Synopsis:
An outcast healer and her shaman-bewitched son become caught up in the politics and intrigue among a group of reindeer herdsman.

Review:
The Reindeer People is only the first part of the story, and ends on a most incomplete note, so I’m glad that I’ve got Wolf’s Brother on hand to start immediately. I really hate that publishers do this–I’d much rather read one long book than wait for a second installment.

This is one of Megan Lindholm/Robin Hobb’s earliest works, and in it you can see the seeds of the greater writer she will become. The prose is confident and assured, and her characters satisfyingly flawed. While the book got off to a slow start, I was glad I stuck with it.

The world here is ancient, though not quite primitive. The characters have intellect if not sophistication, and the aforementioned politics and intrigue are complex, from a psychological perspective. Tillu is not Lindholm’s greatest heroine, but I’m warming up to her.