Outriders

by Kathryn Mackel

Book Overview

A new ark. An ancient enemy. Young warriors fighting the darkness. Delivered through the polar ice by a whale, their journey is nothing short of miraculous and their mission is nothing short of impossible. Their quest is to reclaim God's birthright and preserve the original creation that is being mutated out of existence. This daring team roams the blighted earth. They are Outriders, young warriors who wield swords and wits to protect the birthrighter...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1595540393
• ISBN13: 9781595540393
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Exciting science fiction--spiritual, fast-paced, imaginative. GET THIS!

This is a novel of post-apocalyptic science fiction. Specifically, it's Christian Science Fiction, but it has the feel of fantasy; it should please both camps of devotees--fantasy lovers and sci-fi lovers. Set in a future world and after a series of catastrophic wars, OUTRIDERS shows the earth partially uninhabitable (with many toxic areas). Humanity is affected in some gruesome new ways. Tyranny, enslavement, rape, endless bloodshed--in other words the just as gruesome old ways persist. Because the main characters are believers in the One True God who loves and seeks out men and women to save, the God who offers his Holy Spirit to believers, and the God who preserves a remnant through all catastrophes in all ages, they have moral dilemmas in this novel. That's part of the fun of reading it. It's also instructive on a theological level, without doing it like a sermon. It arises naturally from characters put into plot-consistent situations. Buy this book. It's wonderful. Here's the lowdown: It's the future. Earth is damaged from catastrophic warfare. Christians were led by God to build an UNDERGROUND ARK where they were kept safe. After a time, OUTRIDERS--young, healthy, "called" believers--are sent out of the Ark with a mission. It's a hard life, a sort of future "frontier" existence, where danger takes many forms, human and inhuman. You follow two main characters through various adventures in this post-apocalyptic Earth setting: Niki, a relentless, powerful, warrior-woman. The kind you want to help you get through the wilderness, even if she's got a bit of an impatience-with-fools issue. And Brady, a smart, savvy leader with a godly man's heart and a warrior's way with a sword, who is dealing with some strong-willed folks in the OUTRIDER ranks, not to mention daily survival issues. They are members of one of various enclaves of Outriders that are strewn across the continent, whose task is to gather specimens of natural creation (as opposed to "transmogrified" or mutated creation) to send back to the Ark for study and preservation. Niki and Brady were two of the original 4 OUTRIDERS sent up to the surface. They're sent out of the Ark young (like 16). (And in a thrilling fashion you'll enjoy reading about. Scary, too.) They rely a great deal on Providence and their physical endurance and their wits. In this book, God is a very real presence and miracles are part of the daily life. So is constant danger from evil folks, notably Baron Alrod and his "sorcerer", Ghedo. They're always up to some brutal business, such as altering humans and animals into mutations that they can use in battle and to keep control over their territory. The villains are pretty unredeemable bad, which is not my fave kind of villain, as I do like to have motivation and more sides than just mean-mean-nasty-mean. Fortunately for the OUTRIDERS, they are endowed with God-provided tools (very, very cool ones) and special gifts (gifts of the Spirits transposed to

Soul Stirring Fantasy

It's been a while since a dug into a big, juicy fantasy like this and Mackel didn't disappoint me. From the world on the ark to the darkness beyond where the outriders live, this vibrant, detailed world of wonder kept me turning pages. As if a page turning story wasn't enough, the spiritual truths about pride, leadership, love and friendship caused me to pause several times to pray and think. I certainly hope the sequel is in the works. I can't wait to see what happens to the outriders next!

Wow! I can't believe what I just read!

At first, submersing in Kathy Mackel's world is like being drenched with a pail of ice water. Normal men and women torn from their quiet villages and turned into hideous giants against their will; riders on giant hornets; bats and rodents the size of horses; all these monstrosities the products of so-called sorcerers unscrupulous enough to transmogrify innocent creatures to satisfy their stronghold lords' insatiable lust for power and influence. Only a small group of people, the Outriders of Horesh, attempts to stand against these evil lords. The Outriders come from the Ark, a mysterious sanctuary buried somewhere deep under the ice. Led by visions and prophecies, the population of the Ark sends out volunteers who build camps, collect specimens, and attempt to reclaim a corrupt world by teaching the truth to a suppressed and intimidated populace while helping them in their need as they are able. But even this brave group consists of mere human beings, each with their own troubles and weaknesses. Niki, for instance, has no idea why Brady sent her north to fetch a group of new rooks in transit from the Ark. She's a warrior, not a babysitter! She's always been prepared to do anything that was required of her, and has never let herself be stopped by anything, either. But Brady, the camp leader and the man she realizes she truly loves, says he's sending her on this mission so she can learn to listen. Listen to what? Things don't get easier when she comes to believe he only sent her away so he can be alone with his love, and that doesn't seem to be Niki! Timothy is a wonderful singer, but he also believes Brady has become weak and should let him lead the camp. Then the camp's young teacher, Ajoba, decides she no longer has to obey Brady because she is now under the divine guidance of an angel. She leaves camp without permission to search for and help the transmogrified giants, taking an irreplaceable tool necessary to the camp's survival with her. Is she really on a holy mission, or has she been deceived by her own pride? How can Brady outwit the cruel and powerful Baron Alrod of Traxx -- who has made it his highest priority to find and kill him -- all the while trying to keep his people together while so many problems are seething beneath the surface? Outriders is a beautifully and tensely written novel that asks us take a good look at ourselves in the light of truth. Being the first volume of the the Birthright Project series, it doesn't answer all the questions it raises but does it ever draw us in! I loved reading this book, and I can't wait for the second one. Come on, Kathy, hurry it up!

wonderful characters

In Outriders, Kathryn Mackel gives us a world that is believable and dangerous, and she puts into that world some loveable characters. The good characters stand in contrast to the largely wasted earth and to the monstrosities created when the evil warlords mess with nature. From the beginning, I sympathized with the young and noble birthrighters. The characters feel real--three dimensional--they have unique personalities, goals, and conflicts. Nikki is tough and yet vulnerable, Brady is strong and sure and yet struggles with anger and fatigue. When I finished the book, I felt like I knew these characters and I wanted to read more. I want to see what happens to these new friends. I want to see Timothy succeed, especially. I want to go to all their weddings and dandle their babies on my knees. I really like these young people and want to see what kind of world they build. I had a little bit of a struggle getting into the book because of some of the strange terms used. Probably because I'm not accustomed to this genre, the new world and technology overwhelmed me at first. If you have the same trouble, stay with it. After a few chapters you'll understand it all and the story will fly. My only criticism is that I found a couple of Nikki's action scenes hard to believe and/or hard to visualize. Other than that, I thought the book was most excellent. This is the kind of book you can love the first time you rip through it simply because the characters and their struggles feel real. And then you can love it again the second and third time through, as you slow down and find meaning in the folds of the story. There are some clear spiritual lessons but nothing feels forced or preachy. I eagerly await the next in the series so I can see what happens to these characters.

Strange, powerful, violent, beautiful

Timely and fascinating premise: Endless Wars, greed and toxic pollution have damaged the planet almost beyond recognition. A secret community of survivors lives hidden in the Ark and sends emissaries to restore the Creation and protect their colonies. Sometimes weak in faith, sometimes strong, with interesting failures and foibles, they fight fierce battles such as we all face in the spirit realm. They also face strange powers and physical enemies--wizards and mogs--the transmogrified ones--and mutated plants, animals and people. They fail or prevail with aid of the originals who do their bidding, with the fibers of shroud, and with the help of God and songs of praise. And with different genders and age groups, they love and fight each other. When one youngster newly arrived from the Ark rebelled against Niki, his sometimes overbearing but noble female superior, he found himself in danger and he sang: "'Glorious! You are glorious...' Cooper began. 'You know this song, right? Sing with me.' "The man wasn't singing. No matter. Cooper couldn't stop now because the music filled him, warming him through and through, more sure than this man sitting next to him, more solid than the ground under him. "'You're the Lord almighty. We sing your praise in all the earth.' "The man in silver doubled over, clutching his side as if someone had stabbed him. He pushed away from Cooper, fading into the darkness. "'Don't go!' Cooper tried to follow, but he felt the fingers of his mother stroke the inside of his heart and tell him to keep singing...." Victoria James has provided their songs. And Kathryn Mackel has created a series of exciting new page-turners along with this exciting new world.