Kiteman of Karanga

In his debut, Reynolds invents an exciting SF world with tribal technologies, mores, etc., in the tradition of Frank Herbert's weightier Dune series. Karl of Karanga loses his nerve during a hunt for ""terrys,'' fearsome reptiles whose bones frame the kites the hunters fly on. As punishment, he chooses banishment rather than death and eludes pursuers, reaching another settlement at the end of an ``uncrossable'' desert. Here the shepherds of Eftah are menaced by the Hrithdon empire. Befriended by a brave girl, Rika, Karl acts heroically, vindicating himself and saving her people as well as his own from would-be oppressors. The fairy-tale predictability is made genuinely fresh through the author's vision and feeling for his characters: Murthdur, leader of the Hrithdon; Rika's grandfather Gardo; Athgar, head of the sheepherdersnot just the principals but minor players as well. (12up)