Because our daughter is very fond of author Anne McCaffrey I bought McCaffrey’s ACORNA: THE UNICORN GIRL series for her. I had tried the Dragonriders of Pern, but could not get involved in them. Out of respect for our daughter, I thought that I would give the author another try. I am enjoying them so much that it may be awhile before these books get to our daughter’s house.
Three prospectors are mining the asteroids far from any inhabited planet when they find an escape pod drifting through space. In it, they find an unusual little girl. She has a tiny little horn in the center of her forehead, funny-looking feet, beautiful silver hair, and they are to learn that she also has some curious powers. They name her Acorna because of her resemblance to an unicorn and because the asteroid that they are mining starts with an “A’.
Gill, Calum, and Rafik have not filled their hold with precious metals so they take care of the infant on their own for several months. Acorna grows more rapidly than a human child and they find that she has the ability to purify water and air and to heal.
The men decide that Acorna has grown to the point that she needs to be with other people so they land on the planet Kezdet. Here they find that the planet has its own secrets. Acorna is in danger from men who want to add her to their collection of unusual species or who want to use her for scientific research.
Acorna learns that the great wealth of the planet comes from the cruel use of child slaves and she endangers her life to rescue the children. These children capture the reader as they capture Acorna’s heart.
The book comes to a satisfying conclusion, considering that it is the first in a series. The characters are well done and we start to care enough to see what will happen to them in future books. The second book in the series is titled Acorna’s Quest and in it she has left her friends behind and gone to find her own people. I am already in the space craft with her as she faces new dangers.
I am just not too sure when the books will get to our intended daughter. Thankfully our family understands the necessity of reading a gift book before it is passed on.
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