The first book in the Web Shifter's Library series returns to the adventures of Esen, a shapeshifting alien and member of an ancient yet endangered race, who must navigate the perils of a hostile universe.
Esen's back! And the dear little blob is in trouble again.
Things began so well. She and her Human friend Paul Ragem have opened the doors to their greatest accomplishment, the All Species' Library of Linguistics and Culture. They're prepared for clients to arrive, but trouble comes knocking instead.
First is Paul's family, who'd mourned his supposed death years ago. Understandably, feelings are bent. But what matters? Paul's father has gone missing.
Before he can convince Esen to help him search, a friend shows up to use the Library. A crisis in the Dokeci System is about to explode into violence. To have a hope of stopping it, Evan Gooseberry needs answers.
Unfortunately, the artifact he brought in trade holds its own distracting secret. A touch of very familiar blue. Lesy's "signature," left on all her creations. Web-flesh.
The race is on. Paul, to find his father. Esen, to search for the rest of her Web-sister while helping Evan stop a war. What none of them realize is the price of success will be the most terrible choice of all.
Industry Reviews
Praise for the Web Shifters series:
"Search Image is the guaranteed most delightful and fun SF read of the year." -Marie Bilodeau, author of the Aurora-nominated Destiny series
"Julie Czerneda's novels ignite my sense of wonder, from the amazing worlds she creates, to the fully realized aliens and likeable characters. I eagerly await her next." -Kristen Britain, author of Green Rider
"Beholder's Eye has certainly recaptured the wonder and excitement I felt when I first discovered the genre. Overall, Beholder's Eye is refreshingly short of cynicism, emotional manipulation, and gratuitous anything. It's a fun book to read--smart and fast with a classic SF feel." -Tanya Huff, author of the Blood series
"It's all good fun, a great adventure following an engaging character across a divertingly varies series of worlds, with just a bit of unfulfilled romantic tension for spice." -Locus
"The plot of Beholder's Eye will strike the chords with readers familiar with the work of C.J. Cherryh or Hal Clement, but Czerneda stamps this with her own style, proving that a story told from the viewpoint of an alien race is worth reading when properly handled." -Starlog