Wind and Shadow – Kathy Tyers [Firebird Series]

Title: Wind and Shadow

Series: Firebird

Author: Kathy Tyers

Genre: Science Fiction

I was thrilled when I heard that Kathy Tyers was writing another book in her Firebird series. This book, though, is about the children of the primary characters in the previous book. In fact, Wind and Shadow could be read by itself, though some of the depth of the universe Tyers has created therein will be lost.

Within the first few pages it can easily be seen that Tyers has put as much effort into the creation and maturation of her vision of the Firebird universe as she does into the Star Wars books she is much more well known for.

The book starts right into the action, with the initiating event occurring within the first few pages. Kiel Caldwell, an apprentice priest inexplicably disappears within moments of stepping off a his ship. Wind Haworth, the diplomat who invited him, is thrust into a maelstrom of events which quickly spiral out of control with the arrival of Kiel’s brother, a powerful psychic who is slightly hotheaded. The scope of the danger quickly goes beyond mere local consequences as political plots are unveiled.

As I started reading, the pages were initially turning out of curiosity, but a few chapters into the book the pace really started to pick up and before I knew it I was just devouring the thing. The ending is quite climactic and very much a fitting apex to the entire story line.

It’s hard to actually call this a Christian book, because, in fact, the faith and beliefs detailed are not Christian, per se. One of the big ‘what if’s behind the entire Firebird series is ‘what if Christ had not come 2000 years ago, but instead came many years after man achieved space travel?’ All of the conflicts in Kiel’s faith (as well as the other characters) are nearly exact mirrors of many struggles every Christian has, therefore the moral and ethical solutions and resolutions resonate with the Christian faith. But technically the faith is not Christian because there is no Christ (at least not yet) in the Firebird universe.

All in all, an excellent book. If you get a chance, read the other Firebird books first, but don’t let that stop you from reading this one, it stands excellently on its own. An excellent work of sci-fi!

Worldview: Christian (kind of)

Recommended Age: I’d say Middle School and up should be fine. There is a little more mature material in it, nothing close to being explicit, though.