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Kyreol Duology #1-2
Moon-Flash
This omnibus edition combines the acclaimed Patricia A. McKillip's two science-fiction novels, Moon-Flash and The Moon and the Face .
Kyreol's small world begins at the Face, a high rock cliff, and ends at Fourteen Falls, a series of rapids. Each year, her people celebrate Moon-Flash—a spark of light that seems to come from and go into the moon, a symbol of life and joy. When a mysterious stranger arrives, Kyreol wants to know more about him, as well as the Moon-Flash, and soon she and her childhood friend Terje leave their home to look for answers. Those answers will pluck Kyreol from Riverworld and transform her life forever—by fast-forwarding her into a future she can barely comprehend.
Kyreol's small world begins at the Face, a high rock cliff, and ends at Fourteen Falls, a series of rapids. Each year, her people celebrate Moon-Flash—a spark of light that seems to come from and go into the moon, a symbol of life and joy. When a mysterious stranger arrives, Kyreol wants to know more about him, as well as the Moon-Flash, and soon she and her childhood friend Terje leave their home to look for answers. Those answers will pluck Kyreol from Riverworld and transform her life forever—by fast-forwarding her into a future she can barely comprehend.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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About the author
Patricia A. McKillip
93 books2,927 followersPatricia Anne McKillip was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. She wrote predominantly standalone fantasy novels and has been called "one of the most accomplished prose stylists in the fantasy genre". Her work won many awards, including the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 27, 2012
This is a great book. I love the two main characters. They are believable, sweet, smart and funny.
March 19, 2009
I thought Fool's Run was McKillip's only science fiction, but apparently not. I also thought I'd read this at some point when I was younger, but if I did, I have no memory of it at all, not the slightest sense of deja-vu.
Not nearly as obscure and allusive as her later fantasies. I really enjoyed it, so perhaps I haven't really lost my ear for McKillip. Perhaps simpler because it was a Young Adult, but mostly I think her stylistic characteristics were not at that time exaggerated.
One thing that struck me - the "primitive" peoples, cultures on the plain and by the river, worshiping the space-ship so carefully sent out for them, the Moon-Flash - they were like animals in a wildlife preserve. Kept, to study and watch. Kept ignorant. Out of love? The girl, her mother and the boy did grow, I think, leaving their place, they changed and learned. And no-one questioned whether it was reasonable to keep that from the others.
Not nearly as obscure and allusive as her later fantasies. I really enjoyed it, so perhaps I haven't really lost my ear for McKillip. Perhaps simpler because it was a Young Adult, but mostly I think her stylistic characteristics were not at that time exaggerated.
One thing that struck me - the "primitive" peoples, cultures on the plain and by the river, worshiping the space-ship so carefully sent out for them, the Moon-Flash - they were like animals in a wildlife preserve. Kept, to study and watch. Kept ignorant. Out of love? The girl, her mother and the boy did grow, I think, leaving their place, they changed and learned. And no-one questioned whether it was reasonable to keep that from the others.
November 22, 2020
This book consists of two very short novels, Moon-Flash and The Moon and the Face, which is a bit confusing as the omnibus itself is also titled Moon-Flash. The four stars are for Moon-Flash, and I would give three stars at most to The Moon and the Face.
Moon-Flash is a story about Kyreol, a girl who grows up in a (seemingly) ancient tribal society, but her curiosity and desire to explore soon lead her to discover that there are things about her world that go far beyond what her society knows. The overarching idea behind this story is actually quite interesting, which I will not go into here because it would probably be considered a major spoiler, but the fact that this book is classified as science fiction is probably a big clue in and of itself that there is a bigger picture than that which we are presented at the beginning of the story.
The Moon and the Face take a big leap forward and is a giant step into a much more science-fiction-heavy story. In my opinion, this is not where McKillip's story telling excels, but I suppose that it is the logical progression from Moon-Flash. I think the story is a little too ambitious for the book's short 150-page length, and it just did not work for me, especially since we are jumping back and forth between Kyreol's story arch and Terje's for most of it. McKillip could have just not bothered with The Moon and the Face, as Moon-Flash works well as a standalone, but that would result in an extremely small publication, particularly compared to some of the massive tomes that the genre is known for today.
Moon-Flash is a story about Kyreol, a girl who grows up in a (seemingly) ancient tribal society, but her curiosity and desire to explore soon lead her to discover that there are things about her world that go far beyond what her society knows. The overarching idea behind this story is actually quite interesting, which I will not go into here because it would probably be considered a major spoiler, but the fact that this book is classified as science fiction is probably a big clue in and of itself that there is a bigger picture than that which we are presented at the beginning of the story.
The Moon and the Face take a big leap forward and is a giant step into a much more science-fiction-heavy story. In my opinion, this is not where McKillip's story telling excels, but I suppose that it is the logical progression from Moon-Flash. I think the story is a little too ambitious for the book's short 150-page length, and it just did not work for me, especially since we are jumping back and forth between Kyreol's story arch and Terje's for most of it. McKillip could have just not bothered with The Moon and the Face, as Moon-Flash works well as a standalone, but that would result in an extremely small publication, particularly compared to some of the massive tomes that the genre is known for today.
January 1, 2021
This was the second time I've read this book. The first was twenty-five years ago. Then, I was somewhat disappointed that it wasn't as good as Ms. McKillip's Riddlemaster trilogy. Now, I realize it is so different as to be incomparable.
First, it appears to be pure science fiction. A primitive world is kept as a preserve inside a river valley. Two of its members, Kyreol, a young women, daughter of the Healer and Terje, a young fisherman and her childhood friend, leave the world and preserve for the larger and more confusing world outside.
Kyreol is a wonderful character, always asking questions, always seeking what's next around the bend. Terje is like her opposite: calm and steady, assured that the world is only one simple thing, even if he doesn't understand it all.
Together, they journey hundreds of miles downriver in search of answers. They find some, but the answers only lead to more and more questions. And then magic enters the story.
I highly recommend this to lovers of fantasy and science fiction.
First, it appears to be pure science fiction. A primitive world is kept as a preserve inside a river valley. Two of its members, Kyreol, a young women, daughter of the Healer and Terje, a young fisherman and her childhood friend, leave the world and preserve for the larger and more confusing world outside.
Kyreol is a wonderful character, always asking questions, always seeking what's next around the bend. Terje is like her opposite: calm and steady, assured that the world is only one simple thing, even if he doesn't understand it all.
Together, they journey hundreds of miles downriver in search of answers. They find some, but the answers only lead to more and more questions. And then magic enters the story.
I highly recommend this to lovers of fantasy and science fiction.
September 26, 2022
A pleasant, simple story
I read the Moon-Flash omnibus, which contains both "Moon-Flash," and "The Moon and the Face." In honor of Patricia McKillip's passing this year, I've been regearing her classics and reading titles I'd missed. This young adult duology is a collection I had not read before. I found it a pleasant read, but not gripping. I'd recommend Scott Westerfeld's young adult novels over Moon-Flash. But if you'd already read his Uglies series, Midnighters series, and Leviathan series, then go ahead and pick up this title.
I read the Moon-Flash omnibus, which contains both "Moon-Flash," and "The Moon and the Face." In honor of Patricia McKillip's passing this year, I've been regearing her classics and reading titles I'd missed. This young adult duology is a collection I had not read before. I found it a pleasant read, but not gripping. I'd recommend Scott Westerfeld's young adult novels over Moon-Flash. But if you'd already read his Uglies series, Midnighters series, and Leviathan series, then go ahead and pick up this title.
June 28, 2020
These books stimulate the interest in connection with your ancestory, and asks the question who has the right to play big brother in regards to a culture that is not your own.
Excellent book.
Excellent book.
September 15, 2017
A beautiful, oneiric science fiction fantasy.
November 10, 2020
It turns out that once upon a time, Patricia McKillip wrote plots that made sense! (Although it still takes a bit of figuring out compared to an average YA book).
I found it quite telling that she gave her protagonist, Kyreol, a special talent for decoding and communicating through visual imagery, given that her later works are almost entirely series of imagery that the reader must try and interpret to find out what the hell happened. While McKillip is a bit more restrained here, there is still very much in her style, creative and lush and a little dreamy.
I found it quite telling that she gave her protagonist, Kyreol, a special talent for decoding and communicating through visual imagery, given that her later works are almost entirely series of imagery that the reader must try and interpret to find out what the hell happened. While McKillip is a bit more restrained here, there is still very much in her style, creative and lush and a little dreamy.
August 8, 2015
A lovely book, somewhat reminiscent of Sylvia Engdahl's Enchantress from the Stars in that it deals with the interaction between people of a primitive society and people of the Space Age. You begin thinking you're reading a fantasy novel, and then science fiction happens. It's a clever device, an intriguing plot, but as with Engdahl's novel, what really makes it work are the characters.
All the books by McKillip I've read thus far have featured memorable female leads, and this foray into YA sci-fi is no exception. Kyreol might not quite rise to the heights of Dreamsnake's Snake, but she has two crucial qualities in common with that heroine: compassion and a driving curiosity. She knows she will never be at home in the beautiful but narrow world where fate has placed her -- where women play subservient roles, like the nameless shadow known only as "Korre's mother" -- but rather than resign herself to her situation, she seeks to change it. She becomes an explorer, and is lucky enough to find a love interest who understands she would never be happy staying in one place and thus would never ask her to do so.
McKillip also brings her patented gorgeously lyrical writing style to this novel. Well worth a read.
All the books by McKillip I've read thus far have featured memorable female leads, and this foray into YA sci-fi is no exception. Kyreol might not quite rise to the heights of Dreamsnake's Snake, but she has two crucial qualities in common with that heroine: compassion and a driving curiosity. She knows she will never be at home in the beautiful but narrow world where fate has placed her -- where women play subservient roles, like the nameless shadow known only as "Korre's mother" -- but rather than resign herself to her situation, she seeks to change it. She becomes an explorer, and is lucky enough to find a love interest who understands she would never be happy staying in one place and thus would never ask her to do so.
McKillip also brings her patented gorgeously lyrical writing style to this novel. Well worth a read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2013
I really enjoyed reading this, but I'm dumbfounded that it was actually two books to begin with! This slim volume had a definite story arc, characters that were interesting and sympathetic, and McKillip's signature ability to give you enough depth and back-story to make a vibrant world, but not quite enough to satiate roused curiosity.
The reason this review isn't five stars is that there wasn't much going on besides the main plot; McKillip usually has two or three characters who are each going through their own adventure, which is linked with the others'. The first half has one story-line, the second has two.
Mostly, I feel like this book (especially the second half) would be the first interlude to a large novel, were it written by anyone else. Usually, that quality of not-quite-enough is one of McKillip's strengths, but not this time.
The reason this review isn't five stars is that there wasn't much going on besides the main plot; McKillip usually has two or three characters who are each going through their own adventure, which is linked with the others'. The first half has one story-line, the second has two.
Mostly, I feel like this book (especially the second half) would be the first interlude to a large novel, were it written by anyone else. Usually, that quality of not-quite-enough is one of McKillip's strengths, but not this time.
May 27, 2018
Probably a 3.5. I liked the first book better than the second, it had more of a narrative thrust to it. Still, they both bring a nice blend between the "magic" of primitive societies and the science and possibility of advanced, space exploring societies. Kyreol is more likeable (maybe because she has more to do) in the first one, but Terje makes up for it in the second with having the real conflict in the choices he has to make.
This was SUCH a sharp contrast with the book McKillip wrote and published just before this one. It's like an editor gave her an assignment and reeled in the metaphorical language. As a writer I think she is still searching for the style and subject matter that works for her at this point.
This was SUCH a sharp contrast with the book McKillip wrote and published just before this one. It's like an editor gave her an assignment and reeled in the metaphorical language. As a writer I think she is still searching for the style and subject matter that works for her at this point.
November 1, 2011
A sci-fi ish two book series by Patricia McKillip. Interesting but probably not my favorite books by her. [Dec. 2008]
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This is a single book containing Moon-Flash and The Moon and the Face. I thought I had only read the first one, but it turned out that I had read the second as well! It’s a fascinating concept, which I can say nothing about because I will ruin the whole thing! [June 2010]
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This is a single book containing Moon-Flash and The Moon and the Face. I thought I had only read the first one, but it turned out that I had read the second as well! It’s a fascinating concept, which I can say nothing about because I will ruin the whole thing! [June 2010]
January 18, 2014
This book, comprising two slim novels, is a departure for Patricia McKillip: science fiction rather than high fantasy. I loved the book although the modernist cover threw me off a bit and at times the story was a little predictable. The joy of the book, however, came from walking a beautiful prose path with heartfelt characters.
August 7, 2008
Two novels in one. The first, Moon Flash, is great. What if there was a world that was a living museum? A novel idea and well executed.
The second story, The Moon Has a Face didn't measure up, but was readable.
The second story, The Moon Has a Face didn't measure up, but was readable.
January 31, 2011
I read the first book in this duology back when it was new and remember enjoying it. I just re-read and found it as good as I remembered. Good main characters, a coming-of-age, a journey (or two or three), and twists and turns.
July 14, 2015
Another excellent story from Patricia McKillip
Wonderful story of how far your dreams can take you -- even if it brings you back home. I love reading her books. They always take me to another world.
Wonderful story of how far your dreams can take you -- even if it brings you back home. I love reading her books. They always take me to another world.
March 5, 2008
Read my review here.
October 4, 2009
Another book that I probably would have given 4 stars to the first time I read it, but then when I re-read it some yrs later, with its sequel, I enjoyed it more.
December 11, 2009
Ok I know these books look so weird, but I love the Author so I gave them a chance and ended up really liking them! This is the sequel to The moon and the face. They are very Scifi. For older teens.
March 17, 2014
This is my kind of science fiction. Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews