The Family Forge (Paperback)

This masterful story is a compelling coming-of-age rendezvous with disaster. AdiNa, a naive-teen genius, escapes boring farm life with his big brother, Rehez, by talking his way on board a grand steam-powered general store and traveling show: Paj'oRa--the Flying Forge. As GayuDa the Welder, the avuncular master of the Forge becomes increasingly detached from his command duties, Stayen, his feisty daughter and heir, objects when Baljin, the first mate, wields more and more power on the Forge. Overwhelmed with keeping the complicated ship in one piece, she doesn't see trouble brewing under her pert little nose. The Flying Forge's last stop before Home is a flying island full of precision clock makers and a new technological breakthrough - a shiny metal box that lets people communicate through the air-- without the traditional mix of signal flags, flashing lights and hard-wired telephones Smitten by Stayen, AdiNa will do anything to stay on board the Forge. Baljin schemes and blackmails the brothers into helping him acquire the wireless contraption. Turning the Paj'oRa into a getaway vehicle, they fly into the teeth of a lethal super storm.