Steve Cash (1946–2019)

This was quite a good read for me. I got intrigued with the story of immortal children called the Meq who waft through hundreds of years of history. Although ther is a little strain of historical verisimilitude, I felt I wanted to follow the story to the end. Which it isn't as this is part of a trilogy.

The hero is Zianno Zezen. His name perhaps symbolizes coming a the last of his tribe of Meq's. Meq children come about when, after hundreds of years of yearing, a couple takes the shift into mortality and can bear children,b ut will age and die. The Meq have special powers and most try to do good. But there is an eveil one the Fleur de Mal and Z must battle him, if mostly obliquely throughout the book.

We do get a picture of life in the United States, particularly St. Louis and New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century. And the story lines takes the characters to both China and northern Africa.… (meer)

A truly interesting read, with elements of science fiction, historical fiction, and a little mystery for good measure. I thought the author did a great job of capturing the dreamlike feeling of what life would be like if you had forever to live it.

While Z and his Meq companions are strong characters, much of the life and compelling nature of this book is due to the vivid human characters. I was riveted by the stories of Carolina and Solomon, even as I was intrigued by the subtler personalities of the Meq.

This might be a little slow for some people, but I really enjoyed it.… (meer)