The Moon Riders

December 1, 2006
Gr 8 Up-As Adèle Geras did in "Troy" (Harcourt, 2001) and Caroline B. Cooney did in "Goddess of Yesterday" (Delacorte, 2002), Tomlinson tells the story of the Trojan War from the perspective of a young woman caught up in its prolonged fury. Like the women in her family before her, Myrina knows her destiny lies in serving for seven years as a Moon Rider, a warrior priestess better known as an Amazon. The Moon Riders, worshippers of Earth Mother Maa, perform ritual dances for the nomadic tribes of Asia Minor, but they are also highly trained fighters and are more than ready to strategize and go to battle to protect their homelands when the Achaeans invade the shores of Ilium. Myrina plays a pivotal role in some of the wars key events and encounters most of its major players, from the prophetess Cassandra to crafty Odysseus to rampageous Achilles. The fierce and heroic Myrina and her fellow Moon Riders add a strong dose of girl power to the well-known mythology that will likely inspire and delight readers, especially fans of Tamora Pierces work. Tomlinson also carefully creates surprising facets for her legendary characterseven Paris and Helen arent entirely the arrogant, thoughtless couple they are often portrayed to be. While not quite up to the standards set by Geras and Cooney, this is an exciting, richly detailed novel with a fresh twist."Jennifer Stubben, Barrington Area Library, IL"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2006
Thirteen-year-old Myrina joins the Moon Riders, a dedicated band of women known to outsiders as the Amazons. Besides training as dancers, horsewomen, healers, and warriors, the Moon Riders practice the magic of seeing events that take place far away. Another new member is Cassandra, the princess of Troy, who sees not only what is but also what will be. Eleven years pass, and when Cassandra's vision of Troy seem to be coming true, Myrina does what she can to help the besieged Trojans before the city's fall. Tomlinson creates a believable society in which women take active, important roles. Though the novel spans more than a decade, readers know that only because they are occasionally told that time has passed. Weaving elements of mythology into the fiction, Tomlinson creates a convincing alternate history with heroic women from supportive societies quietly challenging the stereotypes of their age. With its similarly named young priestess as the protagonist and its ties to ancient Mediterranean culture, Myrina's tale may appeal to the same audience as Mirany's story in Catherine Fisher's the Oracle Prophecies trilogy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)