Hello!
I was searching for a book and came across this forum, hopefully someone here can help me.
I read this sci-fi/fantasy book about 15 years ago, I don't think it was new at the time. I loved it and have since wanted to recommend it to some friends but without the title I fear they may never read it. I also would like to read it again. I feel it may have been a more obscure book, not really gaining much popularity but I am posting this with fingers crossed. There are a few key points I remember:
There are 5? nations in conflict, each with abilities unique to its citizens. One nation/people can regenerate and self-heal, to the point that some people need to be 'pruned' of extra limbs, etc. Another can manipulate (accelerate/decelerate) the flow of time for themselves. Another can project illusions of themselves, appearing in any likeness; another, a desert-dwelling people, can commune with the earth and see/hear across the world. I don't remember what the other nation can do.
The subject of the story is a young prince of the regenerating nation who through some circumstances is thrust into each of the nations in turn, learning their abilities and becoming more powerful. Eventually he returns to his nation, uncovers and thwarts deeply-entrenched subterfuge plots and makes difficult decisions to unify the nations (I think).
In the end he returns to his lover (a woman of the time-bending nation) who has vowed to wait for him in ever-slowed time. The near-stasis field lovemaking last hundreds of years real-time and when they come back to normal they live happily ever after in a changed world.
I really enjoyed this book. I would be pleasantly surprised if someone else here has read it and remembered it.
Whether you know it or not, thanks for at least checking!
I was searching for a book and came across this forum, hopefully someone here can help me.
I read this sci-fi/fantasy book about 15 years ago, I don't think it was new at the time. I loved it and have since wanted to recommend it to some friends but without the title I fear they may never read it. I also would like to read it again. I feel it may have been a more obscure book, not really gaining much popularity but I am posting this with fingers crossed. There are a few key points I remember:
There are 5? nations in conflict, each with abilities unique to its citizens. One nation/people can regenerate and self-heal, to the point that some people need to be 'pruned' of extra limbs, etc. Another can manipulate (accelerate/decelerate) the flow of time for themselves. Another can project illusions of themselves, appearing in any likeness; another, a desert-dwelling people, can commune with the earth and see/hear across the world. I don't remember what the other nation can do.
The subject of the story is a young prince of the regenerating nation who through some circumstances is thrust into each of the nations in turn, learning their abilities and becoming more powerful. Eventually he returns to his nation, uncovers and thwarts deeply-entrenched subterfuge plots and makes difficult decisions to unify the nations (I think).
In the end he returns to his lover (a woman of the time-bending nation) who has vowed to wait for him in ever-slowed time. The near-stasis field lovemaking last hundreds of years real-time and when they come back to normal they live happily ever after in a changed world.
I really enjoyed this book. I would be pleasantly surprised if someone else here has read it and remembered it.
Whether you know it or not, thanks for at least checking!
