A trilogy ends
without revealing how the
whole thing got started.
I do like me some post apocalytic fiction but John Birmingham's Angels of Vengeance, the third in a trilogy that began with Without Warning (2008) and After America (2010), would've satisfied me more if it revealed even just a glimmer of the source of the apocalypse itself.
However, as a plot device to setup the trilogy (and the online stories that are said to be following) The Wave served its purpose. Imagine that on the eve of the Gulf War an energy field of unknown origin settled over virtually all of the continental United States. Every human (or was it mammal?) within the field is immediately killed while property is untouched. (Kinda like a huge neutron bomb of plot setups.) After a while it goes away leaving just a sliver of the Pacific northwest intact.
In the first book, things worldwide go to shit in a hurry without the USA around. But after that, how does that power void get filled?
So The Wave was a nice plot device to setup that entertaining thought experiment. But I really would've liked some story about figuring out what the thing was and whether it might happen again.
If you enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction with strong female lead characters and plenty of intrigue and gunplay you'll enjoy John Birmingham's trilogy Without Warning, After America, and Angels of Vengeance.
John Birmingham's blog is Cheeseburger Gothic.
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