Set in the near future and inspired by the captivating myth of the warrior queen Califia, this brilliantly inventive novel tells the story of a small, peaceful community of women tucked away in a world gone mad.Only the elders of the Valley remember life the way it used to be…when people traveled in automobiles and bought food others had grown. When the male-to-female ratio was nearly the … was nearly the same. Before the bombs fell, and a deadly virus claimed the world’s men.
Now civilization’s few surviving males are guarded by women warriors like Dian. When an unexpected convoy of strangers rides into her village, it is Dian who meets them, ready to do battle.
To her surprise, the visitors come in peace and bear a priceless gift, whose arrival is greeted with as much suspicion as delight. It is up to Dian to discover their motive, in a journey that will cost her far more than she ever imagined, a journey from which she may never return.
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Enjoyable, but I found the end to be unsatisfactory. Did the dog survive?
The cover art is grossly misleading. Kind of a dull story despite the post-apocalyptic setting
Interesting post-apocalyptic world. Not quite up to Laurie King’s usual standard, though; to me it gave the impression of being a little “half-baked.”
The plotting was too lax to make this a great read for me, but I did find aspects of this dystopian interesting.
Really enjoyed this book, was very disappointed there is no follow on book.
I started reading this book without knowing anything about it, I simply love Laurie King’s Writing. It was something I would have never selected, but was a fantastic read. Great adventure, very unique events and timeframe, and great characters. It is one I have recommended to friends over and over.
I had avoided reading this book, even though I have enjoyed and admired everything I have read by Ms. King.
The cover was rather odd and the description sounded like the common dystopian stories that are so popular and often so poorly written.
Ms. King published some of the book on her blog and I read it and was sold.
As usual with her writing, …
Interesting premise. Still finish. Am looking forward to the read.
I really like this author, Laurie King, especially her books about Sherlock Holmes’ wife Mary Russell. This is a totally different time and place, California after an apocalyptic event destroyed most of civilization and a virus has reduced males to only about 15% of the population. A small group of about 250 people lives together in harmony, but …
great idea, loved the ending.
Fabulous. One of my all time favorites! If you like strong women characters and an intricate post-apocalyptic world this is a story for you. Plus the dogs are awesome!
Laurie King is a master of creating setting and characters, and she does not disappoint with this book!
You should be ready to step outside the box if you read this book. It is one of those what-would-the-world-look-like-after-a-holocaust books. The author has given a lot of thought to how the earth would look if 95% of the population and infrastructure were destroyed. On top of this, only a precious fraction of the survivors are men. On this …