Legacy of the Ancients

I had never heard of Ron Sarti when I bought his series, and was very pleasantly surprised by what I found. I've seen the not-so-heroic hero done badly more times than I can count, but Sarti got it perfectly. The post-apocalyptic America he created is refreshingly not the result of a nuclear disaster but an earthquake (a really, really bad earthquake, of course). His characters are idealistic enough to be interesting, while the world in which they live is realistic enough to be believable. Starting the series I had doubts about Sarti's grasp on reality, only because I made the mistake of assuming that his character's ideals reflected his own, but he proved me wrong, especially in the third volume. He sees the pros and cons, and recognizes that sometimes the pros and cons don't matter in the end.

The author has taken a common science fiction/fantasy theme of a post-apocalyptic earth and used it as a setting for a good story with many new twists to make it enjoyable. The knowledge of what the people have lost and why it was lost is remembered and that knowledge is the backdrop for the story. There are interesting dynamics between cultures and individuals as they balance the need to improve life without making the same mistakes as the ancients. The dialog is well written, the characters are interesting, fun, and believable. I give the book a high rating. I read the second book first, and the author gets high marks for crafting a "volume 2" which stands as an enjoyable read on its own merits