Weekly Reader: One If: A Virago Fantasyby Carol B. Allan; Thrilling YA Science Fiction Adventure Set In A Beautiful World of Bird and Fish Like Creatures

 

Weekly Reader: One If: A Virago Fantasyby Carol B. Allan; Thrilling YA Science Fiction Adventure Set In A Beautiful World of Bird and Fish Like Creatures

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Besides Reincarnation and Time Travel, the other trend this year seems to be Science Fiction and Fantasy novels set in worlds of bird like creatures. After Kill Three Birds by Nicole Givens Kurtz, One If: A Virago Fantasy by Carol B. Allan is the second book that I have read this year with this very odd and very specific premise. Unlike Kill Three Birds which combines Fantasy with Murder Mystery, One If combines elements of Fantasy and Science Fiction with three lead protagonists who seem to come straight from the YA files. However, it's a thrilling tale with an interesting premise and great characters mammalian, avian, and piscine. 

The plot opens with Parker Kitteridge,a natural sciences genius, witnessing the oddity of a hummingbird outside her New York apartment in the dead of winter. (Hummingbirds in the United States migrate south for the winter. Not to mention hummingbirds fly low and are rarely seen outside the highest levels of apartment buildings in New York City.) As she tries to lure it inside, she stumbles out the window.

When Parker comes to, she is bemused to find that she's not dead or  in the hospital. She isn't even on Earth. She is in the so-called Upper World of the continent of Katamoor on the planet,.Spyridon. She is surrounded by bird-like beings with feathers, beaks, with human voices and features. The leader of the Upperworld is an eagle named Stefanos, the Sky King. The hummingbird, Beliza, brought Parker to Spyridon because Stefanos needs some help.

Parker isn't alone either. Stefanos also ordered two other humans plucked from Earth: Henley Wang, a sardonic engineering student from California and Edison Baker, a gregarious and talented public speaker and singer from Michigan. Stefanos explains that Spyridon is in the grips of an environmental disaster and those on the Upperworld are in a long war over depleting resources  against the fish-like beings of the Underworld. The three Earthlings are summoned by Stefanos to help save their planet from certain disaster. If they agree, Stefanos says that they will return within moments of their departure so it will be like they never left. What can the trio do but agree?

One If is a wonderful YA Science Fiction with a stong sense of character, plot, and setting. The Earth Trio's first visit to Katamoor does not disappoint. The description of the lone continent with its lush green grass, life giving sentient trees like the Virago which sustains the Upperworlders is beautiful. The denizens of this odd planet have evolved into combinations of animal and human to adjust to the environment. The bird creatures live in cities in the clouds and the fish and reptilian ones live under waters and in caves. There are also combinations of animals unique to their works like wolfbirds who are just what the name suggests: wolves that have grown wings. (Or birds that have a unique talent for yipping and howling.) 

There is a definite struggle between the opposing forces of Upper and Underworld that is explored as the two sides fight for dominance in a world that appears beautiful but is in the grips of decay.

The characters are brilliantly handled. Parker, Henley, and Edison are a very realistic trio of protagonists, confused and suspicious of this situation, overwhelmed by this strange planet and the task that they are given, and sometimes at odds with each other but still willing to help. Henley and Parker are particularly memorable when they often vie, as if trying to prove which one is the smartest in the room. Edison tries to play peacemaker,  reminding the two women to put their personality conflicts aside and focus on the task at hand.

The three humans also use their talents to their fullest. Parker uses her experience in natural sciences to study the characteristics of the Upper and Underworlders to identify any health issues or environmental conflicts. Henley uses her skills in engineering to create and build sustainable equipment that replenishes the Upperworld's water supply and improve their life spans. Edison, the moderator, uses his talents in public speaking to draw the skeptical residents in and be a go between amongst himself, his friends, and the planet's residents.

By far the two most interesting characters are Stefanos, the Sky King of the Upperworld and Diadora, Empress of the Underworld. The two rulers had an uneasy truce for over 20 years but both are aware that the truce could end anytime and it does in a moment of sabotage. As the plot unfolds both leaders reveal many of their best and worst qualities that are used to protect and care for their people.

Stefanos is analytical and far reaching but he can also be detached and unyielding in his opinions. He is obviously willing to trust outsiders but refuses their advice if it means sharing or communicating with Underworld.

Diadora is more emotional and zealous in her protectiveness but she is also reckless and capricious. She is particularly concerned for her niece and nephew whom she is raising after the death of their father, her brother. She is suspicious of the newcomers, even at one time trying Parker for the death of her brother.

This is not a clear case where one side is wholly good and the other evil. Both alternate between right and wrong.

 Both Stefanos and Diadora suffer much by losing family members and close friends and both leaders clearly care for their people and want to protect them from any looming disaster. Their actions and behaviors are at times questionable but their love for their people and their drive to save their world at any cost is never in question. 

The plot has some very exciting moments such as when Parker is held prisoner and she is rescued by

Edison, Henley, and Cole, another Earthling who came to Spyridon as a child and has sprouted wings so he can't return home. Violence and acts of sabotage lead

the characters to suspect one another. There is also a betrayal and questions about where certain allegiances actually lie. Another character goes through a physical change that is unsettling and will no doubt change things in the next volume of the series.

One If is an evocative Science Fiction novel that has  strong themes about cooperation in times of conflict, recognizing the beauty and uniqueness of nature, and preserving the environment around us before it's too late.