This is the second Kirinyaga story, originally published in 1989, and concerns a very determined little girl named Kamari, a bird with a broken wing, the Kikuyu culture, and the first true moral crisis facing Koriba, the mundumugu (witch doctor) of Kirinyaga.

It begins, with the feel of a fable, as Kamari, who is a good Kikuyu girl, and wants nothing more than to be a good Kikuyu girl, first confronts Koriba. She finds a bird with a broken wing and wants Koriba to cure it. She believes, as do all good children, that her mundumugu can do anything, and does not understand when he explains that he can heal the wing, but not save the bird. Because she is a bright and amusing child and he wishes to teach her a lesson, he makes a deal with her, and she learns he is correct: the wing heals; the bird, caged, dies. But Kamari, in keeping her bargain with Koriba, cleaning his hut, discovers his books (Koriba is the only educated man on Kirinyaga) and computer. And, as Koriba soon understands, Kamari is far more than bright -- she is a genius, teaching herself to read and to work the computer. She is only one little girl, but she is already a threat to the entire social order of Kirinyaga.

Kikuyu women are not allowed to read. For Koriba, the dangers of bending a culture are self-evident. He has seen it all before. Like a bird's wing, a perfect culture cannot bend without breaking. What is he to do with a little girl who can break a world?

She can leave Kirinyaga. According to the Charter, any person wishing to leave can simply go to a clearing called Haven, where a ship will come and take her to any other world. But Kamari has no desire to leave her home. She is Kikuyu and wishes to stay and be a good Kikuyu girl --- only she wants to be allowed to read.

Can Koriba make an exception for Kamari? If a culture never bends, will it shatter under its own inflexibility? Before Koriba can resolve these issues, the crisis turns, and the decision leaves his hands. But the imprint stays with him for the rest of his life.

One caveat: There is a casual reference to "uncircumcised children" applied to the young girl in this story. Because Mike Resnick writes faithfully in Koriba's voice, we feel no concern. Alice Walker and Pratibha Parmar document the practice we now know as female genital mutilation in the book Warrior Marks. I suggest reading Warrior Marks for a better understanding of exactly what this custom is.

This story is a great read. You don't have to read Kirinyaga first, as "Sky" stands well on its own, but I highly recommend reading all the Kirinyaga stories in order to get the most out of the series. Mike Resnick's love of Africa, and especially Kenya -- Kirinyaga -- and the Kikuyu people -- is evident in every elegant word. -L E FORMAN, Fictionwise Recommender