The Ice Lion

With this engrossing series launch, Gear (Cries from the Lost Island) conjures a vivid postapocalyptic world. It’s been almost 1,000 years since glowing green zyme covered the oceans and Earth iced over. Now the world is divided between the Sealion people and the Rust people, enemy factions spurred on in their enmity by the Dog Soldiers. Friends Quiller and Lynx are Sealion people. After lions attack and kill Lynx’s wife but leave Lynx mysteriously untouched, Quiller must save the hapless Lynx from being exiled for his cowardice. She does so by convincing their community that Nightbreaker, a legendary giant lion, must have chosen Lynx for some special purpose. Instead of exile, Lynx is ordered on a quest to find Nightbreaker and learn why he was spared. Quiller promises to join him, only to be assigned to a scouting party instead, leaving her torn between her desire to protect Lynx and her duty to her children, who will be threatened if she disobeys. Meanwhile, Lynx encounters elderly Dr. John Arakie, who, impossibly, seems to be a survivor of pre-zyme society, and his quest takes a turn as he learns the truth of how his homeland came to be. This mesmerizing adventure through a world destroyed by climate change is sure to have readers hooked. [em]Agent: Matt Bialer, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (June) [/em]