Book description
As Ratha struggles to reconcile with Thistle-chaser, the daughter she
once tried to kill, the Named are locked in another struggle when they
confront a strange clan of hunter cats who are driven by and completely
dependent on the telepathic song of their leader, True-of-voice. When an
accident leaves True-of-voice on the brink of death, Ratha must choose
whether to destroy or to save the hunters. It is her daughter who has
the knowledge to show Ratha the way . . . if only she can listen. Born
in England in 1952, Clare Bell moved to the US in 1957. She worked in
oceanography, electrical engineering, test equipment design and
mechanical engineering before she wrote her first book, Ratha¿s Creature
(Atheneum-Argo Margaret K .McElderry 1983), the story of a prehistoric
wildcat who learns to tame fire. Since then she has continued to write
fantasy and science fiction for children and adults. She says, 'I am
still fascinated by prehistoric animals and big cats, as showcased in
the five Ratha series novels. I consider my two little cats, Danny and
Athena, to be research assistants as well as companions and have learned
a lot from them.' 'My stories show sociological themes as well,
exploring the changes that are brought about in culture through
technology, even one as crude as fire. I also enjoy creating plausible
and workable prehistoric animal and alien characters. The central theme
of my fiction is evolution, a result of my being influenced early by the
works of C. S. Lewis, Olaf Stapledon , and Arthur C. Clarke. '
