Ratings36
Average rating4.1
Kai and Caleb Goodacre have been kidnapped just as rumors of a cult sweeping across the reservation leads Maggie and Hastiin to investigate an outpost, and what they find there will challenge everything they’ve come to know in this “badass” (The New York Times) action-packed sequel to Trail of Lightning. 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.
Series
2 primary booksThe Sixth World is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2018 with contributions by Rebecca Roanhorse.
Reviews with the most likes.
I thought this was a great, action-packed read with strong world-building and a satisfying ending.
I thought the ending of the first book in this series was OK, but didn't really match the pace of the rest of the book.
The ending of the second book was...epic. I like that!
I look forward to finding out more about the unique world created by Ms Roanhorse.
3.5 I like dystopian fiction but less a showdown of good versus evil even if the lines are blurred. Rebecca's style is breezy though.
This is one of the best follow up books I have read. As much as I wanted to keep reading as soon as I started, I made myself take it slow and it was needed. Storm of Locusts takes off running and doesn't stop until the end.
Just because Maggie had her showdown at Black Mesa doesn't mean things are over for her. A lot is going to change and not all for the better. I found myself at the first act just wanting Maggie to catch a break because she's going to deal with some terrible events. However, I was cheering for her and for Kai and the others as they finally get some resolution. There is also some real growth from Maggie here as she's brought further out of her past isolation.
There is one thread that seems to be unresolved at the end, and that's what the Cletus Goodacre had been doing in his life. There's a major hint he was into some not so great activities, but I suspect the known truth will come in a future book.
I have found myself wanting to learn more about the Diné gods and their stories because there's a character introduced that I think I would have clued in about his full nature before Maggie and Kai did. However, the journey to get to that realization was still worth taking.
Of course, Ma'ii is back and he's the same as ever. I know he knows more about the long game than he's letting on, but he'll reveal it when he feels like it.
Anyway, this is definitely worth a read especially because unlike some sequel to the first book in other series that I have read, this one did not feel like a slog.
Sloppy. (I'm sorry.) Parts of it just didn't cohere, other parts felt too hard to relate to. A few too many conveniences for advancing the story, never you mind the characters or their motivations. I had the sense that there were missed deadlines, rushed editing, and don't even get me started on the lack of proofreading! Grrrr!
Roanhorse really can write, but it takes a team to make a book: we need editors to catch weaknesses, reviewers to note subject gaffes (such as: airplanes don't work that way), and, dammit, proofreaders, not just spellcheck (there are no misspelled words in “airplane hanger” or “knife sheathe”, yet no way to program a computer to cringe when it sees words used that way). I may have cringed often, but I eagerly kept going and consider it time well spent: I really do love how Roanhorse writes, her dialog, how she builds tension, the way her characters demonstrate decency and integrity without going preachy or saccharines. (Sometimes just by a hair). I love the relationships between her characters. And I will unabashedly look forward to her next, but please, Ms. Roanhorse, take your time, don't rush; and please, Simon & Schuster, don't skimp on editing.