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Title details for These Prisoning Hills by Christopher Rowe - Available

These Prisoning Hills

by Christopher Rowe
ebook
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These Prisoning Hills is a post-apocalyptic Appalachian "weird fiction" novella by Hugo and Nebula Award nominee Christopher Rowe.
"Haunting and heartfelt, violent and vibrant."—Alix E. Harrow
Deallocate all implications,
Fortran harrows all the nations.
In a long-ago war, the all-powerful A.I. ruler of the Voluntary State of Tennessee—Athena Parthenus, Queen of Reason—invaded and decimated the American Southeast. Possessing the ability to infect and corrupt the surrounding environment with nanotechnology, she transformed flora, fauna, and the very ground itself into bio-mechanical weapons of war.
Marcia, a former captain from Kentucky, experienced first-hand the terrifying, mind-twisting capabilities of Athena's creatures. Now back in the Commonwealth, her retirement is cut short by the arrival of federal troops in her tiny, isolated town. One of Athena's most powerful weapons may still be buried nearby. And they need Marcia's help to find it.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 31, 2022

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781250804495

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781250804495
      • File size: 1217 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      April 1, 2022

      Rowe's (Telling the Map) novella set in the "prisoning hills" of Appalachia combines a post-apocalyptic setting with a civil war directed by self-determined, AI-controlled war machines. These beings ruthlessly dominated humanity by trying to wipe out all opposition with bullets, lasers, and mind control. Marcia remembers the war and has kept her head down during the following uneasy peace, but she has been conscripted to go back to the battlegrounds to see what might have been left behind--and do her best to make sure it doesn't come back. The dual-timeline story allows readers to experience Marcia's memories of an unwinnable war alongside her reluctant mission to face the demons she hoped she left behind. She will discover that well-built war machines never die and that it is up to her to save everyone. VERDICT A succinct but surprisingly intuitive character study. Fans of the movie Pacific Rim or Faith Hunter's "Junkyard Cats" series will particularly enjoy.--Marlene Harris

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      April 15, 2022
      This dystopian novella takes place in an alternate U.S. where artificial intelligence has tried to take over but has gone dormant for years. Marcia is a former soldier who fought the AI, known as Athena Parthenus, and the environment it infected with nanotechnology. She is called out of her retirement to fight again when the government uncovers the last of Athena's powerful weapons, called a Commodore. This is the last one, buried deep in the earth. Part human, part nanotech, these giants are all too familiar to Marcia, and she is not too happy about being asked to come out of retirement to face one yet again. The story bounces from her past fighting days to the present, giving the reader a complete understanding of how humanity survived the apocalyptic devastation wrought by Athena. In just under 150 pages, Rowe is able to develop a completely believable world with relatable characters that draw the reader in from the start. It ends with a cliff-hanger--so hopefully there is more story to come.

      COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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