Sequel to Hugo Awards Finalist Trail of Lightning, Rebecca Roanhorse’s Storm of Locusts is yet another fine tale of action and fantasy, packed with Native American representation and pro-feminist themes. Roanhorse has introduced a bevy of strong female characters, both human and human-like, who show they have what it takes to survive in this new world forever reshaped by flood waters and supernatural characters. I particularly enjoyed seeing the character of Maggie, or “Godslayer” as she’s sometimes called, evolve throughout the story. Her strong front gives away with the admittance that she’s not a super-woman; that even she must sometimes depend on others. A gentler side is also explored as she finds in her care a young girl dealing with her own set of clan powers. Overall, this second installment to The Sixth World series is a great example of equal representation that we’re fortunate to experience in our world today.
Kai and Caleb Goodacre have been kidnapped just as rumors of a cult sweeping across the reservation leads Maggie and Hastiin to investigate an outpost, and what they find there will challenge everything they’ve come to know in this “badass” (The New York Times) action-packed sequel to Trail of Lightning.
It’s been four weeks since the bloody showdown at Black Mesa, and Maggie Hoskie, Diné monster hunter, is trying to make the best of things. Only her latest bounty hunt has gone sideways, she’s lost her only friend, Kai Arviso, and she’s somehow found herself responsible for a girl with a strange clan power.
Then the Goodacre twins show up at Maggie’s door with the news that Kai and the youngest Goodacre, Caleb, have fallen in with a mysterious cult, led by a figure out of Navajo legend called the White Locust. The Goodacres are convinced that Kai’s a true believer, but Maggie suspects there’s more to Kai’s new faith than meets the eye. She vows to track down the White Locust, then rescue Kai and make things right between them.
Her search leads her beyond the Walls of Dinétah and straight into the horrors of the Big Water world outside. With the aid of a motley collection of allies, Maggie must battle body harvesters, newborn casino gods and, ultimately, the White Locust himself. But the cult leader is nothing like she suspected, and Kai might not need rescuing after all. When the full scope of the White Locust’s plans are revealed, Maggie’s burgeoning trust in her friends, and herself, will be pushed to the breaking point, and not everyone will survive.
About the Author
Rebecca Roanhorse is the New York Times bestselling author of Trail of Lightning, Storm of Locusts, Black Sun, and Star Wars: Resistance Reborn. She has won the Nebula, Hugo, and Locus Awards for her fiction, and was the recipient of the 2018 Astounding Award for Best New Writer. She lives in New Mexico with her family.
Praise For…
"A purely joyous reading experience. Roanhorse’s latest is a killer." — --Kirkus Reviews
"A must-read for anyone interested in own-voices or speculative fiction.", STARRED REVIEW — --Booklist
"There’s plenty of tension. Readers who enjoyed Roanhorse’s first book will eagerly blaze through her second.", STARRED REVIEW — --Publishers Weekly
"Sharp, exciting, dramatic." — , Arkady Martine
"Storm of Locusts will delight and captivate." — --BookPage
