Hope's War
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
For the city of Hope, stability is a memory. Counseled by Lord Denon, the leader of the Church, Vel, the new and very reluctant young king, has unintentionally prompted a bloody civil war. Pounded by an unrelenting winter and faced with diminishing food supplies, the city of Hope is carved into a battleground.
In the midst of shifting alliances, Vel relies on Lord Denon and General Wunic-his military adviser-to help him end the conflict. But the situation deteriorates. The only hope is a cache of food reportedly stockpiled by the mysterious Frill in the abandoned ruins south of the city.
Against the backdrop of social and political anarchy and widespread starvation, Vel must make the dangerous journey to the ruins and make contact-and come to terms with-the Frill.
What Vel finds instead is a powerful kind of computer-based portal into the future. A late-twenty-first-century future controlled by a brilliant but ruthless terrorist known only as Blakes. But what is the link between Blakes-a cold-blooded mass murderer from the future-and the conflict devastating Hope?
Vel must find the answer. And fast. Time is running out. For Hope. And for Vel. Harsh snowdrifts bury the dead, loyalties have become strained. Vel must face the horror not only of Hope's past, but of its future.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this solid sequel to Hope's End (2001), 16-year-old Vel's ambitious adviser and lord of the Church, Denon, manipulates him into taking the throne of the city-state of Hope. Vel assumes the king's crown after killing Justice Hillor, leader of the Council, at Denon's order. Meanwhile, loyal General Wunic strives with less and less luck to quell the growing rebellion that sweeps through Hope as food supplies dwindle and the Pox continues to ravage the populace. Fortunately, even as Denon's plot to rule through the boy approaches fruition, Vel can turn for guidance to his genetic predecessor, Blakes (cloned from the DNA of English poet William Blake during the biotech revolution of the early 21st century and stored as an AI inside an ancient computer from Hope's earliest days). Once the leader of an anti-tech movement that resurrected the powers and methods of Hitler, Blakes and his closest followers were exiled from Earth and sent to a distant planet where they settled Hope and sought to assimilate the indigenous Frill population. Despite Blakes's evil past, he's the only one Vel can trust as he tries to make sense of his own life and stand against Denon's plots. The story maintains a fantasy-like feel even after revealing Blakes's past. Although Chambers fails to develop any but the four main characters beyond two dimensions, and the novel leaves any real plot resolution to the next book in the series, the author's compelling dissection of good and evil will keep thoughtful readers involved.
