Colors in the Dreamweaver's Loom

Colors in the Dreamweaver's Loom
Author(s)	Beth Hilgartner
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Fantasy novel
Publisher	Houghton Mifflin
Publication date	1989
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	241 pp
ISBN	0-395-50214-4

Colors in the Dreamweaver's Loom is a fantasy novel for young adult readers by Beth Hilgartner. It tells the story of Zan, a 16-year-old from our world who mysteriously finds herself in a parallel universe, where she becomes involved in a native people, the Orathi, and their struggle to save their homeland from development.

Plot synopsis

Alexandria "Zan" Scarsdale is a newly-orphaned 16-year-old, confused and bitter over the recent death of her father. She and her father, a famous author, had a strained relationship—his writing kept him aloof from his daughter—and she grieves over the fact that they will never be able to make amends.

Driving through Vermont countryside, on impulse she parks her car on the side of the road and begins to walk through the woods adjoining the road. It doesn't take her long to get lost. After a frantic search, she eventually lays down to take a nap; only to be awoken by two "oddly-dressed" children. They are Karivet and Iobeh, brother and sister, and Zan soon finds out that there's more that's odd about them than just their clothing!

They take her to the elderly Weaver, Eikoheh, who takes her in and adopts her. Eikoheh teaches her the language and customs of their people, the Orathi. The Orathi are a peaceful, primitive people, at one with the woods around them. However, another nearby people (knowing about the peaceful ways of the Orathi) are threatening to drive them off their land to make room for their own overflowing population. Zan, along with Karivet and Iobeh, agree to travel to the city to stop the Orathi's land from being taken, and eventually strike a bargain—they will abide by the decree of the gods.

So the three friends journey to Windsmeet to ask a boon of the gods. Along the way they pick up Remarr, a young man who has forsaken his people's warrior ways to pursue his music; Vilhena, a young woman who feels confined by the traditions and duties of a city woman and wishes for the honor of the warrior; and Ychass, a shapeshifter who had been forsaken and enslaved by her own people as punishment for daring to question their beliefs.

The six travelers become close as they journey to Windsmeet to communicate with the gods, and from there to the extreme north in order to complete a task given them in order to curry the gods' favor. However, it is the Trickster goddess that hears their prayers, and grants them not only their boon but also cruel "gifts". Zan she sends "home", twisting Zan's earlier words, spoken in anger to her father, that they moved so much that it felt like her only home was the airport.

Finding herself suddenly back in Vermont, wearing white desert robes and recognized by her father's agent, the book ends with Zan answering the agent's concern with a quickly-concocted lie that she had been recruited by a cult.