An absolute page-turner…
Howalt’s spectacular Moonless series, the saga of a group of rebels struggling to survive in a ruined world, continues where We Lost the Sky left off. The Florentine rebels, now the residents of a new settlement built from the scavenged remnants of the ancient ruins of Siena, are fighting to build a new society while surviving the vicious dust storms and unforgiving terrains of the wasteland. But the bigger threat to Sienans comes in the form of a silent killer. And a mysterious radio signal means they must prepare themselves for another threat. Howalt has a gift for crafting forlorn dystopian setting, and her flair for creating intriguing, deeply humane characters combined with her discipline to shed unnecessary characters and situations from the earlier installment keep this volume both orderly and comprehensible. She expertly balances brisk pacing, a vivid dystopian world, and a humane and subversive cast of characters while simultaneously exploring the complex themes of democracy, governance, and religion, the foundation for the rebuilding of a new society. Readers will be swept away by this fantastic dystopian tale.
