I recently reviewed Council of Fire, the second book in the Arcane America setting. This is not that review.
I occasionally receive sequels when I haven’t read the earlier books. I once reviewed the last book of a series, though I had never heard of the series until I received the book. This is the first time I’ve received a sequel and immediately gone out to find the previous book.
The basic premise to the Arcane America series is that the New World has been sundered from the old with the 1759 passing of Halley’s Comet. A mountain range has suddenly appear mid-Atlantic, preventing the passage of ships to the Old World. More perplexing, at least to the Europeans, is the rise of magic forces.
Chronologically, the Council of Fire, written by Eric Flint and Walter H. Hunt, precedes Uncharted. Council of Fire begins with the comet’s strike and moves throughout the explored parts of the northern hemisphere of the New World. Uncharted, by Kevin J. Anderson and Sarah A. Hoyt, begins in 1803, following the adventures of Lewis and Clark as they seek a path to the Pacific Ocean in hopes of reestablishing contact with the Old World.
This is not the story of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Sacagawea that you learned in school. They are facing a greater adversary than the natural elements and native tribes, as the land itself seems to turn against them including a surprisingly European dragon that is slaughtering natives and immigrants alike. Fortunately, as they soon learn, they have magic on their side as well.
Good news! There are only two books in this series (so far)… now’s a great time to start reading them.