Killer of Enemies (Killer of Enemies #1)

October 1, 2013

Gr 7 Up-Author of more than 120 books for adults and children, Bruchac has incorporated his Abenaki heritage into much of his writing. Killer of Enemies is no different. What is unique here is the postapocalyptic twist. Following the coming of the Cloud, which destroyed all technology and plunged the world back into the preindustrial age, 17-year-old Lozen, of Abenaki and Apache ancestry, is one of the few people left with the ancient skills and courage necessary to survive outside the walls of their city, a former prison. Holding her family hostage has given the rulers leverage over Lozen, forcing her to fight the genetically altered monsters that threaten the city and its inhabitants. While the premise is solid, the monster-of-the-day approach becomes somewhat redundant, and readers may wish that more emphasis had been placed on the circumstances surrounding the coming of the Cloud and its affect on the world, Lozen's relationship with her family and fellow incarcerates, and the rising of the walled cities. This is a serviceable addition to the ever-growing dystopian genre.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2013
This near-future dystopia starring an Apache female superhero has the soul of a graphic novel, if not the art. Like her famous Chiracahua ancestor, Lozen too is a warrior, but unlike her namesake, it's by coercion. Her masters are four semihuman rulers of Haven, a walled fortress in what was once Arizona. Much of humanity perished when the Cloud, a mysterious force that's rendered human technology useless, arrived from beyond Jupiter. Although their bio-enhancements no longer work, the despotic overlords that survive rule. Holding Lozen's family as hostages, Haven's rulers send her out to battle gemods, genetically modified monsters left over from pre-C days. Lozen complies while working toward her family's escape. On each trip, she caches supplies, food, weapons. Allies--natural and supernatural, known and hidden, at Haven and in the wild--offer guidance but not rescue. For that, Lozen must rely on her wits, tracking skills and weaponry (guns have survived the Cloud), drawing strength from her warrior heritage to dispatch monstrous birds of prey, a giant anaconda and more (the cartoonish tone helps mute the graphic violence). Lozen's tactics and weaponry are detailed at length but within a cultural framework that fosters respect for the planet and its surviving natural inhabitants. A good bet for fans of superhero fiction and graphic novels and readers in search of superpowered female warriors. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

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October 15, 2013
Grades 9-12 In a future in the southwest of what used to be the U.S., one fearless, lethal, spiritual young woman must fight the evil of man and the anomalies of nature to rescue her family and start again. Seventeen-year-old Lozen, Apache Killer of Enemies, is employed by four evil tyrants in unstable alliance. Her job is to travel out from Haven, the former penitentiary that is now their shelter, and dispatch the Gemods (genetically modified animal monsters), bloodless zombies, and other threats to the compound. Skilled in hand-to-hand combat, armed to the hilt, and blessed with extrasensory and spiritual gifts, Lozen could easily escape, but the four Ones and their soldiers are keeping her family prisoners. Episodic high-octane chapters alternate between Lozen's battles in the wilderness and the sinister intrigue in Haven. Though the imaginative dystopian mythology is thick and occasionally heavy, the brisk pace and nonstop action keeps things moving. This original addition to the dystopian genre ends with the open-ended promise of more to come.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)