Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand

Undivided The Undivided
by Jennifer Fallon
Harper Voyager

Supplied for review by Harper Collins New Zealand

Reviewed By: Jo Toon

The Undivided is the first in the Rift Runners series. The story centres on an Ireland where Boudicea signed a treaty with the Faeries to repel the Roman invasion. Two thousand years later, the treaty is still in force, held by the Undivided, a succession of psychic twins, who channel the magic for the Druids. Darragh and Ronan are the current Undivided; however, a traitor threw Ronan through a rift into another reality, one where the Romans won and magic no longer exists. If Darragh is not able to find his brother and bring him home, then both of them will die.

This book is very powerfully written, with vivid and believable characters, both human and Faerie. Whilst there is good and evil in the story, with humans fighting Faerie on one hand, and the humans in the alternate realities fighting amongst themselves, nothing is black and white, with both sympathetic and unpleasant characters one each side. The tale itself is simple; the need for the brothers to reunite before a deadline, but there is enough intrigue, politics and adventure to keep the pages turning. Some of the twists are resolved a little too easily, not quite in a deus ex machina way, but certainly in an 'as luck and the plot would have it' way, but this does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the story. The ending is a cliffhanger, due to this being one of a series, and I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book.

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