Status
Available
Series
Genres
Publication
Gallery / Saga Press (2019), 320 pages
Description
It's been four weeks since the bloody showdown at Black Mesa, and Maggie Hoskie, Diné monster hunter, is trying to make the best of things. Only her latest bounty hunt has gone sideways, she's lost her only friend, Kai Arviso, and she's somehow found herself responsible for a girl with a strange clan power. Then the Goodacre twins show up at Maggie's door with the news that Kai and the youngest Goodacre, Caleb, have fallen in with a mysterious cult, led by a figure out of Navajo legend called the White Locust. The Goodacres are convinced that Kai's a true believer, but Maggie suspects there's more to Kai's new faith than meets the eye. She vows to track down the White Locust, then rescue Kai and make things right between them. Her search leads her beyond the Walls of Dinétah and straight into the horrors of the Big Water world outside. With the aid of a motley collection of allies, Maggie must battle body harvesters, newborn casino gods and, ultimately, the White Locust himself. But the cult leader is nothing like she suspected, and Kai might not need rescuing after all. When the full scope of the White Locust's plans are revealed, Maggie's burgeoning trust in her friends, and herself, will be pushed to the breaking point, and not everyone will survive.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member quondame
A perfectly good, fast moving second episode of the Sixth World, but off the Dinéteh, so lacking and charm of landscape. Much more of a Mad Max feel, which isn't a complement.
LibraryThing member Linyarai
I read this for the "By An Indigenous Author" part of my 2020 reading challenge. I loved it, I think I liked it even better than the first book. I really enjoy the character of Maggie and how she's trying to change, and I loved her relationship with Ben. I'm really looking forward to book 3.
LibraryThing member jshillingford
I absolutely loved Roanhorse’s debut Trail of Lightning. And while I enjoyed the sequel, I was able to put it down for a couple of stretches because the plot had no momentum.
It opens with Haskins coming to Maggie for help with a new cult-like leader. With him is his niece, Ben, who has a strange
Maggie must travel beyond the great wall around Dinétah to track them. I was excited at first to see what the world was like after the Big Water. Unfortunately, the excellent worldbuilding stalled here. The outside doesn’t come across as that different from the inside. This was a problem because the characters spent most of the novel on this journey, encountering and overcoming bad guys without moving the main plot forward. Don’t get me wrong; some exciting things happen when Maggie comes across a few Native gods, learns about the sword she now carries and starts to build a tentative relationship with both Ben and Rissa. However, when she finally gets to the White Locust and his cult, everything is wrapped up quickly in a couple of chapters. After so much build-up, that was a little disappointing.
Despite these problems, I still love the characters and the world Roanhorse has created. The ending is rushed, but still satisfying. There’s a final “hook” to set up the next installment without being a cliffhanger. I look forward to the next book.
It opens with Haskins coming to Maggie for help with a new cult-like leader. With him is his niece, Ben, who has a strange
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clan power for tracking. When things go wrong, Maggie and Ben set off with Rissa Goodacre to track the White Locust. For Maggie, it’s personal. He has taken Kai with him.Maggie must travel beyond the great wall around Dinétah to track them. I was excited at first to see what the world was like after the Big Water. Unfortunately, the excellent worldbuilding stalled here. The outside doesn’t come across as that different from the inside. This was a problem because the characters spent most of the novel on this journey, encountering and overcoming bad guys without moving the main plot forward. Don’t get me wrong; some exciting things happen when Maggie comes across a few Native gods, learns about the sword she now carries and starts to build a tentative relationship with both Ben and Rissa. However, when she finally gets to the White Locust and his cult, everything is wrapped up quickly in a couple of chapters. After so much build-up, that was a little disappointing.
Despite these problems, I still love the characters and the world Roanhorse has created. The ending is rushed, but still satisfying. There’s a final “hook” to set up the next installment without being a cliffhanger. I look forward to the next book.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Maggie is back, now known somewhat misleadingly as the Godslayer. When her not-quite-boyfriend Kai disappears, she has to go find him and the White Locust, a cult leader with some disturbing plans. The book provides a larger view of the post-apocalyptic landscape, including some bad folks (mentions
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of rape, vivisection and slavery), and leaves Maggie with some different allies. A very enjoyable entry into the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member macha
3 and a half stars. second novel in the Sixth World series. this one uses considerably more of the larger post-apocalyptic landscape, and tells a bigger story. Navaho Maggie Hoskie is learning to use more of her clan powers, there are more native gods to meddle, and the fragile world of the Dine
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once again needs saving, but Maggie is rising to the task, with more confidence and more help than she's used to. good characters, interesting setting, a fun read, and the author flirts a little with having more to say without quite going there. a good start, but i'm left wanting more, just because i feel the author's up to it. Show Less
LibraryThing member LongDogMom
As good as the first in the series. I couldn't put it down. Gritty, original, and a fascinating take on a future dystopia from a Native American Mythological perspective. Loved it! Can't wait for the next book in the Sixth World series.
LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
The second book in this series follows a month after the end of the previous book and Maggie is still hurting from what happened. A bounty hunt goes wrong and she is taking care of a girl with clan powers when the Goodacre twins come to her with news she didn’t’ expect to hear. Now she is on a
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
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hunt to get the youngest Goodacre back and find Kai. Everything is tied to the bad bounty hunt and the trail leads the team outside the reservation. If things are bad on the reservation after the Big Flood things are even harder past the walls. White Locusts wants to make things better for his followers and he doesn’t care who dies for that to happen. Maggie is drawn into the battle so she can rescue Kai and find some answers for herself. The ending is great and sets up the next book quite nicely. Can’t wait for the next one. Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
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LibraryThing member greeniezona
One of my few pre-orders for the year, this book was highly anticipated and it did not disappoint. For some reason it took a bit to put its hooks in me -- I kept reading a chapter or two then picking up something else, but that may have been my distracting life rather than the book, because once I
When we left our beloved character at the end of book one, most of Maggie's relationships were blown up -- or at least a little burnt around the edges. This book starts by introducing us to Ben, a teen girl who also has clan powers (related to tracking), who Maggie is quickly forced/decides to take responsibility for. Not long after, she gets word that Kai (who she's been estranged from) is likely in trouble -- and our story is in motion.
This book takes us outside the Walls of Dinétah and dives into what the apocalypse has done to the world out there -- and it's not pretty. Old characters return, new ones are met, all while Maggie tries to piece together all the rumors, encounters, and signs of the White Locust -- the leader of a cult/movement/terrorist-army? that currently has Kai.
I love the girl gang taking on the world guns blazing. I love the wariness as our very unreliable each in their own ways characters circle and decide when and when not to trust each other. I do wish that I understood Kai and his reasoning a little better (though fair enough, I guess Maggie does, too), because sometimes he comes across a bit of a gender-swapped damsel in distress here. Which is okay, I guess. He can be broken. Maggie can rescue him.
Will they both be whole and in their powers in the next book? AND WHEN CAN I HAZ IT?
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sat down to read it with intent I finished it very quickly.When we left our beloved character at the end of book one, most of Maggie's relationships were blown up -- or at least a little burnt around the edges. This book starts by introducing us to Ben, a teen girl who also has clan powers (related to tracking), who Maggie is quickly forced/decides to take responsibility for. Not long after, she gets word that Kai (who she's been estranged from) is likely in trouble -- and our story is in motion.
This book takes us outside the Walls of Dinétah and dives into what the apocalypse has done to the world out there -- and it's not pretty. Old characters return, new ones are met, all while Maggie tries to piece together all the rumors, encounters, and signs of the White Locust -- the leader of a cult/movement/terrorist-army? that currently has Kai.
I love the girl gang taking on the world guns blazing. I love the wariness as our very unreliable each in their own ways characters circle and decide when and when not to trust each other. I do wish that I understood Kai and his reasoning a little better (though fair enough, I guess Maggie does, too), because sometimes he comes across a bit of a gender-swapped damsel in distress here. Which is okay, I guess. He can be broken. Maggie can rescue him.
Will they both be whole and in their powers in the next book? AND WHEN CAN I HAZ IT?
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LibraryThing member Shrike58
This is one of those times where I feel somewhat conflicted over what rating to give. Essentially, the world-building feels a bit shallow as compared to the first book in this series, particularly in regards to the main antagonist of the plot. The White Locust, while spectacular, really lacked
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depth as a character for me. Perhaps some flashback moments to provide more of an origin story would have been in order. However, I still look forward to forthcoming stories involving Maggie Hoskins; I do find it interesting that for her next novel that Roanhorse is going off in a totally different direction. Show Less
LibraryThing member dcoward
An extremely strong second entry to this Native American, post apocalyptic fantasy series! The characters remain interesting, the mythology fascinating, and the action riveting.
LibraryThing member SpaceandSorcery
3 1/2 STARS
Last year I encountered a new Urban Fantasy series that felt quite different from the usual format, and its first installment,Trail of Lightning, encouraged me to keep an eye out for its sequels: book two of Rebecca Roanohorse’s Sixth World Series is just as engaging as its predecessor
The rising oceans have changed the face of the world, and one of the few places where life is still possible is Dinétah, the former Navajo reservation now walled off from the rest of the world. It’s not a totally safe place, though, since ancient gods and monsters - both old and new - share the territory alongside humans. Maggie Hoskie is a monster slayer for hire, and in recent times she also became a god slayer when she vanquished Neizghání, the lightning god who used to be her mentor and lover. It’s now a few weeks after this happened at Black Mesa, where Maggie also had to kill her friend and love interest Kai Arviso, whose healing powers brought him back to life but not back in Maggie’s life, so she’s trying to deal with the aftermath of it all - trying being the operative word…
When she’s called in for help against the dangerous cult of the White Locusts, she learns that the “resurrected” Kai is either their prisoner or a willing adept, and to get to the core of the matter she teams up for a search and rescue mission with two of the Goodacre siblings and a young girl with clan powers, Ben, who has been entrusted to her care. Gathering human and godlike allies along the way, the group ventures from the borders of Dinétah into the Malpais - the devastated outside world - discovering that the White Locusts and their charismatic leader Gideon are planning something that might mean the destruction of all they hold dear.
The narrative elements that made the first book in this series stand out are still here: the walled-in enclave of Dinétah where humans and supernatural beings coexist in this weird world whose face was literally changed by the rising oceans; the fascinating cultural and social milieu of Native Americans that brings a new, intriguing perspective to the genre; the land itself, with its harsh, unforgiving beauty. Maggie remains a fascinating character, her hard-won independence, her self-sufficiency still there but now tempered by the realization that opening herself to other people does not threaten those qualities but rather enhances them. And here comes the biggest change in the interpersonal dynamics of the overall story, because it transforms what early on was a one-woman battle into a group effort and a delightful quest that takes us outside the borders of Dinétah and into the Big, Bad Outside World.
Much as life in the Diné enclave might look difficult, the Malpais proves to be dangerous, and deadly: in the best tradition of post-apocalyptic stories, Maggie and her team encounter an organized gang of slavers and organ traffickers whose settlement of Knifetown has a definite Mad Max quality, complete with what looks like a deranged overlord, while the mention of the neighboring Mormon Kingdom and its theocratic rule fulfills the worst predictions of what could happen with the collapse of civilization. It’s therefore hardly surprising that in this kind of background a cult like that of the White Locusts could easily gain supporters, won over by their leader’s Gideon seductive power and his promise of a new, better world.
Storm of Locusts sees Maggie traveling through these dangers with a crew of allies - friends - that, with the exception of reformed bandit Aaron, is dominated by women: Maggie herself, who’s trying to change her ways and not resort to mindless killing as a way of solving problems, and who is acknowledging her newfound connection to humanity and somehow finding that she enjoys it; Rissa Goodacre, who begins the journey with huge moral reservations toward Maggie and then slowly changes her outlook recognizing there can ben mutual respect and friendship between them; the cat goddess Mosì, whose feline indifference offers some of the lighter moments in the story; and young Ben, the best addition to the series because of what she comes to represent for Maggie.
Ben is a teenager who just suffered a grievous loss on top of earlier childhood trauma, the one that woke her clan powers: Maggie sees much of herself there, and where at first she somehow resents being saddled with the responsibility for the teenager’s safety, she starts to see her earlier self reflected in Ben, recognizing the signs of the downward spiral she traveled in the past, and decides to spare her the same hurtful journey by giving the young woman the support she needs to come to terms with what she is. Despite the tragedy in her recent past, Ben’s character is an engaging counterpoint to Maggie’s, thanks to her youthful enthusiasm and drive that little by little manage to erode Maggie’s hard shell and bring her closer to her forgotten humanity.
Where character exploration offers the best elements in the story, I found that the plot felt less… solid, starting with the sensation that the questing team was never truly in danger: their experience in Knifetown, where it seems Maggie and Rissa might lose their lives and Ben be sold as a slave bride, is resolved fairly quickly by what looks like a deus ex machina set of circumstances. In a similar way, the swift conversion of outlaw Aaron, or the easy help offered by a divinity appearing as a crusty old man, look a little too convenient to feel completely believable. And I’m still not convinced by the soundness of Kai’s motivations for joining Gideon’s cult, or by the mutual bond between Kai and Maggie, which does not offer solid vibes for me…
Still, whatever doubts I might have had about this second installment in the series were vanquished by the closing paragraph of the novel and its ominous promise of more interesting darkness to come: the next book might very well compensate for my partial disappointment with this one.
Last year I encountered a new Urban Fantasy series that felt quite different from the usual format, and its first installment,Trail of Lightning, encouraged me to keep an eye out for its sequels: book two of Rebecca Roanohorse’s Sixth World Series is just as engaging as its predecessor
Show More
but it also left me with mixed feelings, because while I loved what the author did with the characters - both the old and the new ones - part of the storyline felt less defined and at times too… convenient (for want of a better word) to be completely believable. But let’s proceed with order…The rising oceans have changed the face of the world, and one of the few places where life is still possible is Dinétah, the former Navajo reservation now walled off from the rest of the world. It’s not a totally safe place, though, since ancient gods and monsters - both old and new - share the territory alongside humans. Maggie Hoskie is a monster slayer for hire, and in recent times she also became a god slayer when she vanquished Neizghání, the lightning god who used to be her mentor and lover. It’s now a few weeks after this happened at Black Mesa, where Maggie also had to kill her friend and love interest Kai Arviso, whose healing powers brought him back to life but not back in Maggie’s life, so she’s trying to deal with the aftermath of it all - trying being the operative word…
When she’s called in for help against the dangerous cult of the White Locusts, she learns that the “resurrected” Kai is either their prisoner or a willing adept, and to get to the core of the matter she teams up for a search and rescue mission with two of the Goodacre siblings and a young girl with clan powers, Ben, who has been entrusted to her care. Gathering human and godlike allies along the way, the group ventures from the borders of Dinétah into the Malpais - the devastated outside world - discovering that the White Locusts and their charismatic leader Gideon are planning something that might mean the destruction of all they hold dear.
The narrative elements that made the first book in this series stand out are still here: the walled-in enclave of Dinétah where humans and supernatural beings coexist in this weird world whose face was literally changed by the rising oceans; the fascinating cultural and social milieu of Native Americans that brings a new, intriguing perspective to the genre; the land itself, with its harsh, unforgiving beauty. Maggie remains a fascinating character, her hard-won independence, her self-sufficiency still there but now tempered by the realization that opening herself to other people does not threaten those qualities but rather enhances them. And here comes the biggest change in the interpersonal dynamics of the overall story, because it transforms what early on was a one-woman battle into a group effort and a delightful quest that takes us outside the borders of Dinétah and into the Big, Bad Outside World.
Much as life in the Diné enclave might look difficult, the Malpais proves to be dangerous, and deadly: in the best tradition of post-apocalyptic stories, Maggie and her team encounter an organized gang of slavers and organ traffickers whose settlement of Knifetown has a definite Mad Max quality, complete with what looks like a deranged overlord, while the mention of the neighboring Mormon Kingdom and its theocratic rule fulfills the worst predictions of what could happen with the collapse of civilization. It’s therefore hardly surprising that in this kind of background a cult like that of the White Locusts could easily gain supporters, won over by their leader’s Gideon seductive power and his promise of a new, better world.
Storm of Locusts sees Maggie traveling through these dangers with a crew of allies - friends - that, with the exception of reformed bandit Aaron, is dominated by women: Maggie herself, who’s trying to change her ways and not resort to mindless killing as a way of solving problems, and who is acknowledging her newfound connection to humanity and somehow finding that she enjoys it; Rissa Goodacre, who begins the journey with huge moral reservations toward Maggie and then slowly changes her outlook recognizing there can ben mutual respect and friendship between them; the cat goddess Mosì, whose feline indifference offers some of the lighter moments in the story; and young Ben, the best addition to the series because of what she comes to represent for Maggie.
Ben is a teenager who just suffered a grievous loss on top of earlier childhood trauma, the one that woke her clan powers: Maggie sees much of herself there, and where at first she somehow resents being saddled with the responsibility for the teenager’s safety, she starts to see her earlier self reflected in Ben, recognizing the signs of the downward spiral she traveled in the past, and decides to spare her the same hurtful journey by giving the young woman the support she needs to come to terms with what she is. Despite the tragedy in her recent past, Ben’s character is an engaging counterpoint to Maggie’s, thanks to her youthful enthusiasm and drive that little by little manage to erode Maggie’s hard shell and bring her closer to her forgotten humanity.
Where character exploration offers the best elements in the story, I found that the plot felt less… solid, starting with the sensation that the questing team was never truly in danger: their experience in Knifetown, where it seems Maggie and Rissa might lose their lives and Ben be sold as a slave bride, is resolved fairly quickly by what looks like a deus ex machina set of circumstances. In a similar way, the swift conversion of outlaw Aaron, or the easy help offered by a divinity appearing as a crusty old man, look a little too convenient to feel completely believable. And I’m still not convinced by the soundness of Kai’s motivations for joining Gideon’s cult, or by the mutual bond between Kai and Maggie, which does not offer solid vibes for me…
Still, whatever doubts I might have had about this second installment in the series were vanquished by the closing paragraph of the novel and its ominous promise of more interesting darkness to come: the next book might very well compensate for my partial disappointment with this one.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JJbooklvr
This picks up a few weeks after Trail of Lightning. No spoilers, but Maggie is still a bad ass main character in this Native American post-apocalyptic fantasy. I loved this and the first book as well and highly recommend them both.
LibraryThing member whatsmacksaid
The writing’s not quite as polished as the first book, but the story was great and I still loved it. Definitely recommend.
LibraryThing member LibroLindsay
I had a hard time with this book...I almost bailed with nearly every chapter for the first half of the book until we met up with Ma'ii again. I think this is mostly because I'm in this series for the action and adventure--all the love parts feel rushed and forced and slow the plot down. I also
I do hope Roanhorse gets the copy-editor she deserves for the next book. I have never read a book with so many errors in it.
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became tired of the in-fighting, happening almost exclusively among women, and it wasn't until the second half of the book that we began to see a little nuance among the female characters. That said, I couldn't put the book down by the second half, and I tore through the rest in a night. I will likely pick up the third installment.I do hope Roanhorse gets the copy-editor she deserves for the next book. I have never read a book with so many errors in it.
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LibraryThing member Tikimoof
Another 3.5-ish.
The chapter length was a big problem - it felt like chapters ended when Roanhorse wanted to make a transition but didn't want to think of how to link it together properly.
I also wasn't a big fan of Maggie's dialogue. The middle of the book at the casino was probably the best part
This series just hasn't hooked me, unfortunately.
The chapter length was a big problem - it felt like chapters ended when Roanhorse wanted to make a transition but didn't want to think of how to link it together properly.
I also wasn't a big fan of Maggie's dialogue. The middle of the book at the casino was probably the best part
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for me, but it wasn't very long. The beginning with all of the quipping was pretty bad.This series just hasn't hooked me, unfortunately.
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LibraryThing member jennybeast
Oh, this is so good — nonstop action, deeply creepy bad guys (the locusts thing isn’t a euphemism), great set up for the next book while honoring and finishing this story.
Solid badassery remains even as we see more of the world unfold and Maggie starts making connections and family of her own.
Advanced reader’s copy provided by edelweiss
Solid badassery remains even as we see more of the world unfold and Maggie starts making connections and family of her own.
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Advanced reader’s copy provided by edelweiss
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LibraryThing member beentsy
I may have enjoyed book 2 even more than book 1, and I didn't think that was possible. Roanhorse's character building and interactions are so, so good. Cannot wait for the next instalment.
LibraryThing member BarnesBookshelf
Because it has been a while since I read the first one, it took a minute to remember who everyone was and what had happened. But once I remembered, I was hooked. I loved the addition of Ben to the cast, and that we got a cool girl gang for most of the book. I'm not sure if/when the next book will
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come out, but I can't wait for it! Show Less
LibraryThing member Treebeard_404
An excellent follow-up to the first novel. I look forward to the next.
LibraryThing member Tip44
Five starts for awesome setting.
LibraryThing member patl
Starts up exactly where the last novel left off, well perhaps a couple of months later, but digging into the same story. This novel was enjoyable but I felt a little Scooby Doo at times in the sense that plot twists in one chapter were easily resolved as the next chapter began. Still a fun
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adventure romp And I look forward to reading or hearing the next book in the series. As with the first book, the audio book is excellent, very well voice acted Show Less
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Fantasy Novel — 2020)
Ignyte Award (Shortlist — 2020)
Language
Original language
English