Kathryn Mackel Outriders

Outriders

Kathryn Mackel

WestBow, Nov 2005, $13.99

ISBN: 1595540393

Due to the Endless Wars the darkest of dark ages has descended on the planet; truth, knowledge, and God's Word have become victims of the atrocities. Baron Alrod rules the Traxx with a malevolence that has not walked the earth in centuries; his objective is to destroy all who feebly oppose him. The only viable opposition with hope comes from beneath the ice where the Ark, founded when an angel gave Josiah the lost ancient words of God, resides.

Now the next generation of late teens to early twenties from within the Ark of true believers has begun training. These Birthrighters plan to regain the Promised Land, segments of the surface. Founded by Brady they begin the battle against evil. Niki works with whales to deliver the rooks to their camp while her cohorts led by Brady skirmish with Alrod's gargants, his latest use of the old technology by his "sorcerers" who modified common folk into these monstrous atrocities to spread his domination.

This is a great young adult post apocalypse thriller that grips readers once the audience (including ancient boomers) comprehends the vernacular; thus the plot starts slow, but the adjustment is relatively quick and worth learning the meanings as this enables the pandemic destruction with its two prime groups of survivors to seem genuine. The exciting escapades contain competitors from both camps who seem fully developed. For instance Niki struggles with hiding her feelings of what she assumes is her unrequited love for Brady. Faith in the ancient texts of God tests their mettle as much as the Alrod's minions. This is a great genesis tale that will remind fans of the 1980s TV show The Ark, but with an underlying religious message deftly handled as part of the story line.

Harriet Klausner