By D. Robert Grixti
Damnation Books, $4.50, 114 pages
Sun Bleached Winter by D. Robert Grixti is a tale of hope and desperation in a time where there seems to be no end. Lionel Morton, a young writer, tells the story of his and his sister’s journey through Earth after the Rapture. When all hope seems lost, he finds out about a city where safety lives for all who care to benefit from it. After happening upon a citizen of this new city, he and his sister find a way to this last hope, only to find that it is not everything it claims to be.
The story starts out heart-poundingly fast. You come upon Lionel as he is amidst a battle of hide and seek with travelers called the Marauders. This first bit gives you a taste of the world Grixti has created for the reader, and lets you know the premise of his tale; a tale of the survival of the fittest. As the book progresses, it continues to produce fast-paced scenes of danger and survival in a world where there is no such thing as civil behavior, and every man is for himself.
In this post-apocalyptic world, there are no rules. As mentioned earlier, there are men called Marauders who set traps for the more easily fooled or desperate. There is the rest of what is left of civilization, the few who still fight for their humanity in vain while struggling for survival.
Throughout the book, there is a sense of hopelessness that Grixti spins very well. This world he has created is believable, and appalling. He poses a question that grabs your attention; a question of what if? In the main character’s journey, you are forced to ask yourself what you, yourself, would do.
Sun Bleached Winter is a fine tale of post-apocalyptic disasters with an open end, leaving you wanting more. If you enjoy novels about post-world dilemma, this is the book for you.
Reviewed by Taylor Pittman
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