THE AMTRAK WARS by Patrick Tilley
Series of 6 Sci/fi novels
Just finished the Amtrak Wars by Patrick Tilley.
Now the first thing anyone who's read that series to the end will tell you is that the ending sucked... And I've just done the same. Without getting into details, it felt like the Author got to page 400 and suddenly realised he needed to end the book. Funny thing is I had no problem with the fate of some of the characters or the Epilogue it's self, (actually I loved it) just the last 3-4 chapters before it which seemed to take the remaining loose ends and either write them off as never having been anything important or tie them up abruptly in contrast to the rest of the series. Beyond that, there are a few facts that seem to contradict each other along the way, but ultimately I found I could shrug them off in favour of the epic tale that was told.
As a Series, The Amtrak Wars were LEGENDARY! The idea is a post apololyptic United States of America in the 30th century as the radiation from a war in 2015 has finally begun to subside. A civilisation, known as the Amtrak federation, has spawned underground from those who survived the war in shelters and they have finally surfaced to take back the blue-sky world from the mutants (mutes) who have survived and resisted the radiation to become a tribal race with close links to nature and the earth. A member of the Federation is captured by the mutes and slowly begins to uncover the truths behind his underground race and the destiny of all in the mute's sacred Talisman Prophecy that fortells the destiny of them all.
The world Patrick creates is amazing and detailed to the point that I could easily imagine a vast number of off-shoot novels and an entire RPG world that could have spawned from it. Politics and intrigue support a tale of might, magick and technology of varying degrees as a number of characters question their fundamental beliefs and very being as they unravel a web of myth, fiction and lies that they have built their lives upon. One character in particular leaves us spellbound as we are left constantly uncertain as to his loyalties and certianly the character never quite seems certain themselves right up until the end of the entire series.
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