Time Dancers (The Meq)

Steve Cash created “an absorbing [and] intriguing saga” (The San Diego Union-Tribune) in his debut novel, The Meq. Outwardly indistinguishable from human beings, but with abilities no human can claim, the Meq search for their lost history and face a mysterious prophesied reckoning. . . .

It has been thirty-eight years since Zianno—known as Z—turned twelve. In appearance, he has not aged a day. Like all Meq, Z has become accustomed to a near immortal existence, possessing an uncanny ability to recuperate from injury and resist disease. Like only four others of his kind, he holds one of the fabled Stones, the Stone of Dreams. These bearers believe it is their destiny to guide the Meq toward and through the Remembering, where it is said that they will recall their long-forgotten origins and purpose.

But the rogue Meq assassin called the Fleur-du-Mal threatens their efforts and their lives. Pursuing rumors of a lost Sixth Stone, he is intent on finding the legendary talisman and eliminating anyone, Meq or human, who stands in the way.

Z and his allies—Opari, Sailor, Geaxi, Nova, Ray, Mowsel, Carolina, Jack, and others—embark on a desperate quest spanning decades and continents to track down the stone before their lethal adversary gets to it first. Along the way, every belief they have about themselves will be challenged and shaken—and a new, even deadlier enemy will arise.

Zianno Zezen ("Z" to his friends) and his fellow Meq—perpetually 12-year-old Basque immortals—embark on more world-spanning adventures in this enjoyable if not particularly memorable sequel to Cash's debut, The Meq (2005). Z and company seek the renegade Fleur-du-Mal and his accomplice, Zuriaa, the sister of Z's friend Ray. Their urgency increases when the renegades capture Susheela the Ninth, the oldest living Meq and the only person who knows the location of the mystical Sixth Stone. Like The Meq, the tale is a whirlwind of historical detail and name-dropping, mostly related to the 20th century, from Babe Ruth's home runs to the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Though some of the coincidental connections are unlikely to the point of absurdity, they provide a good anchor for the times. Cash has smoothed out his writing style, improving the story's flow, but in the process has lost some of the original's sparkle. (May)
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