cover image Ambrosia and the Coral Sun

Ambrosia and the Coral Sun

Sherri L. Board. Tug Press, $12.95 (249pp) ISBN 978-0-9634767-7-7

Set in the Pacific Ocean (literally), this deep-sea eco-fantasy opens as Ambrosia's soul ``has a date to meet with her physical self''--in other words, as Ambrosia is born. A Zel who has ``the intuition of a saint,'' she is given a monumental responsibility: to destroy Zelatar, the evil ruler who threatens the Zels' existence. The neonate must leave her parents so that she can safely cultivate the special powers she will need to defeat Zelatar. Her mission expands to teaching humans how to respect and care for the ocean. While Board develops her environmentalist themes, she conveys little else. In building characterizations, she relies on telling, not showing; in depicting the marine world she resorts to stiff, rigid imagery. Despite the good intentions, this awkward vessel is not seaworthy. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)