Books of the Raksura

The Books of the Raksura are a fantasy series by Martha Wells (website here). In the Three Worlds, there are perhaps hundreds of wildly diverse humanoid species -- but Moon has spent most of his life thinking he's the only one of his kind. And unfortunately Moon, who is a shapeshifter, just happens to resemble (in one of his two forms) the most rapacious and vicious predators on the planet: the Fell. Moon just wants a place to belong, but he must constantly guard against others learning of his secret. When he finally meets a member of his own kind, a whole new set of adventures begin for him, and he faces his biggest challenge of all: fitting in.

The story continues in The Serpent Sea, with an unnamed third book possibly forthcoming: the publisher has not yet confirmed the third book.


 * Ancient Artifact: Essentially the whole of the Three Worlds, which is littered with the ruins of extinct empires and species.
 * Bee People: The Raksuran social structure includes two breeds (winged Aeriat and wingless Arbora), and several castes within each breed, all ruled by a powerful queen. Moon is a consort, the only male who can breed with a queen to produce children, which makes for some interesting gender dynamics given that the queens are bigger, stronger, and decidedly aggressive.
 * Badass Grandpa with a general subset of Stronger with Age: Stone, and by extension any elderly Aeriat; they get stronger and bigger, not weaker, with age. Moon is initially stunned to realize he and Stone are the same species because Stone is three times bigger in his shifted form.
 * Our Dragons Are Different: The Raksuras' scarier forms, especially those of the Aeriat, are basically humanoid dragons: scales, wings, tails, claws, and they have a taste for shiny things. They're omnivores and not carnivores, and they don't breathe fire. No need, since as s/he gets older an Aeriat becomes a Giant Flyer.
 * Monster Progenitor: Literally in the case of both Fell progenitors and Raksuran queens.  Fell progenitors are likely also Mothers of a Thousand Young, because they're the only female Fell and yet somehow give birth to giant kethel, rulers and other progenitors, and numerous swarms of dakti.
 * Eccentric Mentor: Stone again, who never bothers to tell Moon anything, thinks it's funny to joke about eating sentient beings, and periodically slaps him in the head.
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting: Raksura children can be forced to change shape just by startling them. Older Raksura can control it, but Moon fears sex with groundlings because in a moment of, er, distraction, he might give his lover a little surprise.
 * Little Miss Badass: Potentially every female Raksura; they're cute when they're little, but adult females are bigger and stronger than males, and queens are basically born badasses.
 * Magic Tool: Literal; mentors create light by infusing magic into inanimate objects, like rocks and shells. Other races in the Three Worlds use various created and found magical tools, such as creating flying ships from pieces of flying islands.
 * Kryptonite Factor: The poison used on Moon at the beginning of the first book, which "outs" him as a shapeshifter.
 * Cultural Rebel: Moon, a consort, learns that other Raksuran consorts are supposed to be refined, shy creatures who never leave home. His history has made him tougher and much more crude, and he's not particularly interested in being protected or courted.
 * Dark and Troubled Past: Moon is suspicious of the Raksura because he's tried before to find his people,  Although this incident clearly scarred him, Moon doesn't want sympathy.
 * Double Consciousness: Moon has learned to fit in, more or less, among groundlings. It's his own people who confuse him badly.
 * Bizarre Alien Biology: Pretty much every species in the Three Worlds.
 * Interspecies Romance: Moon's initial relationship with two groundling women; it's implied that he's had other relationships in the past. Also, a big secret of the Raksura is that.
 * Age Is Relative: Pearl may be a hundred years old or more, but she competes with her daughter Jade (who is probably Moon's age, in her thirties/forties) as if they're sisters. Inverted in Stone, who is Really 700 Years Old, or at least a few hundred, and acts more like a big brother to Moon.
 * The Exile: Moon's big problem among the Raksura is that he's considered a "solitary" -- a Raksura without family ties or a court. Solitary Raksura are treated much like solitary members of any pack species -- barely tolerated, rarely adopted, usually not highly-ranked.
 * Guttural Growler: All the Raksura.
 * Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Gender roles among the Raksura seem to be more or less nonexistent... except among queens and consorts. Queens are stronger, aggressive, bossy, and possessive; consorts start out weaker (although they get Stronger with Age), and aside from Moon, are supposed to be shy and high-strung. Queens fight over them and -- as Stone implies to Moon re Pearl -- may not take no for an answer, especially with younger consorts.
 * Jerkass: Pearl, who seems to delight in pissing off everyone around her.
 * Menacing Stroll: Most Aeriat females, and
 * My Instincts Are Showing: Moon doesn't know much about proper Raksuran behavior, but fortunately much of it is rooted in predatory dominance behavior.
 * Raised by Wolves: Inverted; Moon has trouble among the Raksura because he wasn't raised in their wolfpack/lion-pride-like society.
 * Took a Level in Badass: Pearl, who stops being an ass whenever her court is threatened, long enough to rip her enemies' heads off.
 * Bratty Half-Pint: Frost, the fledgling queen, and leader of the Sky Copper orphans.
 * Seers: The mentor caste of the Arbora.
 * Emo: Chime, the mentor trapped in a warrior's body. Though he seems cheered up by the chance for Ho Yay with Moon, who he thinks is beautiful and a great catch.