny's sun. This both saved them and cursed them, marking them as different in a world of dogmatic people who had given up hope and nutured their bitter, hard lives.
As the story unfolds we meet the other four Sunwaifs--Feliss, Trebble, Ronna and Herrol--and watch as each matures and wants different things. But always are they connected, by a bond they can't break no matter what.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I'm glad I'm reading it now, since I think the pacing and narrative style would have irritated me when I was younger and first bought it. My tastes have matured and I appreciate novels that build a world so intricately and expand about characters so deeply. The chapters alternate between Nadd and Corrie as they discuss important events and happenings during a year or stretch of years. While both have a similiar yearning undertone to their 'voices' in all other mannerisms they are different. Nadd has a faintly pessimistic quality to his narrative, as if he's resigned to the failure of the plan, but will persist anyway. Corrie is more pragmatic--believing in the force of their wills and strength of their bond to make a difference. In no way is she optimistic--even she thinks things may have been left too long.
While we don't 'hear' things from the other four's first person voice, their feelings and personalities are saturated in the narrative. Trebble who disappears now and again, Ronna who heals others, Feliss who is mischievous and inquisitive and Herrol who is steadfast and sure. You can feel the affection each feels for the others, but also the irritation that the bond forces onto them.
Definitely a book to read whether you are a teen or an adult--also a good way to begin your journey into Sydney J. Van Scyoc's worlds!
The one thing you have to understand about Scyoc's books is that they tend to involve very little aggressive conflicts. More often then not the conflicts arise from a miscommunication of beliefs/lifestyles or lack of harmony. From the four books I've read of hers previously the most violence I've come across has been in Darkchild (Book 1 in the Darkchild Trilogy) and again that was because the people that Darkchild was sent from were a people of conquerors invading a relatively more passive race.
Sunwaifs begins at the end, sort of. Nadd is our first narrator and he begins by telling us about how he worries for the new generation. He recounts the hardships the original colonists had to endure their first years on Destiny--a planet that had seemed at first so perfect, but quickly proved itself to be anything but. His intentions is to leave a logbook for the next generations so that they may be able to avert the disaster he sees brewing. To this end he asks an...aquiantence of his for help in writing the log book. I hesitate to call them friends, or companions, because in truth the six original 'Sunwaifs' aren't really.
Each original Sunwaif has an extraordinary gift, bestowed upon them while in the womb by the radiation of Destiny's sun. This both saved them and cursed them, marking them as different in a world of dogmatic people who had given up hope and nutured their bitter, hard lives.
As the story unfolds we meet the other four Sunwaifs--Feliss, Trebble, Ronna and Herrol--and watch as each matures and wants different things. But always are they connected, by a bond they can't break no matter what.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I'm glad I'm reading it now, since I think the pacing and narrative style would have irritated me when I was younger and first bought it. My tastes have matured and I appreciate novels that build a world so intricately and expand about characters so deeply. The chapters alternate between Nadd and Corrie as they discuss important events and happenings during a year or stretch of years. While both have a similiar yearning undertone to their 'voices' in all other mannerisms they are different. Nadd has a faintly pessimistic quality to his narrative, as if he's resigned to the failure of the plan, but will persist anyway. Corrie is more pragmatic--believing in the force of their wills and strength of their bond to make a difference. In no way is she optimistic--even she thinks things may have been left too long.
While we don't 'hear' things from the other four's first person voice, their feelings and personalities are saturated in the narrative. Trebble who disappears now and again, Ronna who heals others, Feliss who is mischievous and inquisitive and Herrol who is steadfast and sure. You can feel the affection each feels for the others, but also the irritation that the bond forces onto them.
Definitely a book to read whether you are a teen or an adult--also a good way to begin your journey into Sydney J. Van Scyoc's worlds!
August 5, 2019
This was an odd one. I enjoyed it even though I was never sure if it was going to end well. I'm not sure the science would work in the real world; however, if we ignore that, it was satisfying.
May 6, 2015
I've been going through some books that have been hanging around forever in my house, never read (at least by me) in an effort to thin the herd just a bit. I remember acquiring this one way back when I was trying out membership in the Science Fiction Book Club. It’s not one I would specifically request so I suspect it was one that arrived at my home because I hadn’t turned in the form in time that said don’t send me the three “special” books of the month.
And as so often when I read those sorts of books, this one didn’t really do it for me. Even though it’s science fiction, it reads much more like fantasy. It takes place in the far future on a planet called Destiny, settled by people from Earth who wanted to escape technology. The author certainly put a lot of thought and effort into the world building…way too much because all of the detail of the world, the vibrant colors, the strange foliage, etc. really got in the way of the story. The plot revolves around six children, the “Sunwaifs”, who have absorbed the essence of the planet somehow and have special powers. One has magical healing powers, one can command the trees and grasses, one child is at home with the birds, etc. That could be a pretty cool concept. The story covers their childhood through adolescence as their powers grow. They must not only learn about themselves but how they fit in among the rest of the populace and with each other.
The style can best be described as lyrical I think. It felt like I was swimming in a water color painting the whole time, constantly being bombarded with too many details of lavendar skies and golden sunlight, trying to grasp what was driving the plot and trying to understand the six children and what made them special. Unfortunately, the style didn’t help me much so I found my mind wandering a little too often and no doubt missed some of the key elements of the novel. That’s never a good sign but I kept plugging away just to see how these kids would end up, even though I really didn’t care too much. I don’t plan to seek out other works by this author but that is not to say that others might not find a better fit with the writing style and enjoy it quite a lot.
And as so often when I read those sorts of books, this one didn’t really do it for me. Even though it’s science fiction, it reads much more like fantasy. It takes place in the far future on a planet called Destiny, settled by people from Earth who wanted to escape technology. The author certainly put a lot of thought and effort into the world building…way too much because all of the detail of the world, the vibrant colors, the strange foliage, etc. really got in the way of the story. The plot revolves around six children, the “Sunwaifs”, who have absorbed the essence of the planet somehow and have special powers. One has magical healing powers, one can command the trees and grasses, one child is at home with the birds, etc. That could be a pretty cool concept. The story covers their childhood through adolescence as their powers grow. They must not only learn about themselves but how they fit in among the rest of the populace and with each other.
The style can best be described as lyrical I think. It felt like I was swimming in a water color painting the whole time, constantly being bombarded with too many details of lavendar skies and golden sunlight, trying to grasp what was driving the plot and trying to understand the six children and what made them special. Unfortunately, the style didn’t help me much so I found my mind wandering a little too often and no doubt missed some of the key elements of the novel. That’s never a good sign but I kept plugging away just to see how these kids would end up, even though I really didn’t care too much. I don’t plan to seek out other works by this author but that is not to say that others might not find a better fit with the writing style and enjoy it quite a lot.
June 26, 2025
This was freaking bananas, and I am very glad I grabbed it out of a used bookstore in Dayton, OH. The cover is wild but really does not do it justice.
In the far future, a religious group has colonized a planet, only to find the planet really does not want them there. The local soil rejects their crops, mold spores cause madness, and the whole sect descends to grim survival. Then six children are born with a special connection to the forces that govern the planet. Will they save the colony or destroy it? Or some secret third thing?
That's the plot, but the writing style really embodies the feeling of struggle ... against the children's destinies, against the resistance of the planet, against the sect's traditions. The book summons the feeling of being an emo preteen and maps it onto a story of planetary survival.
In the far future, a religious group has colonized a planet, only to find the planet really does not want them there. The local soil rejects their crops, mold spores cause madness, and the whole sect descends to grim survival. Then six children are born with a special connection to the forces that govern the planet. Will they save the colony or destroy it? Or some secret third thing?
That's the plot, but the writing style really embodies the feeling of struggle ... against the children's destinies, against the resistance of the planet, against the sect's traditions. The book summons the feeling of being an emo preteen and maps it onto a story of planetary survival.
April 13, 2023
The planet is the last hope of the colonists. At first it seems very well suited for their needs. But then a big storm wreaks havoc. Then mushrooms start growing and their spores make the cattle go crazy. And so on.
Damned! Another book that I did not finish. This happens too often recently. Why this time? The idea of the book was interesting: A human colony on a planet that is much more hostile than it first seemed.
But I disliked the style of the book. Van Scyoc uses strange metaphors and strange literary constructs. Also there was not much happening. After 55 pages the mutant children are still children, they haven't really developed their abilities. And they are an unappealing lot. Bickering, hostile, even among themselves.
I had no fun reading this book so I quit.
Damned! Another book that I did not finish. This happens too often recently. Why this time? The idea of the book was interesting: A human colony on a planet that is much more hostile than it first seemed.
But I disliked the style of the book. Van Scyoc uses strange metaphors and strange literary constructs. Also there was not much happening. After 55 pages the mutant children are still children, they haven't really developed their abilities. And they are an unappealing lot. Bickering, hostile, even among themselves.
I had no fun reading this book so I quit.
December 19, 2016
I would give this book 3.5 stars... though there was at times too much fluff/redundant imagery, the story was much better than I had anticipated. I found it in a pile of old dusty books at work and was drawn to the beautiful cover illustration. This is a sci-fi/fantasy story that tackles the concepts of isolation/exile, religion, discovery, stewardship (to the Earth) and community... something much unexpected from this tiny YA book. Overall a fun, quick read... I kind of wish it continued into more of the story beyond the short epilogue. I might start to read more from this author.
April 16, 2009
I read this book for the first time about 10 years ago. While this isn't the normal genre that I read, I picked it up on a whim, and was not disappointed. The characters are powerful, and for a 'young adult' book, I thought it was wonderfully written. I would recommend this to anyone. It's a fast, easy read, that you will enjoy.
Read
May 19, 2012Once upon a time there were book clubs, which were basically marketing ploys. You got books at a "discount" but you had to order about one a month. I got this one. Don't remember much about it.
September 27, 2013
Wouldn't necessarily recommend, but an intriguing concept and interesting characters.
February 10, 2016
Not a good book at all. The story and characters seem washed out with no direction. Not recommended
January 16, 2018
Read January 1981
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews