Caleb Fox

ZADAYI RED REVIEWED

by Tia Nevitt

FANTASY DEBUT web site

"I think Caleb Fox has a brilliant future.

"ZADAYI RED is a fantasy novel based on a Cherokee legend. It starts with the tale of Sunoya, who is marked as a shaman at birth because her last two fingers on her left hand are webbed. She was bears another mark--a mark of doom--and according to tradition should have been killed at birth. Her mother concealed this mark and warned her never to reveal it.

"She has a vision that the clan's most precious object--the Cape of Eagle Feathers--has become descecrated and powerless, rendering the clan deaf to the wisdom of the gods. To avert this calamity, Sunoya travels to the cave dwelling of Tsola, the Seer of the Galayi people. Together, they embark upon a journey to the spirit world to learn why this is going to happen. They learn that it was the fault of the Galayi, for they will start to kill each other. And when they do, the gods will turn away from them.

"They also learn of a way they can earn another cape. It will require a hero."

See the rest of the review atthe link just below.

GREAT REVIEW OF ZADAYI RED
IN LIBRARY JOURNAL

"Fox's debut delivers a powerful reshaping of a Cherokee legend and blends fantasy traditions with Native American culture and myths to create a unique atmosphere of nature magic and Indian lore. Fans of Native American myths as well as fantasy should enjoy this new twist on a young man's rite of passage and his date with destiny."

FIRST REVIEW of ZADAYI RED, from the trade mag KIRKUS

Fantasy debut retells a Cherokee legend.

"The heroic magical quest is a well-worn convention in this genre, but Fox adds a fresh element with his engaging Native American cultural setting. Sunoya, a young shaman of the ancient Galayi, has a vision of the tribe's magical Cape of Eagle Feathers—worn by the Seer of the People to see the future and protect the Galayi—smeared with dirt and blood. She also predicts the birth of a hero who will restore the cape and save the tribe.

Her cousin's infant son, Dahzi, may be that hero. As he grows up, he faces many perils: His sinister grandfather hates him; tribes at war threaten him; and he must undertake a dangerous mission.

Religion-tinged magic suffuses the story throughout. Sunoya, for example, has telepathic conversations with her spirit-guide and converses with a wide variety of animal-deities. The author, himself half-Cherokee, provides an insightful portrayal of the daily lives of an ancient people.

Fox draws effectively on Native American mysticism to create a fine fable."

"Caleb Fox is a major new writer. Adventure, drama, emotion, magic, imagination, mysticism, insight into prehistoric peoples--this book is an amazing ride into the unknown!"
--Tony Hillerman