The Official Website of
The Tellings of Xunar-kun Series!
YA / Adult Science Fantasy Series
by Tina Field Howe
~ Book One:
Alysa of the Fields
~ Book Two:
The TrailFolk of Xunar-kun
~ Book Three, in development:
The Monx of the
Roaming Star
Reviews of Book
Two, The TrailFolk of Xunar-kun
This
is book two in this series. I really liked how
Ms. Howe used the storyteller in the prologue to
catch up those of us who had not read the first
book.
This is a wonderful sci-fi story.
I liked the touches of how this could be on our
planet, but probably not!
The characters are interesting and develop
nicely.Good conflict that makes you want
to turn the page.
I liked the addition of the glossary so you
could look up the people and other new words. I
liked it...
Watch the book trailer on your favorite viewer, add comments &
forward the links to your friends!
I
want to read the first one and look forward to
the third!
I never felt lost because I had not read the
first.
Judge
#3,
Writer's Digest 17th Annual Self-Published Book Awards
(2009)
Click on the
right to enlarge viewing window.
This is a very strong book, with a lot to
recommend it.
The story world is well-developed and fully
realized. The characters are believable and
fully dimensional. The characters' manner of
speaking is consistent with the story world and
one another, and the author does a terrific job
of conveying a mental image of the people,
environments and actions in the book. The
plotting is tight and involving right from the
start, and while there are valuable life lessons
to be learned here, the book relates them with
finesse and subtlety.
Judge
#61,
Writer's Digest 17th Annual Self-Published Book Awards
(2009)
The
TrailFolk of Xunar-kun is one of three
finalists in the Science Fiction/Fantasy
category in
RebeccasReads.com'sThe Fall 2009 Written Art
Awards, a biannual literary
awards program that takes place in the
spring and fall of every year.
Review:
The TrailFolk of
Xunar-kun: Book Two in the Tellings of
Xunar-kun will have you hooked. This
book will teach you lessons while you are
being entertained. I have passed
it on to our teen daughter and she is
totally engrossed in the story.
Going
back to the land of Xunar-kun many, many
years after Cat’clysm destroyed most of the
population we join the seekers. The two
tribes, the Field Folk and the Trailmen,
have realized there is more to life than
themselves and begin to work together. They
seek to find the true parents of the
orphans. Moving at
a good pace you have been given a seat on
the outside to look at the lives and see the
likeness to our lives here on earth.
I feel
this is a great lesson for readers. Given to
young children, the realization could be
made that things sometimes have to change
and battles have to be fought. I was drawn
into the story and can’t wait for The
Monx of the Roaming Star: Book Three in the
Tellings of Xunar-kun. “Together we will
build a better world”. says Tina Field Howe,
and I do say, I agree.
“I
feel this is a great lesson for readers. Given to young children,
the realization could be made that things
sometimes
have to change and battles have to be fought.”
A well-written, gentle fantasy best suited
to young adults, TrailFolk of Xunar-kun, by
Tina Howe, is the second installment in the
tales of Xunar-Kun. It concerns the lives,
relationships, and trials of the agrarian
‘field-folk’ and the hunting/gathering
‘trailmen’ of the post-apocalyptic world of
Xunar-kun. ‘TrailFolk’ explores the
developing relationships between these very
different clans, who have discovered that
they are not as different as first believed.
A look at the book’s cover will give a
fair idea as to its nature. The author’s
charming and intricate artwork reflect her
writing style: articulate, but not overdone;
detailed, but with a simple theme that does
not become lost in the details.
This is not a high-action book until the
last few chapters, but it is an interesting
and enjoyable read. The heroine,
Alysa, is particularly likeable and
believable. She displays traits that we
should all strive to cultivate; quiet
courage, common sense, and an open mind. She
is joined by several other loveable
characters, as well as the few requisite
slimy ones that make for a good story.
The outcome of this tale is not particularly
surprising, but I didn’t mind.
The
exploration of this well-conceived world is
reason enough to immerse oneself in the
story, and the author does a worthy job of
placing the reader in the scene. Her
descriptions are just right—rich, without
being overdone. This is suitable for nearly
any age reader who wishes to spend pleasant
hours interacting with the characters; the
length and scope is not too challenging for
young readers. I’ll look forward
to finding out what happens to the
‘TrailFolk’ in future installments. I’ve
also decided that I want a pet saroo!
Once in a
while you come upon a book the literally
“knocks
your socks off.”
I did not expect that in reading Alysa of the Fields
and the second book, The TrailFolk of
Xunar-kun.
The two books are needed to
be marketed together. Yes, these books must
be read in order. More importantly, is the
utter delight you gain from reading these
two wonderful novels.
Somewhere in the universe is the planet
Xunar-kun which has social groups who work
for the good of each individual community.
There is little contact with other groups so
socialism is prevalent and successful. Alysa
lives her life as expected until she is
challenged and makes some untraditional
decisions for herself. Change is not
socially acceptable. These people have lived
the same way successfully for generations
and one teen-aged girl is not going to
change their traditions. This is the story
of Alysa of the Fields.
The time of these novels is supposedly
around 3000 AC in which the AC stands for
After Cataclysm. Apparently there was a
major event 3000 years ago which shattered
much of the progress on the planet. Since
then, this particular group, the Field Folk
have developed their own farming culture and
the Trailmen have a hunting culture. There
is seasonal trading with the other groups,
but basically the two groups stay within
themselves entirely.
Alysa in book one shows more about life with
the Field Folk and book two is more about
the Trailmen.
In teen
literature, it is reassuring to discover a
well-developed plot with believable
characters without violence, explicit sexual
events, and constant use of profanity.
The values of
the characters instill morality and doing
the right thing for yourself in difficult
situations. Also, important in both novels
is the underlying theme of there are
different correct decisions for different
people.
The TrailFolk of Xunar-kun focuses on life
with the Trail Folk and their customs and
traditions. Scouting groups are sent out to
find the parents of the orphaned-children
and to discover the location of various
other isolated groups and perhaps to trade
with them. They finally find the parents but
have suspicions about things not being
exactly right with the parents who seemed
disinterested in the children. Another
annoying concern is about the machines
discovered that were used before the
Cataclysm and what their purposes were.
These two novels
are wonderful. The pacing is perfect and
constantly keeps the reader wondering and
thinking. Tina Field Howe is a fairly new
author living in New York. I definitely plan
on reading her third book in the series when
it is published.
“Once in a while you come upon a book that literally
‘knocks your socks off.’”
Tina Field Howe’s
The TrailFolk of Xunar-kun is the second
in the Tellings of Xunar-kun series and a
worthy sequel to the wonderful Alysa of
the Fields. Just like the first book
in the series, it is set on a planet
Xunar-kun, some 3000 years after a
catastrophic event, referred to as the
Cat’clysm, which wiped out most of the
planet’s population.
Alysa, a young girl belonging to the Field
Folk, met Szaren, who belongs to the
Trailmen, in Book One. In Book Two, the two
of them have been “paired” for a while,
which is the Xunar-kun’s folks equivalent of
being married; and searching for the Parents
of Orphans, a bunch of children rescued in
Book One. Their quest brings them further
and further from their dwellings, deep in
the so-far-unexplored lands.
Fraught with peril and unforeseen
complications, the quest for Parents is
suddenly stopped, when
the Seekers encounter Trakip-sèn and his people. They lead the
Seekers to believe that they are the Parents
everybody has been searching for, and
enthusiastically head back to meet the
Orphans. Once there, they show little
interest in the children, and gradually the
truth emerges. Who are they really and what
brought them to the village?
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the story of the
quest and even more so the developments
between the two clans, the Field Folk and
the Trailmen. As the story progressed, we
learned more about how the two clans started
to get closer to each other, both by
learning about each other’s customs and
history as well as by more of the clan
members falling in love with the members of
the other clan. Tina Field Howe teaches
crucial lessons in tolerance and
understanding, as well as importance of
being brave and open to change. Her
characters are very believable and overall
very likeable, with the exception of a
couple of nearly perfect villains. The story
moves swiftly and draws one in from the
first page.
As much as I liked the characters in the
story, I liked the locale even more. The
world of Xunar-kun is exceptionally well
drawn and in a way one of the central
“characters.” It should remind the readers a
lot of our world; but it also points out
some things that could bring destruction to
what we cherish and love, if the
fundamentals of our beliefs were to be
forgotten or ignored. I would like to point
the readers’ attention to the story of
“Orryn’s Lantern” and its significance. I do
not want to give too much away here, but
paying particular attention to that part of
the story would be a great idea.
Tina Field Howe’s
The TrailFolk of
Xunar-kun by Tina Field Howe was another
delightful and worthwhile read from a very
talented and unique author. Although geared
to young adults, those of us who remain
curious and willing to learn should enjoy it
greatly as well. A perfect read for a cold
winter afternoon, the kindness of this story
should warm you up nicely.
Once again, Tina Howe has done a great job
with her book, The TrailFolk of Xunar-kun,
the second in The Tellings of Xunar-kun
Series. Tina writes with imagination, and I
was quickly transported into the life of the
people who live on Xunar-kun. It was a
delight to read about the further adventures
of Alysa and her husband as they explore
unknown lands. As with Alysa of the
Fields, I can't wait for book Three!
Taking place several cycles (years) after
the first book, The TrailFolk of Xunar-kun
begins with the Seekers, including Alysa and Szaren, arriving back at the Homesteads.
Having found many Artifacts, but not
having found the parents of the orphans, the
Seekers agree to set out next summer with an
extra band to continue the search. The
orphans were recovered after a battle with
the M’raudas, and they are the only proof of
a tribe other than the Trailmen and the
Field Folk. Alysa, the wife of Szaren,
spends her first winter with the Trailmen in
preparation for her next journey south with
the rest of the Seekers. During this
journey, they face many hardships and
discover many things about their world,
which was nearly destroyed 3,000 years
before. After discovering the parents, the
Soaring Folk, they return to the Homesteads
where they begin to gather the orphans to be
sent home with the parents. Unfortunately,
it is discovered that the parents may have
ulterior motives. It is up to Alysa and her
former enemy, Haraht, to uncover and stop
the plot. Will they succeed? Or will the
malicious Trakip-sen and his underlings
complete their plan?
Tina Field Howe’s
writing style would best be described as
fanciful. Her creative style of science
fiction combining elements of the
post-apocalyptic, foreign planets and
fantasy is refreshing. The TrailFolk of Xunar-kun, and Book One:
Alysa of the Fields, are both more than
worthy reads. They are
for ages 10 and up, and would be enjoyed as
a light read even by some adults, especially
those who enjoy light-hearted,
post-apocalyptic fiction with elements of
romance and fantasy. I personally hope to
see a third book in the series.
