I didn't know this was a series of 4 short stories, loosely related, when I picked up this book. I also did not know about the Mormon theme that runs through the stories. The religious theme is not oppressive but always runs in the background. As post-apocalyptic books go it is average. I really liked the first story and thought I would settle in for a great read....but it ended in a hurry in my opinion, as though the author was bored with it and wanted to move on. The next story was ok but not being Mormon I think the significance of it was lost on me. What started as an adventure fizzled into something meaningless for me. The next story was mildly interesting about a traveling roadshow on the fringe. Very much a personal family story that really did not have to take place in a post-apocalyptic world. Lots of emotional struggle but it failed to grip me. The last story was one that was out in left field for me....could not finish it. Liked the first story and felt it could have been developed more....but the rest...a warm drink of water. ( )

Several short stories set shortly after a limited nuclear war. Persecuted Mormons are driven from the author's hometown to safety in Utah. Further stories involve that community rebuilding, capped off by an apocalypse story that probably makes sense if you're familiar with LDS eschatology.
A warning: the first story contains a graphic description of child neglect which has haunted me since I read it. I wish I hadn't, even though it was the best story in the book.
Cast: loners, Mormons, Mormon loners.
Timeframe: immediate post-collapse through centuries of recovery.
Mary Sue: mormon sci-fi authors ( )

Five stars amy be a bit of overkill, but these linked stories are so imaginative that I felt the need to go overboard. I read this book just a few weeks after Cormac McCarthy's The Road. While the two cover a similar post-apocalyptic theme, the way they approach it could not be more different. It was amazing to me the role Card places on faith in preserving human culture at the end of the world. The stories are beautifully written and manage to hold on to hope. ( )

Part of Card's stories that marry Mormon history with SF. ( )

As with all Card's books it is well written with good characters, but this just isn't among his best works. ( )