SF book where characters can transform themselves at will into whatever they want

[Caitlyn]

This was a sci-fi book I encountered once a while ago when I was probably early high school (2010ish?) but the book itself did not read like a newly published book at the time. (I most likely got it from my local library)

The biggest and most original idea from the series was that anyone could change their form at will (I believe it took a few weeks of meditation) they could be anything they wanted and it took only some thought and time to change it.

I remember distinctly that one of the Main Characters was a human male with an alien friend who kept beating the guy at some sort of alien game because the game was suited for the alien and not a human. Later in the book the guy would make the transformation to the same alien race as his friend and his friend complains about no longer being able to trounce him in the game.

There was another main character that seemed to be going through a midlife crisis of sorts. Not able to really decide what he wanted to be, having taken under this transformation process more than once and feeling no fulfillment (there was a line about once he made himself into a beautiful woman and not being satisfied then either despite the attention she got at the time). I wish I could remember the resolution to this guys arc but I do not. (It wasn’t a very depressing book so I do not believe anything ended badly, no big wars or battles in the book)

When discussing this vague book idea with a friend, I got the distinct memory of it being ‘transhuman’ oriented due to the concept of the people being able to change their forms at will.

I do not know if this was a stand alone book or one in a series.

Thank you for your help and time!

[Kris]

Caitlyn, is this the same book you were looking for - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... ?

[Caitlyn]

No that was the Immortal Quartet. This was definitely something very, very different. Scifi with mentions of aliens and spaceships. A sort of aura of transhumanism and an interesting culture among the stars of a human race not bound by the body we were born with

[Kris]

Can you post a comment in the other thread with the title and author of your book? Then we'll mark it as Solved.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[SBC]

It’s been a while so I don’t remember it well, but could it be Wings of Creation by Brenda Cooper?

[SBC]

Sorry, I meant to suggest the sequel, I think it’s called Reading the Wind