"Children of the Forest" is the best kind of sci-fi. It's a book that has something to say about a real issue that troubles our real world, but it approaches it through the lens of fiction. Nin is a valuable world, and two factions vie for control of its resources. The struggle between them promises to be electrifying, and the fact that author Byron Gillan knows how to craft some truly searing imagery and cook up a roiling conflict with his expert wordplay across every page only draws me deeper into "Children of the Forest." I cannot wait to get the final.