Full Description
Sequel to The Heretic, Book 10 in the nationally best-selling
General series.
Duisberg is one of thousands of planets plunged into darkness and chaos by
the collapse of the galactic republic, but where other worlds have begun to
rebuild a star-travelling culture, Duisberg remains in an uneasy balance between
mud-brick civilization and bloodthirsty barbarism. The people of Duisberg have a
god: Zentrum, a supercomputer from the ancient past. Zentrum has decided to
avoid another collapse by preventing civilization from rising from where it is.
This is known as the Stasis. And because even a supercomputer and the powerful
religion which it founded cannot block all progress, Zentrum has another tool:
every few centuries the barbarians sweep in from the desert, slaughtering the
educated classes and cowing the peasants back into submission. These are the
Blood Winds, and the Blood Winds are about to blow again. This time, however,
there's a difference: Abel Dashian, son of a military officer, has received into
his mind the spirit of Raj Whitehall, the most successful general in the history
of the planet Bellevue — and of Center, the supercomputer which enabled
Raj to shatter his planet's barbarians and permit the return of civilization.
One hero can't stop the tide of barbarians unless he has his own culture
supporting him. To save Duisberg, Abel must conquer the very land of his origin
and attempt to destroy the computer A.I. "god" who has doomed his
world to an everlasting Dark Age. Abel is a heretic, but now he must go beyond
and become — The Savior.
