Snare: A Novel of the Far Future [Anglais] [Relié]

Popular fantasy author Kerr (the Deverry series) once again crosses genres to deliver a large-scale SF adventure, with crowd-pleasing results. Three very different groups of human settlers go, not all willingly, to the planet Snare: a band of Islamic fundamentalists, a group of horse tribes and the pragmatic Cantons people. All descend on Snare's indigenous reptilian species the ChaMeech, and eight centuries of territorial and social turmoil follow. In Kazrajistan, the despotic Gemet Great Kahn rules the followers of the Third Prophet, but a secret rebel organization led by Captain Idres Warkannan seeks to restore the rightful heir, Jezro Kahn, long assumed murdered by Gemet. Warkannan sets out to find Jezro with his nephew Arkazo and Yarl Soutan, a renegade Cantons sorcerer, who claims to be searching for the lost Ark of the Covenant, the settlers' original ship. Meanwhile, suspicious of Soutan and Warkannan, Gemet sends Zahir Benumar, one of his elite warriors, to discover their plans. In the guise of a disgraced soldier, Zahir joins a horse tribe led by the inquisitive Spirit Rider Ammadin, hoping to use the tribe as cover while he follows Soutan's trail. Matters grow more complicated when a ChaMeech named Water Woman asks Ammadin's help and tells her of a powerful sorceress named Sibyl, who may be the last link between Snare's inhabitants and their distant past. Though the ending falls a little flat, Kerr masterfully manipulates the converging plot lines.
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Kerr turns from Celtic fantasy to a capable variation on a venerable sf theme: the human settlement on a distant planet that loses space-faring technology. On Snare, areas habitable by humans are limited, but human perversity and rivalry are not. The urban Kazraks follow a variant of Islam; the nomadic Comnee keep their wealth in horse herds. Meanwhile, the planet's aboriginal inhabitants, the Cha'Meech, are suffering from human incursions into what is left of their territory. In due course, the Kazraks start trying to overthrow their despot, but their resistance leader is hiding among the Comnee. For their part, the Cha'Meech have an innovative leader, who may remind historically informed readers of nineteenth-century Shawnee chief Tecumseh. Also on hand is a "sorcerer" who is obsessed with reinventing space flight, knowledge of which is more legendary than historical on Snare. The characterizations aren't up to the level of those in Kerr's Deverry saga, yet this competent performance is likely to please Kerr's fans and win her new ones. Roland Green
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"Kerr has a wonderful mix of human and nonhuman characters . . . [her] mix of elements is almost flawless." - Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine

The planet Snare: a hostile environment, science mutated into superstition, and the need to coexist with huge sentient lizards-how much trouble can one planet be? The followers of the Third Prophet trace their religion back to Mohammed and the Qu'ran, but have recently fallen under despotic rule. The tribes of the comnee live a generally low-tech life, following the messages of their gods and trading horses for sustenance. The Cha'Meech, who were on the planet before humans ever set foot there, are besieged by incursions on their territory and other threats. For centuries, all these groups have shared their planet in relative peace. Now, a small group of Islamic believers is heading into alien territory to search for the one man who can help them restore justice to their community. A single Islamic refugee is finding a home with the tribes. A Spirit Rider of the tribes is starting to doubt the faith which is the bulwark of her life. A leader of the Cha'Meech is looking for new solutions. And a rogue 'sorcerer' is obsessed with finding the technology to return to the stars. Kerr deftly combines these elements into a thrilling tale which, as it entertains, also sheds much light on the concerns and interests of contemporary Americans.

“Tight, elegant, and to the point, [Kerr’s] introduction of a religious subtext adds a haunting, mystical overtone to the narrative.”—Locus on Freeze Frames

“An extended adventure that in depth and complexity is beginning to rival Jordan’s Wheel of Time and even Lord of the Rings.”—Andre Norton on Daggerspell

“One of the top fantasists of her generation.”—Interzone

“Deverry is a place worthy of a return visit, with convincing plot lines, a subtle use of magic, and attention to detail that is fascinating. The characters, particularly the women, create interest and concern for the reader about their future.”—VOYA on The Red Wyvern

“Katharine Kerr is both a good writer and a thorough Celtic scholar. Indeed, her work is beginning to invite comparison with Katherine Kurtz’s massive Deryni saga.”—The Chicago Sun-Times

Katharine Kerr is the author of eleven novels in the Deverry series, popular in the United States and wildly successful in Great Britain. Her novels for Tor include Freeze Frames, and the recently published Snare, a sweeping fantasy of the far future. She lives just outside of San Francisco, California.