The Conqueror's Child (The Holdfast Chronicles Book Four [4])

428 pp. "McKee Charnas brings us the triumphant conclusion to the classic dystopian epic, The Holdfast Chronicles. The direct sequel to The Furies, which Publishers Weekly named one of the 5 best SF titles of 1994,it is the story of how the Free Fems reclaim the Holdfast from the men who ruled them." "Charnas concludes her celebrated dystopian series, the Holdfast Chronicles, in a tale that picks up where The Furies (1994) left off. She focuses on Sorrel, the leader Alldera's daughter, born of rape and raised in the all-women realm of the Grasslands. Sensitive to the plight of outsiders, Sorrel is the only one who cares for the orphaned son of an escaped slave. When it seems likely that the boy will die of neglect, she takes him and runs away, only to become embroiled in dangerous rivalries and preparations for war. There is a great deal of story here -- many characters and a dramatic, post apocalyptically medieval plot rich in intrigue -- but Charnas is primarily engaged in elucidating certain key facets of human nature. No matter how extreme a culture's beliefs, she seems to suggest, no matter how harsh an exile, or how inevitable the specter of war, no one can escape the basics. Mothers will love their children; men and women need each other; and people will find a way to acknowledge powers greater than themselves." -- Booklist