What do You think about The Dancers Of Arun (2000)?
Time has passed since the events of 'Watchtower', and Van's groups of dance performers/martial artists, known as chearis, have spread throughout the nation of Arun, becoming respected as bringers of peace and balance, although already their inception and history are passing into legend, details forgotten.Kerris, a young man crippled as a child in a violent raid, is suddenly picked up by the older cheari brother that he never knew, but whom he has always had a confusing and intimate mental bond with. Brought from the only house he can remember into a group that has many mental talents, he realizes that he may have more options than just that of being a scribe. He is trying to figure out what to do, both about his future and his feelings for his brother, when the chearis' village is overrrun by raiders of the same ethnicity as those that crippled him years ago. However, these are outlaws, exiled for the same mental gifts that the chearis share.This book does a good job of portraying the classic 'talents' such as telekinesis, telepathy, etc, in a believable way, and in portraying a society without taboos which are deeply ingrained in ours in an interesting, non-condemning way.
—Althea Ann
I simply love this book.It's not overly fancy. there's no big "bang" anywhere. but there's character growth. and relationships. there's harmony in everything. the plot feels right and natural.also: I love the ease with which sexuality and love is treated. people love each other for the sale of the other person, regardless of gender.there's also different people with disabilities. but apart from Kerris' none of the disabilities is seen as such. they are simply a part of that person. the open ending makes me crave more of the story and I wish it never ended.
—Soneaselene
Crippled as a child, Kerris lives in Tornor Keep and trains as a scribe. But he's long had an unusual psychic link to his older brother Kel--and one day Kel comes to him and offers to take him away with his chearis, a group of dancing warriors. The Dancers of Arun is a distant, indirect sequel to Watchtower, and each book stands alone; it's similar to its predecessor in all the best ways, and improves on some of that book's flaws. Characters and their relationships star, with plot serving only as a vehicle towards character growth (the plot here is both more local and unique than in Watchtower). Kerris is a superb protagonist, a convincing young adult--immature but not petty, with distinct potential for growth--whose disability is important but not exploited. Unusual, intriguing, and beautifully rendered relationships abound: Lynn violates almost every heteronormative expectation without fetishizing the violations, and the emotional landscape that grows around Kerris is varied and vibrant, ranging from friendship to romance, from a chosen family of intimate friends to joyful polyamory; there's enough situational difficulty and character depth that it doesn't read as a wish-fulfillment fantasy. Lynn's prose remains somewhat stilted, and while functional the plot is far from memorable. But this is what my id is full of--troubled characters, complex emotions, unusual and lovely interactions--and so I find it hard to view The Dancers of Arun objectively and I certainly don't mind its flaws. I recommend it enthusiastically to any reader that shares a similar interest in character and relationship.
—Juushika
