Modern man and his inventions survive only as relics of a forgotten past. What seems ordinary to us now are mere legends for the characters in this book. That period in the history is referred to as the Blank where it said that the earth's crust has shifted.
Shaker Sandow wanted to find out what happened during the Blank and if it was connected to his ability as a "master of the mind".
He was expecting the Banibaleers to arrive at Perdune. This small contingent of General Dark's forces were to investigate the ruins beyond Cloud Range and to gather information about the enemy, the Oragonians, who are rumored to have used the lost technology.
More than half of the book deals with the journey of Sandow and his two adopted sons with Commander Richter and his army. Little did they know that the Darklands was about to be conquered by Jerry Matabain and that they were the only ones who can save their people.
This book is interesting because of its combination of fantasy, sci-fi and suspense. It seemed quite ambitious but Koontz was able to pull it off. It became less interesting however when they met Berlarak's group. From then, every campaign was a success and they even managed to eliminate Jerry Matabian in an instant. I wish Koontz has stretched the story and offered more obstacles for the protagonists.
But even with such a short book, Koontz was still able to devlier an important message: that even if General Dark's forces were successful, the acquisition of the new technology will still lead men to more wars and possibly to another Blank.
This is a must-read for Koontz fans. I'm giving this book a 9 out of 10 rating.
***
This book was published in 1972 by Lancer and is out of print.
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