The Called

In this confusing sequel to 2007's A Harvest of Changelings, young Hazel, Malachi, Jeff, and Russell have grown up, though at different rates due to the uneven passage of time on separate planes. On Earth, 21 years have passed since the revelation of the changelings, magic-wielding descendants of Faerie, but many humans are still having a tough time adjusting to the polygamous, indiscriminate sexuality of changeling tetrads. A near-incomprehensible enemy plot begins with the kidnapping of Malachi, which sets off a chain of events including a coup against President Al Gore and a civil war featuring changeling tetrads and their Cherokee allies on one side and Tar Heel military forces on the other. Though Rochelle aims for literary lushness, many descriptions feel wearingly repetitive. ("The stars fell, exploded, drifted, divided, over and over and over, until they could see nothing but the stars, stars, stars, nothing but stars, as the ground rose, fell, rose, fell, dipped, undulated, wriggled, writhed.") The excess of viewpoint characters and corresponding plotlines make the previous book required reading for this ambitious mash-up of Cherokee and Celtic myths. (Sept.)