SOLVED. 1990's sci-fi/fantasy? Lesbians. "Amazons" on a 'primitive' world. [s]

[Min]

I read this book in the late 1990s. It hadn't been out very long, so I'm thinking it was published during the 1990s. There was a second book but I think the author was ill (cancer? maybe?) and didn't take the series any further. It's more sword and sorcery than sci-fi at firs (see spoiler for more on this).

I think the story is told from the point of view of a woman native to the planet on which the story takes place (I don't think it's told in first person, though). Her culture is Earth-like and they are human-like. There are differences, though: for example, their skin changes colour (flushing to looking like they have a tan) when they are aroused or angry and blue eyes are very rare and usually signal magical abilities. One of the characters is considered 'jumpy', for example, because their skin is what we would consider to be tanned.
The main character is a teacher/trainee at what could be considered a training camp/university for those with special abilities. She has the ability to 'talk' to plants and animals. I think she has blue eyes, too. Somehow she is marked as different, even amongst the trainees at this place of learning.

***SPOILER ALERT****



She is paired with a 'Southerner' in order to locate something of importance, which turns out to be a missing space ship or transport ship of some kind. The off-worlder is posing as a person from the Southern Region, which is far enough away to account for oddities of manners; the main character didn't know there were off-worlders at all before this assignment.

Also, the MC's planet is too primitive to have such advanced travel options; they have horses and boats, but no rail or auto transportation. Also, the MC finds out that the off-worlder is actually a woman who is posing as a man because the native culture is very patriarchal and women are often treated as property. The off-worlder is from a race of people that are called something very similar to "Amazon" - and apparently that's what all of the other off-worlders call them because they only have very strong women participating in the galactic federation or whatever it's called. The native woman and this fake Southerner are paired in a life-bonding ceremony in order to locate the missing vessel. Adventure and danger ensue.


Any ideas? I think the author's first name was Chris...?

[Ann aka Iftcan]

No idea Min--but it does look interesting. Hope someone comes up with the title, cause I think I'd like to read it too.

[The Elusive]

Take a look at the (some html is ok) link.

[Snail in Danger (Sid)]

I hope someone finds it also.

[Cade]

I don't know if this is the right one, but could it be Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ruins of Isis? If not, you might want to check it out anyway lol

[Min]

Thanks, Dawn, but that's not it. I think the author was not well known (unlike MZB) and the publisher was a smaller house, not one of the big ones. Thanks for the recommendation!

[Pogue]

I hope someone finds this one. I want to read it.

[Min]

Sometimes my library research skills pay off. I found the book!

The title is Shadows of Aggar by Chris Anne Wolfe:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11...

The second book is Fires of Aggar:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...

[Lisa]

Thanks, Min, for letting us know!