"Lillith" by Carol Buhler

Long ago, on a distant world, humans came and settled. They were initially welcomed by the natives, who happened to be highly intelligent creatures who mentally bonded with another from a species similar in form to humans, though not quite the same. It was a mutually beneficial relationship that seems to have worked well for centuries. But humans being as they are, eventually things between the races began to sour. The natives came to realize a need to hide themselves from the humans living on the planet and managed to erase themselves from all human memories.

For centuries, the differing races lived on the planet, with the humans completely unaware of the existence of anyone other than themselves living there. It seemed to work well for the natives, however as time passed, the human culture evolved and changed. Also during that time the natives slowly began to die out, their populations stagnating and not being replaced by new births. If such a trend were to continue, what would happen to the natives who depend on their bonded partners? Can they survive such changes, and what can be done to reverse what is happening?

Is it time to once again give the humans a chance to show that they have changed? And have they truly changed or have they merely survived whatever is preventing the native population from having children and continuing on?

I found this to be a very interesting story in a completely original world created by the author. I had a difficult time putting this story book down at night as I really wanted to know what was going to happen next in this multigenerational tale. Ms. Buhler has done a fantastic job in creating a very unique world and populated it with a just as unique people.

The problems faced by those races are ones that make sense in the context of the story. After all, when one people cut themselves off from everyone else, eventually they will stagnate and stop moving forward. And when that happens, there will inevitably be a lot of problems that must be dealt with if they are to have any chance of survival.

I believe this book will appeal to readers of all ages. It may be geared more towards Young Adult readers, but the story is well enough written that anyone should be able to enjoy it. It was the first book in an existing series and I do plan on continuing on to read more of this series in the future. It has certainly caught my interest and I can’t help but want to know both what will happen next as well as whether or not the native species can find a way to solve their childbirth problems, as well as whether or not they can learn to live with and trust the humans living on their planet once again.