title: The Cloud Roads (The Books of the Raksura)
author:  Martha Wells 
description: Starred Review. Moon's world is populated by many different intelligent species (none of them human), and he has never known which one he belongs to. Orphaned at a young age, he's wandered from tribe to tribe, hiding a dangerous secret. Like the universally hated Fell, whose only aims are slaughter and conquest, Moon can flywhich leads to predictably violent cases of mistaken identity. When he does find his own people, the Raksura, life doesn't get any easier, since their internal politics are vicious, and they too are in imminent danger from the Fell. Cue hairsbreadth escapes and feats of derring-do, as Moon helps his new family evacuate their doomed colony and then rescues a group of kidnapped children. Wells (The Gate of Gods) merrily ignores genre conventions as she spins an exciting adventure around an alien hero who anyone can identify with. (Mar.) <br />(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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  **Praise for Martha Wells and the Books of the Raksura**
  
  
  
  
  
  “Martha Wells’ Raksura books are dense, and complex, with truly amazing world
  building, and non-human characters who are quite genuinely alien, yet still
  comprehensible and sympathetic. The characters, particularly the protagonist,
  Moon, are compelling and flawed and likable. The plots are solid and fast
  moving. But it’s the world that really astounds. There is a depth and breadth
  and sheer alienness here that I have rarely seen in any novel. Shape-shifters,
  flying ships, city-trees, six kazillion sentient races, floating islands, and
  on and on and on.”
  
  
  
  
  
  —Kelly McCullough, author of the WebMage series and the Fallen Blade novels
  
  
  
  
  
  “Using its alien protagonist to explore the politics of gender and belonging,
  this is a fascinating read for SF readers looking for something out of the
  ordinary.”
  
  
  
  
  
  _—Publishers Weekly_ (starred review)
  
  
  
  
  
  _“The Cloud Roads_ has 