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A mythmaker at heart, Sandra Hurst has been writing poetry, fantasy and science fiction since her school days in England. Hurst moved to Canada in 1980 and was deeply influenced by the wild lands and the indigenous cultures that surrounded her. Y’keta, her first full-length novel, is set in a mythical land, untouched by science or technology, an ancient world where legends walk and the Sky Road offers a way to the stars.
A member of the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society, the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, and The Mythopoeic Society, Hurst works to build fantasy worlds that allow her readers to join her in exploring the depths of human interaction in a mythical game of ‘what if.’
Her first novel, Y’keta, is long-listed for the prestigious Aurora Award, for best Canadian fantasy novel (Young Adult) and the American-based RONE award for break out fantasy novel.
She now lives in Calgary, Alberta with her husband and son, both of whom she loves dearly, and has put up for sale on e-bay when their behaviour demanded it.
Reviewed by Aimee Carol Dixon for Readers' Favorite
Y’keta did not choose to leave his home village, that was a choice his father made for him. Cast out and stripped of his true form, Y’keta must come to terms with traveling the path of the Kit’na. Swallowing his bitterness will take time, learning to trust longer still. But there is no time. An ancient enemy is stirring, and the secrets he keeps may mean the difference between life and death for his new people. Sandra Hurst’s first novel, Y’keta: The Sky Road serves to introduce her as an author of great promise.
The lives of Hurst’s People are as rich as you could hope for. While careful never to inundate her readers with an avalanche of information, Hurst breathes authenticity into an ancient world. Each character has been crafted to become a friend or family member. To read Y’keta is to become one of the People. Hurst puts a great deal of trust in her readers. Rather than taking you by the hand and guiding you point by point, Hurst will frequently leave you to infer what must be happening between the scenes. This freedom of imagination allows for a more intimate connection with Hurst’s world.
Y’keta: The Sky Road is filled with powerful writing. One particularly poignant scene features the titular character Y’keta talking down D’vahn, the leader of the Red Lodge. His words resonate with feeling and are said to shake loose a soul intent on destruction for the greater good. This moment came late in Hurst’s novel, which only served to heighten Y’keta’s personal growth alongside his connection with the village that became his home.
