Epic in scope, human in detail, Orion Shall Rise is a saga of humanity struggling back from near-ruin after a planet-wide nuclear war. The survivors face a life-threatening limitation of resources as they strive to rise once again. Orion Shall Rise has a cast of countries: The Domain, dominated by Skyholm--a giant platform floating 30 miles above Europe, savior during destruction, now a reactionary, repressively stratified society; Northwest Union, a loose-knit network of Scandinavian-style lodges founded by survivors in the North American Northwest; the Maurai Federation, descendants of Maori natives from New Zealand who pursue a policy of developing technology to use the natural energy of wind, sun & sea; the many tribes & countries of the Mong who fled Asia over an ice bridge & settled in middle North America. Wars are being fought again, most recently between the Norrmen of the Union, who wish to revive a benign form of nuclear technology & the Maurai, who are unalterably opposed to its use. There is a cast of characters throughout: Talence lern Ferlay, a noble son of Skyholm who loses his home thru treachery; Ronica Birken, Survivor & master of the Northwestern wilderness; Terai Lohannaso, sailor, trader--intelligence man for the Maurai. These & dozens of others: spies, peasants, librarians, minstrels, heroes & villains--show us a complex & strange world as adventure follows adventure until a searing confrontation brings the remnants of humankind once more to the edge of destruction--or the fragile chance for new life for the species.
