TRICKSTER'S CHOICE
Tamora Pierce
Random House
Fantasy
ISBN: 0375814663
432 pages

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TRICKSTER'S CHOICE is the story of Aly, the daughter of the legendary Lady Knight Alanna. Trying to escape her mother's expectations that she find meaningful work outside of spying and code breaking, Aly sails away from home only to be captured by pirates and sold into slavery.

It is as a slave to the Balitang family in the Copper Isles that Aly must use the skills she has learned from her parents to survive and fulfill her role in the ancient Kyprish prophecy that foretells the coming of a twice royal queen. Like her mother, Aly is singled out by Kyprioth, a trickster god who promises her freedom if she can keep the children of the family she serves alive through summer.

Aly follows the Balitang family into exile to avoid the wrath of an insane king and a fickle court. There, on the farther reaches of the Copper Isles, Aly learns of the isles' complicated history and the racial feuds that bind her and the family she is sworn to protect into a common destiny.

Fans of Tamora Pierce will enjoy returning to Tortall, a kingdom that has grown in size, complexity and color since the first Alanna adventures. But those who have never read Tamora Pierce are in for a treat as TRICKSTER'S CHOICE offers an irresistible introduction to Tortall and its inhabitants. The only disappointment is that readers will have to wait for the next book in the series to discover what ultimately befalls Aly and her companions. That should be enough time to read (or re-read) Pierce's other books.

   --- Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood

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