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Reviewed by Michael Woodard
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The Miocene Arrow is book two of McMullen's Greatwinter Trilogy. Two thousand years from now, North America is ruled by the Airlords, an elite class on top of a largely feudal and stratified society. Wars of honor are fought with strict rules of conduct in flying face-offs in airships that must meet strict guidelines - lest ancient 'Sentinels' in the sky shoot them down. All this takes place on a continent largely wiped clean by a mysterious 'Call' from the sea that lures the unprepared to their doom.
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A radical group of 'callwalkers,' people immune to the call, has come to the continent from Australia, seeking to use their unique gift to steal the secrets of the airships and unleash a plan to wipe out the normal humanity that has vilified and persecuted them forever: a plan called The Miocene Arrow. I was impressed by McMullen's inventiveness and high adventure in the first book of the series, though I did have some issue with some of his character development. This book also has a similar annoyance or two, but the consequences of the character 'turns' in this book are far less prominent - which made the book a much more enjoyable read. Maybe it's the author image at the back of these books that made the word spring to mind, but a word that describes McMullen's work well is 'swashbuckling.' The characters are fairly simple but easy to enjoy for the most part, and there is much daring-do and amusement to be found. His social structures are very well developed, even if some of his characters' traits aren't. The stories themselves have a distinct 'adventure on the high seas' feel to them and I can't help thinking of cheesy Errol Flynn movies from the early era of film when I'm reading these books. Damn that author image! I can't get the comparison out of my mind! But somehow, it works. :D It is the settings and imaginative world that truly make these stories stand apart. While I didn't find the characters always behaving in believable ways, the world itself seemed entirely plausible - even the nature of the origins of the strange 'Call.' The societies in this world could easily be extrapolated from what has already existed or exists now, and they fit well in the future McMullen has created. I'd give the second book an even higher thumbs up than the first, and I think it possibly could stand on it's own as it's own adventure - though reading the first book would give you some deeper insights into some of the few re-occurring characters. Related Links:
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