Walker's central character is patterned after the archetypal hero on a hero's journey. Tashi leaves civilization, tracks her tribe's warriors into the jungle where she undergoes a rite of passage. One self dies (her childhood) and she is reborn (marriageable). The transformation, however, is a false one for Tashi who is reborn but not empowered. In fact, she is enslaved. She falls into a slough of despond. But with spiritual guides, Mzee, Raye, and Pierre, she undergoes a period of reeducation and preparation. She transforms again, this time into a knight of sorts who slays the dragon — M'Lissa — in an act of self-sacrifice to rally the oppressed against the oppressive Olinka male patriarchy.

Though Tashi may be easily identifiable as the archetypal hero on a journey, she is stretched in so many ways that she is barely recognizable as one individual character. She is a much...