The first two things to note about this book are that it's the 5th in the series of tribe novels, and that, like others, it's 2 novellas in 1 book. In the series, the story lines are interconnected and follow through the books, but the books are written by different authors.
The next 2 points to make are related to the book's context. Children of Gaia is a continuation of the story from Tribe Novel: Bone Gnawers. The stage for Children of Gaia is set in that novel, along with a cameo plot advancement in Tribe Novel: Stargazers, which is paired with Bone Gnawers. I expect Children of Gaia would be less interesting for a reader who hadn't read Bone Gnawers. Read that one first, if you have the chance. Both novellas in this book would probably leave a reader completely lost if they have no familiarity with the game. I expect the target audience are those with experience in the World of Darkness.
Physically, the book is fine, with a clear font for the text, and decent paper, though the binding on my copy wasn't glued well and the cover is coming off. As I'm very careful with books in general, this means the binding was definitely subpar. It happens. The artwork is the standard World of Darkness artwork, which I just plain dislike. Luckily, there's no more than cover artwork and some advertisements for other books.
The first novella, Children of Gaia, is written by Richard Lee Byers. It follows the path of healing for Cries Havoc, who lost part of his memory, part of his spirit, in Tribe Novel: Bone Gnawers. It's a story of personal strife, and how a pack bonds and works together. The novella reads like a good gaming session, with the pack working it's way to their goal, and then the final battle. Though in this case, the final battle is a personal one. The ending sets the stage for further adventures. Though it is a personal journey, the implications of this novel will ring through further Tribe Novels. Overall, it's a good read, surprising, entertaining, and thoughtful in turn.
The second novella, Uktena, is written by Stefan Petrucha. It is another personal journey, that of Amy Hundred-Voices, a songkeeper without a talent for songs. It covers her journey, that appears outward, but is really inward, to gain her talent. The physical journey covers middle America, and stopping some servants of the Wyrm. It's an adventure that I enjoyed but wasn't really tied to Amy's story. She also ties up a loose end from Tribe Novels: Stargazers. Overall, this novella was a bit disjointed. While interesting, I didn't feel like it held together completely. I expect that reading Uktena may be necessary as background for later Tribe Novels, due to the overarching plot-lines.
Together, the first novella was excellent, the second was average. Putting those together makes it a good book.
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