Afterwar
Ratings2
Average rating4
15
Ratings2
Average rating4
America has been devastated by a second civil war. The people have spent years divided, fighting their fellow patriots. Now, as the regime crumbles and the bloody conflict draws to a close, the work of rebuilding begins. One lonely crew, bonded under fire in the darkest days of battle, must complete one last mission: to secure a war criminal whose secrets could destroy the fragile peace that has just begun to form. Bestselling author Lilith Saintcrow presents a timely and all-too-realistic glimpse of a future that we hope never comes to pass. For more from Lilith Saintcrow, check out: Cormorant RunBlood Call Bannon and ClareThe Iron Wyrm AffairThe Red Plague AffairThe Ripper AffairThe Damnation Affair (e-only) Dante Valentine NovelsWorking for the DevilDead Man RisingDevil's Right HandSaint City SinnersTo Hell and Back Dante Valentine (omnibus) Jill Kismet NovelsNight ShiftHunter's PrayerRedemption AlleyFlesh CircusHeaven's SpiteAngel Town Jill Kismet (omnibus) A Romance of Arquitaine NovelsThe Hedgewitch QueenThe Bandit King Gallow and RaggedTrailer Park FaeRoadside MagicWasteland King
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Afterwar is an uncompromising story about a motley crew of raiders who hunt down war criminals after the Second Civil War. The title is a misnomer – nothing comes after war because war never truly ends. Lilith Saintcrow's novel explores the scars of war that live on long after a ceasefire has taken place.
There are purposeful parallels to present-day America scattered all throughout this book. Supporters of the ruling political party are dubbed “Firsters” who put “America First,” walls are being built to keep out “immies” (immigrants), and the country is run by a megalomaniac with small hands who bombs his hometown of New York City because the residents there hate him. It's so on the nose that it became a bit of a distraction when each of these parallels appeared.
Unfortunately, I never fully engaged with the story being told, but I appreciated Saintcrow's prose and the dark future that she presents, regardless of how upsetting (and possible) it all seems.
See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.
