by Leslie Gadallah

Published by Shadowpaw

Press Review by Toby A. Welch  

$24.95 ISBN 9781989398494

The Legend of Sarah was first published in 1988 under the title Lore Master. It has now been republished in this third edition by Shadowpaw Press Reprise based in Regina. Those who grab a copy of this book will be grateful that it has been chosen for republication. A few references were changed to make them more up to date, but the novel is otherwise unchanged. The Legend of Sarah is as relevant today as it was 35 years ago. The title character is a 14-year-old who lives a rough life. Sarah survives on the streets of the fictional town of Monn, rigorously trying to avoid trouble. A storyteller, she regularly encounters/weaves formidable tales, unknowingly providing inspiration for Sarah to aim for a better life. But things are never simple. She gets caught up in the crossfire of numerous evil and negative forces that aim to muscle their way into her world, trying to pull Sarah to a darker side.

Sarah is an interesting character. She is tenacious, working hard every day to better herself. You can’t help but root for her to make it. I’m not sure what time period in which this book takes place, or its location, or if it’s another world altogether. It is a cross between a fantasy and science fiction, so perhaps it’s another place and time. Silver is used for currency; they use torches for lighting, and have tribal raids. One location in the book is built over an abandoned missile base. Yet, they also have a cool food service, where you order from a menu and a delivery service drops the food items outside your door.

People travel from place to place via pods. There is talk of witches, wizards, gremlins, gnomes, and witchcraft. Mystic energies abound. The book is a fascinating mixture of contradictory nuances. Gadallah was educated as a chemist and has written science articles and served as a technical editor. She has four science fiction novels on her resume, as well as numerous short stories. With the quality of The Legend of Sarah, it wasn’t surprising to learn that she is accomplished in the writing arena.

The book is 371 pages, providing plenty of space to give readers a fully fleshed story with well-developed characters. I highly recommend it. It is a superb example of classic, yet timely, Canadian science fiction.

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