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Deluge: Book Three Of The Twins Of Petaybee by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
01/03/2008 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
Pub: Del Rey/Ballantine Books. 224 page hardback. Price: $23.95 (US), $29.95 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-345-47006-5 pub: Bantam Press. 223 page enlarged paperback. Price: £17.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-59305-614-1. Buy Deluge in the USA - or Buy Deluge in the UK  check out website: www.delreybooks.com - www.booksattransworld.co.uk, www.eascarborough.comand www.annemccaffrey.net
The third and final book, 'Deluge', of 'The Twins Of Petaybee' doesn't take place on their home planet. Having escaped from the imprisonment on Gwinnet, the twins, Ronan and Murel, together with Sky the river otter and later, Zuzu the cat make an odd combination as they try to remain free. The twins are selkies. Put them in water and they transform into seals. They are also telepathic, hence their ease of communication with Sky and Zuzu. Much of this book follows their adventures and little on Petaybee with their father, Sean, or indeed with the other adult prisoners who've initiated their own escape as they attempt to sort out the insurgence within the Company that governs the planets. Gwinnet also begins to demonstrate similar sentient properties as Pataybee with potential catastrophic consequences for all those on the planet towards the end but how would be spoiling things.
Firstly, bearing in mind the age of the twins, I don't think this book is really intended for adults. Probably mid-teens at most. Saying that, there is a feeling of disjointedness here that took me a while to figure out. Most of the adult characters that were introduced in the earlier books barely get a mention or show any real effectiveness. When the two animals, Sky and Zuzu, get most of the best lines, one has to wonder at the neglect to the rest of the cast. This doesn't mean to say they don't have their moments. The twins are certainly brought to life but everything seems to be in a rush to either get finished or to avoid boredom. Both twins have their hair shaved which worried them initially but neither seem to notice when they re-grow it after changed back from being seals. The same could be said after injuries both sustain. Either they got better or they didn't, but their original concern just isn't there. Considering how major this was at certain points of the story led me to think there was a necessity to keep the page count down and leaves things for the reader to think about. From an internal story point of view, I felt this just made the story too rushed putting too much emphasis on character rather than fulfilling plot. Considering the writing qualities McCaffrey and Scarborough, I couldn't help wonder how it ran down so much.
If you've followed the previous two books, then you'll be buying this one to see what happened next. Don't expect great revelations. As a teen book, it plays to safe sensibilities towards the end. If anything, I think elements of this book could have been expanded to give more than lip service to the adult characters and possibly have developed into a fourth book to give it all the space it deserved rather than abbreviate down here.
GF Willmetts
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