Bili the Axe (Horseclans #10)

Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Freefighters - A Natural Clan Leader
Review: The Horseclan series could be more accurately described as an epic narative of the history of the ficticous world Robert Adams has created. There are often times several completely unrelated events going on during any given book and these plots might not get resolved until a few books later in the series.

This book really had three different short stories going on at the same time. The main story was a flashback to the younger days of Bili the Axe. The backdrop for this story was actually begun in "Horseclan Odyssey" (HC #8) and it was in my opinion the most intriguing . After an good build up the climax was glossed over which I found dissappointing. RA did however put into motion some subplots in this part of the book that are played out in later novels.

The second plot concerns the 20th Century survivors known as the Withcmen and is a continuation of the events of "Savage Mountains" (HC #5) and does not reach any sort of ending, but I'm sure will be addressed somewhere later in the series. It's an interesting story line, but it's hard to keep straight when it's only addressed intermittenly throughout the series.

Lastly, there was a plot with the savage Ganiks that just kinda stopped... not really sure if this has any future potential. This was also an interesting plot, although, I was at a loss to see how it fit into the big picture. The Ganiks are a barbarian people and RA does a good job of illustrating that fact.

Despite the lack of closure on the plots, the book was well written and as always in this series, the charachters are interesting. The key piece of data for anyone thinking of picking up the Horseclan books is that it's not the type of series you just pick up a book here or there, but you've got to read 'em all to get the full enjoyment and impact out of Mr. Adams work.

Rating:
Summary: A small part of a larger story
Review: The Horseclan series could be more accurately described as an epic narative of the history of the ficticous world Robert Adams has created. There are often times several completely unrelated events going on during any given book and these plots might not get resolved until a few books later in the series.

This book really had three different short stories going on at the same time. The main story was a flashback to the younger days of Bili the Axe. The backdrop for this story was actually begun in "Horseclan Odyssey" (HC #8) and it was in my opinion the most intriguing . After an good build up the climax was glossed over which I found dissappointing. RA did however put into motion some subplots in this part of the book that are played out in later novels.

The second plot concerns the 20th Century survivors known as the Withcmen and is a continuation of the events of "Savage Mountains" (HC #5) and does not reach any sort of ending, but I'm sure will be addressed somewhere later in the series. It's an interesting story line, but it's hard to keep straight when it's only addressed intermittenly throughout the series.

Lastly, there was a plot with the savage Ganiks that just kinda stopped... not really sure if this has any future potential. This was also an interesting plot, although, I was at a loss to see how it fit into the big picture. The Ganiks are a barbarian people and RA does a good job of illustrating that fact.

Despite the lack of closure on the plots, the book was well written and as always in this series, the charachters are interesting. The key piece of data for anyone thinking of picking up the Horseclan books is that it's not the type of series you just pick up a book here or there, but you've got to read 'em all to get the full enjoyment and impact out of Mr. Adams work.

Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Freefighters - A Natural Clan Leader
Review: The Horseclans novels are like olives -- you either acquire a taste for them or you don't. They're not great literature, which is why I gave this book a score of only 3, but if you get caught up in the saga, it won't matter. You'll want more, and there are a lot of them!

The story is set in precataclysmic North America, approximately 600 years after nuclear war, man-induced plagues, and worldwide seismic disturbances have thrown humanity into a brutal pre-industrial age. Much of California and the East Coast have sunk into the sea. What remains of the eastern states, from Canada to Georgia, has been settled by waves of dark-skinned and dark-haired adventurers from Europe (Spaniards, Greeks, Armenians, etc.) called the Ehleenee. While these early settlers were rugged fighters in the mold of Athenians and Spartans, the current crop are little more than decadent dictators ruling over downtrodden peasant farmers.

The first book in the series (see The Coming of the Horseclans) details the odyssey of the War Chief of the horseclans, Milo of Morai, a mutant immortal from the 20th century, as he leads the nomadic horseclans from the high plains of North America to the Atlantic Ocean. After 200 years of searching for other immortals, Milo has returned to the clans to fulfill an ancient prophecy and lead them to their destined homeland by the sea. Since, unbeknownst to the horseclans, earthquakes long ago sent their original home, Ehlai (Los Angeles), to the bottom of the ocean, Milo convinces them to travel east rather than west. In their way stands the armed might of the Ehleenee and the treacherous Witchmen -- pre-Holocaust scientists who have survived the centuries by repeatedly stealing new bodies to house their minds and who have their own designs for ruling existing civilization.

Adams often revisits adventures from the point of view of different characters, which can create redundancy; it also means you have to read several books to get the whole picture. This volume has three plot threads running through it: The main story is a flashback to the youth of Bili the Axe, one of the horseclans most redoubable warriors. (For more on Bili and the Moon Maidens, read A Cat of Silvery Hue). The second plot concerns the 20th Century survivors known as Withcmen. And, finally, it introduces the remnants of 20th century organic farmers, now degenerate cannibals known as the Ganics. (For more on the Witchmen and the Ganics, read The Witch Goddess.)

These books are primarily military science fiction and not for the faint of heart. There are lots of vivid descriptions of battles, torture and ghastly wounds. The prose is spare and very action-oriented. While not a fan of military fiction in general, I was sucked in by the animal component of the series. The clanspeople have the ability to communicate telepathically with their specially bred war horses and with a mutant wild cat, the "prairie cat," which sounds like a blend of puma, sabertooth, and cheetah. I'm also obssessed with translating the terminology of the time -- it becomes a kind of game -- figuring out what words like Ehlai (LA), Pitzburk (Pittsburg), Karaleenos (Carolinas), Neekohl (Nicole), Kuk (Cook), Hwallis (Wallace) all mean. If you like Larry Niven's Man-Kzinn Wars series, you might enjoy the horseclans saga.