RISE OF THE ARCADIANS
by T.C. McMullen
ISBN 978-0-9754372-8-5
Coming soon from Open
Reign Publishing
She's called Scout by the men of the Citadel, where no other woman is allowed except for the few
who cook and clean. In a not-so-far-future world where the earth's very surface has changed, and civilization as we know it
today is only a memory, Scout mysteriously comes and goes and carries out her self-assigned mission: to keep the Citadel's
fighters supplied, so they can defend the remnants of what used to be the eastern United States against invasion by the cannibalistic
Oceaners. Scout has a real name, though, and a home unknown to the Citadel although it's not that far away. A home from which
she has all but exiled herself, and a destiny that calls her back just when her chosen allies need her most.
Once again T.C. McMullen blends speculative fiction elements with some of Humankind's most universal
and potent myths, and peoples the resulting universe with characters whose flaws make them all the easier to care about. In
Desire (otherwise known as Scout), she's created a memorable yet believable action heroine on whose coming of age struggle
a continent's fate depends. The people surrounding her are just as real, and the best thing about Desire - in this reader's
opinion - is how her developing relationship with one special man enhances instead of changes her. There's warning here, of
what our own world's future may hold if we continue on our current pathway; but there's also hope.
I do hope this apparent standalone book is really the first volume in a new McMullen series, because
I definitely want to read more about Desire and her people!
--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of the Farthinghome series from eBooksOnThe.Net (first volume now available in paperback from Cambridge Books)
