So here we are again! It's another month, time for an all new blog tour! This month's tour revolves around the latest book by Kathryn Mackel, Trackers. This is part of The Birthright Project, a really interesting sci-fi series that has thankfully seen print!
Trackers is actually the second book of the series. The first, Outriders, came out a little while ago. I read it before I started reviewing books on my blog, so don't bother going to look for my review (maybe I'll do that tomorrow).
At any rate, I loved reading Trackers. I think I actually enjoyed it more than the first book. The reason for that, simply put, is because Mackel is working with a pretty interesting concept. Her books are basically set in a distant future where humankind has basically really screwed things up badly. The Endless Wars have basically decimated human culture and, as a result, humans have reverted to a more medieval lifestyle. Genetic engineering has become magic as warlords view for control of territory.
But there's a small, intrepid band of young Christians known as the Birthrighters who are struggling to preserve as much of God's creation as possible. It seems that before the Endless Wars spun too far out of control, God instructed His followers to build a second Ark, a high-tech hide-away that's hidden deep under the arctic ice. There the last remnant of Christianity hid for generations before God commanded them to send people up to the surface to gather as much unaltered life as possible and spread the Gospel once again.
It's a unique concept and, I'll admit, I had trouble wrapping my brain around some of it at first (for some reason, my disbelief was refusing to be suspended when Mackel explained in the first book that the Birthrighters could communicate with animals). This time around, though, my disbelief was willingly suspended and I really enjoyed the ride that Mackel took me on.
This is a great, innovative series. I was able to polish off Trackers in a day or two (but then, I'm a voracious reader). If you're looking for a good read, especially a great blend of sci-fi and fantasy, you can't go wrong with the books of The Birthright Project.
But don't just take my word for it. Check out what other people are saying about this book:
Jim Black
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Frank Creed
Gene Curtis
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Karen Hancock
Elliot Hanowski
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Karen and at Karen¹s myspace
Oliver King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium
Terri Main
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Caleb Newell
Eve Nielsen
John Otte
Cheryl Russel
Hannah Sandvig
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Stuart Stockton
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Chris Walley
Daniel I. Weaver
Mark Goodyear
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1 comment:
Great review, John. I really like the fact that you were up front about having difficulty with the premise at first. That makes your endorsement of the story all the stronger. Well done.
Becky
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