Weir Lovejoy is a Ranger in a post-apocalyptic earth. Solar flares disrupted technology as we know it sending humanity back to a pre-industrial era. It’s like a second Middle Ages with the religious cast trying to take over power in a moment where it should be supporting the government. The Vucari, an old enemy defeated years before, are returning from the Asian Steppes. But what is their purpose? According to Vladimir the Resurrected, the Vucari’s leader, they come in peace, but Weir doesn’t trust him and tries to warn the Senate. While the religious cast and politician try to get a deal signed by Vladimir, Weir and the other Rangers are ready to confront him, suspecting Vladimir is setting up a trap.
The first thing that strikes me about The Book of Ruin by W. G. Hladky was the presence of a great deal of an Easter Eggs. There’s even one about Klingons, so he must be a Star Trek fan. I enjoyed reading this story about a second Dark Age, where not everything is dark. Despite being a post-apocalyptic story, I can’t classify it as a dystopian one. And you can tell how much research the author must have done before writing this novel. From geography to history, passing by war tactics. There are some disturbing scenes of graphic violence but without going into much details, which makes the reading of those part easily digestible. All characters are fleshed out well and the prose flows fine most of the times, despite some typos here and there.
Reviewed for Readers’ favorite.
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