The Pain Merchants (The Healing Wars, Book 1) (The Healing Wars) - Softcover

Hardy, Janice

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007326793 ISBN 13: 9780007326792

Publisher: HarperCollins Children's, 2011

Synopsis

A young girl becomes a pawn in a bigger political game when her uncanny -- and dangerous -- ability to shift pain between people turns out to be the only weapon she has to save her sister. Fifteen-year-old Nya is one of Geveg's many orphans; she survives on odd jobs and optimism, finding both in short supply in a city crippled by a failed war for independence. Then a bungled egg theft, a stupid act of compassion, and two eyewitnesses unable to keep their mouths shut exposes her secret to the two most powerful groups in the city: the pain merchants and the Healer's League. They discover Nya is a Taker, a healer who can pull pain and injury from others. Trouble is, unlike her sister Tali and the other normal Takers who become league apprentices, she can't dump that pain into pynvium, the enchanted metal used to store it. All she can do is shift it from person to person, a useless skill that's kept her out of the league and has never once paid for her breakfast. When a ferry accident floods the city with injured, the already overwhelmed Takers start disappearing from the Healer's League and Nya's talent is suddenly in demand. But her principles and endurance are tested to the limit when her talent turns out to be the only thing that can save her sister's life.

About this title

About the Author:

A longtime fantasy reader, Janice Hardy has always wondered about the darker side of healing. She tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing could be dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst choices. She lives in Georgia with her husband, four cats, and one nervous freshwater eel.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins Children's
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0007326793
• ISBN 13: 9780007326792
• Binding: Paperback