The Waterborn (Chosen of the Changeling)

A princess and a barbarian warrior battle a god in this dark fantasy, the “impressive debut” from the author of The Briar King (Publishers Weekly). Hezhi is a princess, daughter of a royal family whose line was founded by the god known as the River. Her blood is not only royal, it is magic, with a power that will not become known until she approaches adulthood. As she grows into her gift, she will take her place in court—or be judged unworthy and cast into the darkness below the palace. When Hezhi’s cousin D’en is kidnapped by the priests and taken below, Hezhi vows to rescue him. But he is trapped in the domain of the River, and she will need a hero to help her find her way in the dark. Perhaps that hero is Perkar, a barbarian who has fallen in love with the goddess of the stream. When the River threatens to destroy Perkar’s love, he embarks on a quest that will take him to Hezhi’s side to do battle with a god.

Amazon.com Review

It's that story again: unsophisticated adolescent boy, spunky, curious princess, large landscape for them to tour, troublesome deities, a magic sword. J. Gregory Keyes's knowledge of epics, myths, and human cultures is a solid foundation for his series, making it far better than the average product: a story that might have happened sometime between the Ice Ages when numinous deities still dwelled in every tree, rock, and pool. The detailed social structures and customs feel more authentic, though they're also familiar--the urban monotheists, the shamanistic horseback nomads, and so on. The writing is workmanlike, but the anthropological soundness and echoes of ancient stories give life and dimension to the old archetypes.

From Publishers Weekly

Many elements in Keyes's first novel are traditional to fantasy?gods, politics, a princess and a barbarian warrior?but they're mixed in unexpected ways. Facts about the imagined world are presented only as needed; the plotting flows logically, supporting well-drawn characters. In this world, the River, a jealous and powerful god, runs in the blood of the nobility of the city of Nhol, including in that of a bright and independent princess, Hezhi. Ten years old, Hezhi wishes to understand the world she was born into and why her cousin and best friend, Den, was taken away to the River by the priests. Meanwhile, Perkar, a young warrior, has fallen in love with a Stream Goddess who fears being eaten by the River. Wishing to save his beloved, Perkar vows to kill the River. In interweaving story lines, both protagonists make mistakes but unravel mysteries and, aided by many strong secondary characters, come of age. Tackling important themes of values and identity, both personal and social, this is a satisfyingly robust, impressive debut that offers some genuine surprises. 75,000 first printing; author tour. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In his first novel, Keyes weaves an epic fantasy world of myth and magic reminiscent of Terry Brooks's work. This coming-of-age adventure finds Hezli, a teenage imperial princess, devouring books to help her locate her missing favorite cousin, and Perkar, a chieftain's son, sworn to slay the River God whose power flows in Hezli's blood. Highly recommended for fantasy collections.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Keyes has created a memorable world, forged eons before the events of this book, when there was a ferocious battle between two brother gods. One of those, the River God, now wields total dominion over the land through which he flows. The emperor of that land, whose blood carries the god's seed, serves as the god's "living aspect" in the great city of Nhol. The blood of the emperor's young daughter Herzhi also carries the seed, and as she enters puberty, she discovers that its growing power within her is placing her in grave danger. In desperation, she wishes for a hero. She is, however, no namby-pamby and, intelligent and courageous in her own right, investigates the sordid secrets hidden in the waterways beneath the imperial palace. Far away, in lands ruled by various aspects of the Forest Lord--among them Karak, the Crow God--young Perkar is embarking on his manhood quest. He is inexorably drawn to Nhol by nightmares not only of the River God, whom he has sworn to slay, but also of a young girl calling to him from a city of white stone. Keyes handles the elements of high fantasy well, from the awakening of Herzhi's power at her menarche to the enchanted sword Perkar takes from the Forest God and the marked capriciousness of his tale's gods. Keyes' richly detailed tapestry, steeped in American Indian myth and lore, is book one in a planned saga, Children of the Changeling. May the next volume come soon. Sally Estes

From Kirkus Reviews

First of an ambitious fantasy series entitled Children of the Changeling, full of ghosts, gods, magic, and mischief. The Changeling, the powerful river god of the city Nhol, has absorbed or driven off all the other gods for miles around; his waters flow in the blood of Nhol's royal family and confer magic powers. At puberty, the royals are tested by priests, after which they move into the royal apartments--or vanish. When her friend disappears, young dark-eyed Princess Hezhi vows to find out why. According to rumor, the disappeared ones are banished to an ancient flooded tunnel system beneath the palace. But then Hezhi feels the first stirrings of magic within her and suspects that the power will bring her trouble, perhaps even cause her to be exiled. Secretly, she prays for a hero to help her and dreams of a pale-skinned barbarian. Meanwhile, far away, the pale-skinned farmer's son Perkar comes of age and, falling in love with the local stream- goddess, swears to kill her enemy--the Changeling. After various adventures, he dreams of a dark-eyed girl, acquires a magic sword, and ends up unable to escape from a boat controlled by the Changeling, which is heading inexorably for Nhol. Finally, Hezhi investigates the mysterious flooded tunnels, only to discover that she's fated to turn into a ghastly monster--unless she can evade the Changeling's influence. A well-constructed, perky, imaginative debut that, even if the details aren't always rigorously worked out, manages to avoid the usual fantasy stereotypes. (First printing of 75,000; author tour) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From the Publisher

True story: my sister, Joan Narvaez (you can call her and ask if this isn't the truth), had really enjoyed THE WATERBORN, Book One of this two-book series. So naturally, I let her know when THE BLACKGOD was coming out. Now, Joan is a good sister and normally insists on buying our books, but in this case, she begged me to get her one of the advance reading copies we were doing for THE BLACKGOD--not to save the cost of the hardcover, but so she could have the book in hand by the time she was due to have her first baby: she wanted her husband to read THE BLACKGOD to her in the delivery room. She said it was the only thing she could think of that could possibly take her mind off the ... what do they call it these days, discomfort? Which is about the highest praise you can give an author. Of course--as those of you who have been through the birthing process may have anticipated--it didn't work. But she did love the book, when she finally got the chance to read it. --Veronica Chapman, Senior EditorWhen this manuscript came to Del Rey, word quickly spread among the staff that the next major fantasy author had been found! Such statements are made very, very rarely at Del Rey so I was quick to get my hands on a copy of the work. All I can say is that I agree whole-heartedly, Greg is a terrific author! The story has exceptional characters, a rich mythological underpining, and a dramatic setting. The Waterborn is Greg's first novel. Over breakfast in Seattle, I asked him how he had developed such polish and style in a first work. He told me that this was actually his third novel, the first two had not been published. As he looks back on them now, he's glad they weren't published and he doesn't think they ever should be. But he learned a tremendous amount from writing them. I guess even a great natural talent needs practice to develop fully. That's inspiration for all aspiring writers! --Tim Kochuba, General Manager

From the Inside Flap

The River flowed through all the land, deep and unstoppable, a god in his own right. His head was in the mountains; his arms embraced the outlands; his body lay at the core of all the civilized realms; and his legs stretched on to the distant sea. Dark and sluggish, he rolled unchallenged, dreaming his own invincible might and glory into stark reality.Everywhere he touched, the River God held dominion. And in Nhol, the fabled city at the heart of the world, an emperor ruled as the living aspect of the god, presiding over the splendors and intrigues of a prosperous land and a glittering court.Hezhi was an imperial princess; her blood carried the seeds of the River's power. When her favorite cousin disappeared, Hezhi searched throughout the sumptuous palace with its ghosts and priests, giants and courtiers, and frightening creatures of wizardry. And the magic within her began to grow; soon it must attract dangerous attention. Hezhi's anxious quest ripened into a desperate fight for her own life--a battle she could not hope to win alone.Small wonder that the princess wished for a hero.And far away, a hero's journey began...From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

When J. Gregory Keyes was a small boy, his father's job took his family to live on an Arizona Navajo reservation; he quickly became bilingual.  At four years old he didn't find it difficult to learn another language, and Navajo became as much a part of him as English.  Keyes's early experience in the Navajo culture was the beginning of a lifelong fascination with linguistics, rituals, myths, and legends.  It wasn't only the Navajo reservation that had an impact on his imagination; equally important were the long evenings his extended family ( some of Choctaw ancestry ) spent spinning stories.  These early experiences produced in him an emotional connection to other worlds that indelibly marked Keyes's memory and his impressionable soul, a connection that now culminates in the thirty-two-year-old author's first fantasy novel, The Waterborn.To Greg, writing has always been the window through which his imagination is released.  "The written word has been compelling to me since before I could read; my mother used to read to me, but it was when I realized that I myself could see stories in the ink of a book that I wanted to create such stories myself,"  Keyes said.Years later, after Keyes had married Nell (a maker of jewelry whom he supported while she got her degree in metalworking), he began writing (not fiction, but a retelling of Southeastern Indian myths and legends produced in the hours after he returned from his mindless day job.  Soon he earned an M.A. in anthropology at the University of Georgia at Athens and began teaching.  His research expanded from the usual journals of eighteenth-century travelers and Franciscan monks, of killers and of scholars, to global folklore and mythology.  Much of the material he read was unusable for his class, but the stored it away until it blossomed into a rich landscape on which he has painted his fabulous stories.The Waterborn evolved from a world history class Keyes took as an undergraduate.  The class discussion centered on civilizations, like Egypt and Mesopotamia, that arose from the organizational demands created by flood control and irrigation.  Keyes's imagination began to race, until he was obsessed by a vision of a city upon a river that was actually, rather than metaphorically, alive.  This city, as he dreamed it, had a dominating or even vaguely malevolent relationship with its "children."  He held this powerful glimpse in this head for over twelve years until it forced itself onto the page and became The Waterborn.In many fantasies, there is a circular movement to the stories.  And Greg Keyes's life has imitated the genre in which he has chosen to write.  At nine years old he read his first real science fiction book, Moon of Mutiny by Lester del Rey, in the shade of a hogan on the Navajo Indian reservation.  From that first step he set out on what was to be his life's path.  It is with no small amount of awe that he welcomes the publication by Del Rey Books of the first book of his trilogy.  "The fabric of my world was woven from imagination.  In my work, opposites attract.  Between these two contradictory places a story sprang up and characters whom I could scarcely control were born to populate it."  And this is just the beginning...

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