Journal Entry 1 by Ladyjanet from Normal, Illinois USA on Monday, October 10, 2005

From Booklist
In the follow-up to his critically acclaimed Neverness (1988), Zindell returns to the planet Icefall in a captivating and complex saga that showcases a breathtaking gift for conceiving entire cultures and their native philosophies. Zindell follows the growth and adventures of Danlo, a Caucasian teenager living among an isolated, Eskimo-like tribe until a fatal epidemic leaves only Danlo alive to seek a new home. After a death-defying journey across the ice, Danlo arrives in the city of Neverness, where he is taken under the charitable wing of Old Father, a wizened, alien philosopher-guru, and discovers an ambition to pilot starships. With Old Father's help and instruction, Danlo explores the ways and beliefs of Neverness' many immigrant cultures, trains for an elite order of pilots, and learns the fate of his true father, Mallory Ringess, a missing pilot of legendary renown. Zindell draws on sources as diverse as Eastern mysticism, Eskimo culture, and linguistics for a novel of unusual depth and scope. An impressive achievement.