The Pelbar Cycle
Posted on November 19, 2008 | Filed Under Ink and Quill
Way back in the mid-80s when I was stationed in Italy with a detached unit of the 82nd Airborne, I ran across a book called The Breaking of Northwall. It was a post-apocalyptic story set 1000 years in our future. I remember enjoying the book but otherwise don’t remember a whole lot about it.
Over the years, I ran across other books apparently part of a series. I didn’t pick them up as I passed on them for other things. However, last year, for some reason I ran across my old tattered copy of Northwall and decided I was going to track down the series and give the whole thing a new read; this time in its entirety.
I’ve finished the first and am onto the second now (there are seven in all) but they are fairly ’short’ compared to most contemporary fantasy/sci-fi books, roughly 200-260 pages a book. The first one was very interesting. It was dry, almost like a text book, but also had a certain something that felt like telling stories around a camp fire. The author doesn’t over-write (as many of the current authors of fantasy and sci-fi can have a tendency to do.) Very Hemingway-esque in the ability to make you fill in the gaps on your own.
I liked it and am looking forward to finally seeing how this 25 year old series progresses. Stay tuned.
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The Pelbar Cycle is one of my favorite series, and I was pleased to see someone had also read it.
Earl,
Yes, indeed. I enjoyed the whole series quite a bit (finally after 20 years of waiting). I think my favorite ended up being the Song of the Axe because I found I connected best with Tor.
But still, a wonderful read after a long wait and I’m glad I made the effort to track the other books down so I could read the whole series. Sort of a shame Williams left it there but I guess it was best to go out while it was still good.