Title: Malila of the Scorch (Old Men and Infidels)
Author: W. Clark Boutwell
Publisher: Indigo River Publishing
ISBN: 978-1950906079
Pages: 396
Genre: Political Fiction / Science Fiction
Reviewed by: Anthony Avina
Hollywood Book Reviews
War is a brutal, ever-changing force of mankind’s own making which consistently threatens the landscape of the world stage as a whole. As John F. Kennedy once said, “Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.” In author W. Clark Boutwell’s book Malila of the Scorch, the third book of the Old Men and Infidels series, war makes its final grand stand in a futuristic dystopian America.
In the book, the year is 2129 AD, and the much-anticipated war of the once unified nation of America finally arrives. The Unity seeks to end the freedom and self-determination of the Midlands, and former Unity hero Malila Chiu returns to tell the nation of the once great United States that an empire of sentient plants has announced themselves, representing either a welcome ally or feared enemy to the people. When a Unity general seeks to add the plants and their empire to his own power, things take a drastic turn and Malila must help to end the conflict once and for all.
This is a classic example of a wonderfully written genre mash-up. The author has blended the sci-fi drama of computer programs, AI and spy work into a dystopian adventure story that includes a genetic experiment mixed with the aftermath of a fusion bomb experiment narrative. The inclusion of that last part with the Scorch, sentient plant life, was a unique twist that usually one wouldn’t see in this type of novel. The writing was fast-paced and really draws the reader in.
This is a book for fans of the series, anyone who loves politically driven narratives, science fiction and genetic science fiction stories with a dystopian feel to the setting. While I had not read the previous two books of this trilogy, the author did a great job of opening up this narrative with a unique story-telling device that allowed the main points of the first two novels to be played out as if being read by a grandfather to his grandchildren in the distant future, allowing new readers to come and enjoy this book for its unique tone.
A powerful ending to a great trilogy in the sci-fi genre, this evenly paced read is a masterful story from author W. Clark Boutwell. The story of Malila of the Scorch is intensely creative and drives forward an emotionally driven character development between Malila and her allies of the novel. The plot progressed naturally and left readers both new and old with a feeling of satisfaction while also building the larger universe the author created as a whole. Be sure to grab your copy of this novel today!