From archive (archive)
Subject: CLOUD WARRIOR by Patrick Tilley (mild spoiler)

The jacket reads:

  "The Talisman Prophecy promised victory -- but for which side?

  For the Federation -- Steve Brickman. Reared deep underground in a
  Federation fortress, he was the hottest pilot ever to graduate from
  the Academy. His assignment: wing man to the surface-train LADY FROM
  LOUISIANA, vulnerable keystone of the army sent to reconquer the
  Blue Sky World.

  For the Mutes -- Cadillac M'Call. Tall and smooth-skinned, Cadillac
  looked more like a Federation man than one of his radiation-changed
  clan brothers. His encyclopedic knowledge set Cadillac apart from
  the Mutes as well...as did his belief in a prophecy that forecast
  a far different Blue Sky World.

  The Talisman Prophecy drew them together...and the prophecy would
  decide which would live, and whose world would prevail."

The front cover shows men in flight suits fighting what appears to be
Plains Indians. I wouldn't have purchased the book based on the cover,
but I didn't have to: a friend highly recommended it and loaned me
his copy. I'm glad he did.

The scenario is Earth hundreds of years in the future, long after an
atomic war has divided the inhabitants of America into two opposing groups,
one above ground (technologically backward, biologically scarred by
radiation, with some members gifted with extrasensory powers), and
the other below ground (technological, regimented, short-lived).
Interestingly enough, the 'backward' group comes across as being more
fully human than the others.

The two main characters are on a collision course, and the story
hops back and forth between the two until they meet. It's a smooth
transition, and the story is exciting and enjoyable throughout. There's
just enough background about the two cultures to make the reader feel
that he understands them as well as Brickman, who himself is learning
about the Mutes.

The technology of the Federation is explained and seems reasonable,
and the actions and activities of the Mutes seems natural.

All of the characters are interesting, and the two cultures are
cleverly developed. I give this book 3.5 stars out of 4.0 (very, very
good). Warning: this is the first book of a series, though this isn't
stated anywhere in the book.
-- 

Duane Morse	...!noao!{mot|terak}!anasazi!duane
(602) 870-3330