Description
The grass people have forgotten how to listen and follow the Way; the elves and fairies have disappeared from the tall prairie grasses. Their once idyllic existence is now fraught with danger. They must evade or defeat wildbeasts, the mower, predators, and four-legged shadows. It is also rumoured that tall men exist and may arrive soon. Dyra leads his village with great courage while some grass people await the return of their spiritual leader, Dokrimalitzla, and the restoration of magic. Meanwhile Brecort, the mayor of a nearby cave city, plots his conquest of all the villages. He sends an emissary with propaganda to convince them that only he can save them with his guns, guard towers and walls.
About the authors
Kay Parley is an author and journalist, a visual artist, a former teacher and psychiatric nurse. She has written twenty-seven books but The Grass People is her first fantasy novel. Kay began writing The Grass People in 1976 and finished it twenty years later. She is a weekly syndicated newspaper columnist and volunteers as public speaker who advocates for mental wellness. Kay is ninety-five years old and still writes every day using an electric typewriter. She currently lives in Regina, Saskatchewan
Alison Lohans is an award-winning, internationally published author of many books for young people, most recently "River Rat" and "This Land We Call Home," which won the 2008 Saskatchewan Book Award for Young Adult Literature. She has also worked as a writing instructor and a music teacher, and served as Writer in Residence in addition to doing hundreds of author talks across Canada. Born and raised in central California, Alison immigrated to Canada during the Vietnam War years. She has two grown sons and gets great enjoyment from her passion for music, playing cornet, recorder and cello in several amateur groups in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Excerpt: Grass People, The: Ukraine Undone (by (author) Kay Parley; edited by Alison Lohans)
"Koalee froze in wide-eyed horror. Dyra grabbed the telescope. A shadow had fallen across the village. It appeared to be going in the direction of Lenk's house. Not Lenk! Dyra forced himself to look. It was not a shadow, but a tall man, formed like a grassman, just as the elf had said, and he was riding on an animal--an enormous four-legged animal with feet as big as a house. The man's skin was sun-bronzed to a tone very like Dyra's own, and he wore trousers of a dull grey colour which almost matched his own cover clothes. As he watched, the man got off the animal and bent to pull some grass trees with such ease that Dyra couldn't believe what he was seeing."
Editorial Reviews
"A remarkable achievement. Kay Parley has created an entire world, fully realized and richly layered, peopled with fascinating characters. It's a world of lore and legend, tucked out of sight beneath the leafy plants and tall grasses we walk by every day. A population haunted by the destructive force of the mower's blade and the menace of four-legged shadows. An epic tale told on the tiniest of stages. A world where Life calls to Life. A world to curl into and enjoy. I loved it!"
Will Ferguson, Giller Prize winning author of 419
