Sisters of the Wind

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful! Very highly recommended
Review: SISTERS OF THE WIND by Diana Kemp-Jones is a breathtaking collection of fifteen science fiction stories united by themes of strong women rising to meet extraordinary challenges. With grace and panache, Kemp-Jones presents an amazingly unified collection of fifteen short stories that will challenge the reader's perceptions of the future.

The future has degenerated into fierce control or its alternative chaos, depending upon which planet you inhabit. But in all cases, personal liberty has been curtailed and it takes an extraordinary show of spirit to effect change. On one hand, meet independent young women like Janaar in "Debutante", who refuses to submit to her society's demands, choosing rebellion that potentially leads to change in her whole world. Or meet young Nataya in "Donors" who becomes the leader of children to a New World. On the other hand, meet starship captain Saladon who risks death to save a planet from annihilation.

Despite the pronounced differences in time and place between the world as we know it, and the world of Kemp-Jones' imaginative tale. Many themes are extremely contemporary. Universal questions such as how to balance between family and worldly responsibility dominate several stories. Raising children and the defiance of what is ethically wrong verses the celebration of what is ethically right also dominate many stories, including "Devil in the Heart," "Imarad," and "Mantris."

Kemp-Jones prose is amazingly descriptive, lending depth of characterization seldom seen in short stories. These stories challenge me as a reader, making reevaluate my own ethical and moral beliefs, rather than being willing to let others think for me. Moreover, each of these heroines lives and breathes for me, living in memory long after the last page. I can hardly wait to read more from this talented author.