Trail of the Dead

by Joseph Bruchac Narrated by DeLanna Studi

Overview

In this sequel to the award-winning Killer of Enemies, seventeen-year-old Apache hunter Lozen and her allies travel in search of a valley where she and her family once found refuge. But life is never easy in this post-apocalyptic world. When they finally reach the valley, a terrible surprise awaits them-and a
merciless hunter follows close behind.
Hally, their enigmatic Bigfoot friend, points them to another destination-a possible refuge. But can Lozen trust Hally?
Relying on her wits and the growing powers that warn her when enemies are near, Lozen fights an internal sickness to lead her band of refugees to freedom and safety. Alongside family, new friends, and Hussein, the handsome young man whose life she saved, Lozen forges a path through a barren land where
recombinant monsters lurk and the secrets of this new world will reveal themselves to her ... whether she wants them to or not.

Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal

10/01/2015
Gr 7 Up—This second installment in this trilogy continues the series' unique blend of Native American mythology, sci-fi, dystopia, and steampunk. Lozen, her family, and Huessien safely escaped from Haven, and the one Overlord intent on their destruction is now dead. The remaining Overlords have sent Four Deaths, an assassin who cannot be killed, after them. Lozen pushes her family forward and is soon joined by Guy, Luz, the Dreamer, and Lorelei. Her powers are growing, and she can now communicate telepathically with more people and creatures, and members of her group begin to share her abilities. However, she becomes overwhelmed by a "blackness" that comes from all her killing, and causes her to doubt herself. Hopes of finding refuge in her old home dashed, Lozen moves her family ahead on the advice of Big Foot and Coyote. Eventually, they encounter members of other tribes, who have gemod hoses, a safe place, and a healer to help Lozen remove the darkness. The heroine has to face Four Deaths on her own. The assassin's pursuit of the team is told from his point of view, providing a strong counterpoint to Lozen's take. Filled with tense moments of fending off creatures and battling inner demons, the dynamic story is filled with energy and emotion, but the writing feels rushed. Lozen's need for a healing ceremony will resonate with teens who have dealt with depression or trauma. VERDICT For fans of Susan Beth Pfeffer's "Life as We Knew It" series (HMH); purchase where the previous title is popular.—Tamara Saarinen, Pierce County Library, WA

Kirkus Reviews

2015-07-15
In Volume 2 of this post-apocalyptic series, Lozen leads survivors of the insurrection against Haven's technically augmented human rulers through gemod-infested wilderness to the hidden valley her Apache family once called home—it doesn't go as planned.As Lozen's powers to read the now-unwired world around her have grown, so have the responsibilities and stresses of leadership. Her companions try to protect her, but it's a lonely journey. Even as she senses the resourceful, implacable enemy pursuing them and closing in, her past acts and memories of those she dispatched—animal, genetically modified, and human alike—distract and weaken Lozen. Her Chiricahua heritage and mother's guidance help Lozen resist, yet her sickness grows. To unravel and heal her PTSD requires confronting the toll that killing takes on warriors, however noble their motives or those of the leaders who've ordered it. Death-dealing has given her enemy superpower strength. Lozen's own powerful allies include Coyote (though tricksters bear watching) and a small Lakota group with sentient gemod horses. Superheroes rarely obsess over the beings—evil or merely dispensable—they encounter and dispatch before moving on to the next challenge. Bruchac's focus on these consequences adds welcome emotional depth to Lozen and to the story itself, while her search for healing and wholeness highlights the strengths of a cultural heritage that is up to the challenge. This second act offering deeper characterization and resonant themes enriches an already compelling tale. (Post-apocalyptic fantasy. 12-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940160049618
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	07/25/2023
Series:	Killer of Enemies Series , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged

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