The Scourge of God: A Novel of the Change (Change Series) (original 2008; edition 2009)

We get to Iowa in this book. Rudi almost dies a couple of times. Really a buffalo stampede? ;-) Mary has a life altering event. No main characters on the quest dies. I already have the next book from the library, as well as a few others from the library. I shouldn't but I am going to jump into Sword of the Lady. ( )

I haven't read the original series but picked this up with Dies The Fire and on through Meeting at Corvallis and the last book, The Sunrise Lands. I'm mainly a science fiction reader but also like a good fantasy novel. This series, started out as post apocalyptic (science fiction's little brother) but has been devolving into fantasy. The Scourge of God is apparently the Prophet, a religious madman working out of Wyoming and the upper midwest. Ok, I can deal with that. But why do his minions, the Seekers, talk in bold type and are almost impossible to kill? Why is Rudi getting visions? For that matter, this whole quest they are on to the East coast is taking on more and more the trappings of The Lord of the Rings. And as another reviewer noted, it's probably going to take them at least two more books to get to Nantucket. And then 4 more to get back? We could have another Time of Wheels (I mean Wheels of Time) on our hands, a story which the author doesn't know how to end. Like I said, I don't know how much more of this I can take. ( )

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12/11 I'm bumping this up to four stars. The second reading left me less concerned with plot progression, and more willing to luxuriate in the world that Stirling's made. Yes, there's no doubt that Rudi is going to triumph in every situation, but it's because he's Hero Incarnate. It's a lovely escape, and a wonderfully convincing dystopia.

12/10 Another solid entry in the Emberverse saga, this book takes Rudi Makenzie and his cohorts deep into the middle of what used to be the United States. Their adventures are grueling and (need I say it?) gruesome.

3.5 stars, really. A lot of interior monologues keep this from being quite as gripping as its predecessors. Also, there begins to be a sameness, a muchness to the plotlines. This does not hinder my desire to finish the series, however. The characters are strong, likable and most important of all, interesting. I care what happens to them, and I'm interested in seeing what will happen in Nantucket- I so hope we get to Nantucket in the next book.

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The adventure continues as the band recovers in the Tetons and makes their way to Iowa. It's an enjoyable story, full of more creative possibilities about a future world based on the past. ( )