Warchild is a first novel from 2002 by Karin Lowachee. Taking place largely in deep space, this compelling novel looks at interstellar war through the eyes of a child. Jos is torn from the only life he has ever known at the age of eight, when pirates destroy the merchant ship that he lives on with his family. His parents are killed, and Jos is taken on as the pet of Falcone, a cruel, manipulative, and dangerous pirate. For the next eight years, Jos finds himself in a variety of situations were trust is a deadly concept, and doing what is right is often the most difficult thing imaginable.
Lowachee has a strong sense of storytelling. It is not often that books keep me up well past the time I should have turned out the light just so I can find out what happens next. Her characters are fully fleshed out and real, with their hidden complexities slowly revealed, rather than delineated in the pages that they first appear. Yet she doesn’t pull any unfair tricks either, with characters suddenly behaving contrary to their natures just to provide a plot twist.
I read Warchild because the author will be one of the four who I have invited to appear at the Massachusetts Library Association’s annual conference in May 2005. I always try to read at least one work by each of the visiting authors. How delightful to find a new, talented author whose career I can enjoy hopefully for many years to come. Fans of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game should give Lowachee, and Warchild, a try.