F J Stewart

The Hatchling F J Stewart

IT IS TWO THOUSAND YEARS INTO THE FUTURE... ...after the Great Change, when the planet turned over, and the human species is down to about fifty million worldwide. Magic has reentered this world, and the environment is pristine. And so it is, on a calm green sea sails the Taraway, an old two-piston wreck, carrying its crew of fishermen. The crew notices a strange thing: a damaged vessel surging through the water embroiled in its own personal storm, with a ravaged woman tied to the mast. She is stranded on the ocean terribly weakened, with a broken ship and no retinue. The kind captain and his crew take her in and become intoxicated by her beauty. But she has guiled the crew into assisting her. In fact she is the queen of an alien race called the Voth. The queen is on a desperate mission across the world to save her race. A mission that, if successful, would eventually destroy all of humanity and put an end to earth's peaceful existence. Key to her success is her unborn child, her 'Hatchling', who is given great powers. His sole purpose is to finish his mother's mission, a goal that will bring back full magical abilities to the Voth. Yet as the Hatchling grows and experiences the world around him, he discovers that there is much more to his new life than what his mother had planned. Soon he learns to harness his developing powers. But is it for good, or is it for evil?