Karen Rutledge had grown up in seclusion
from a devastated world. But now she was
alone in the open to face the unknown. Would she find a place among those seeking to rebuild civilization?
This second edition contains the novels These Will I Bring, Abide the Fire, and Bright in the Skies in one volume.
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By J Manness
May 31, 2012
Starvation Ridge is an important book. A strong statement, but I hold by it in spite of some flaws. It’s important to face what is a possible future for the planet. Nasty effects from climate change (AGW) are not a matter of IF, rather how much and when. This books takes an aggressive view of the time (2048), but not impossible. SR is speculative fiction. It is a good, exciting, action packed story, with strong, well developed characters. The story explores the consequences of AGW that severely disrupts the ability of nations worldwide to feed their people. The author states: -- "Hell" here is “all of the above” -- decline in fossil fuel production, trouble with nuclear, especially the need for highly organized expensive maintenance of fuel pools, evolved diseases, weather and crop disruption, resource wars, uncontrolled migrations, failed transport, especially of foodstuffs. [private com.] -- Overall I agree with Ms. Bear’s assessment of American society given this... More > situation. Her view is of a brutal tribalism as survivors struggle desperately in a landscape that will no longer support anything approaching the original population. [I will not summarize the plot as review length is limited.] Ms. Bear draws realistic characters; portrays well motivations, actions and dialog. In particular, she can breathe life into a plethora of minor characters on the farm, a difficult thing to do. Additionally, her knowledge of farming techniques in this area is deep and personal. Weaknesses: she sometimes gets bogged down in long conversations that are more detailed than necessary. Additionally, her time frame of events is fuzzy, so it is difficult to get a clear idea of the history. This latter point in no way inhibits the action, of which there is plenty. The importance of this work is that it shows the utter brutality not just of people who prey on others, but of the time. Bear understands well the consequences of the disintegration of society. There are all the things that we take for granted, and upon which so much of our ability to survive in this world depends. Little things like antibiotics that prevent otherwise not-too-serious wounds from degenerating into life threatening infestations. Even without the marauders, the world is a hard. Ms. Bear does not shy away from the terrible implications of these hard facts. People should read this book to get a view of a world towards which we may very well be heading – perhaps sooner than we imagine.< Less
