Ara's Field

Children of the Triad #3

by Laurie J. Marks

The Walkers ruled the land, the Aeyrie soared the skies, and the Mer reigned over the seas. But each race had much that the others desired. And only in the community of Triad had all three peoples come together in search of mutual peace and unity. But now, after years devoted to attaining this goal, Triad's dream of a better world for all the races is about to be shattered as, one after another, the high-ranking Walker and Aeyrie officials are brutally murdered. Caught in the chaos of imminent war, the citizens of Triad must discover who is playing this deadly game and somehow force them to stop – before the world erupts in a final genocidal war of species against species.

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1991

Reviews

[Alia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This last book was so satisfying. I wonder how on earth this has only one print edition, the whole series was so hard to get. We need some new editions!

[Kat Heatherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming, heartbreakingly pure, and moving. Great character development, strong world-building and a good vision of the work that it takes to build a better world. Of all the gender-bending fiction I've read, Marks remains among the strongest for her ability to make it a fact of life instead of a big political deal (she's even better at it in her later books, Fire Logic & Earth Logic). This novel is sweet and beautiful.

[Kiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third of the trilogy, and the biggest in scope, dealing with issues of governing, communication, species interaction. I loved the parallel stories of Bet, who feels like she belongs with neither the Walkers or the Aeyries, and Tsal, an Aeyrie who falls in love with a Mer and negotiates the difficult challenge of loving a person who lives in such a different world. Both of them struggle to define themselves, to find their place and make conscious choices about their own happiness. And this against a background of intrigue, war and desperate danger from a mysterious attacker.