The world of Alyafaleyn is called the Region of Harmonies for
good reason: countless golden spheres, heynim float in the air. The melodious chiming noises they make maintain the world’s existence. The people of Alyafaleyn control the heynim mentally. Around adolescence they gain the ability to snag the heynim so they float in small clusters over their heads. The heynim are critically important to the stability of Alyafaleyn. Their chiming noises cause the seasons, the growth of crops, and help heal sick and injured people.
Grace Chetwin puts two main characters into this remarkable world. Caidrun is a young girl who develops the ability to snag the heynim at a young age. Unfortunately she is unable to control the skill and she pulls a large mass of them toward herself at lethal speed. Tamborel, another young boy, shields her from the impact, and is badly injured himself. From the community’s collective response to the character’s personal feelings, Chetwin captures her characters just as skillfully as she portrays the book’s marvelous world.
The story plot focuses on the lives of these two young characters as they grow up, then focuses on their role in a worldwide disaster. The heynim start to die, and the two young people are the only ones who can correct the world balance.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys high fantasy and books that feature marvelous worlds unlike our own. “The Chimes of Alyafaleyn” is a well-written fantasy that I’m sure you will enjoy as much as I did.
This book is slightly hard to find, and I think it is out of print. But if you can locate a copy it will be well worth the effort!
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1 replies so far. What are your thoughts?
This edition of the book is out of print, but the completed edition, comprising a third section dealing with the underground people, is very much in print via feralpressinc.com. how do I know? I wrote it. thanks for the kind words! gc
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