Paul O. Williams (1935–2009)

Williams, Paul O. The Breaking of Northwall.1980. E-book ed., Bison 2014. Pelbar Cycle 1
Paul O. Williams is best known for his Haiku, essays in the Christian Science Monitor, and one seven-book series of post-apocalyptic science fiction. The Breaking of Northwall, the first volume of the Pelbar Cycle, is set a thousand years after a nuclear disaster. North America is now inhabited by tribes that do not share a common language. Some are village dwellers, while others are nomadic horsemen. Slavery and warfare are routine. The bow and arrow are the latest in weaponry. We follow Jestak, a young man exiled from his peaceful metalworking village of Pelbar. His travels teach him skills from multiple cultures. He becomes a change agent wherever he goes. Jestak is a likable hero, and the many cultures he visits are well-differentiated. The North American economy stretches credulity. We seem to have metalworking without mining, for example. I am not sure what accounts for the ability of horses to survive and thrive after the nukes. But these are quibbles. The Breaking of Northwall is an engrossing adventure with no pretensions as future history. 4 stars.… (mehr)

The most conservative of the Pelbar cultures is the most southerly, Three Rivers. Here men must behave within strict parameters or be punished (generally with more labor). The fortress was designed and built by Craydor, the engineer philosopher many generations ago. She used as her model various seashells and the building is an aesthetic marvel as well as being impregnable. Udge (yep, shades of Dolores Umbridge!) is presently the Protector for this community and she brooks no disobedience from anyone and feels very threatened by the changes in the Pelbar communities to the north. Bival, an engineer, closest to her, buys a spiral shell (taking her husband's money as her right) and while she is holding it, two boys, careening around on errands, bump into her and the shell breaks. She badly injures one of the boys and the other boy in a rage injures her. Udge is livid. From that moment on, you know that Three Rivers, under Udge's rule is doomed.
One boy, badly injured is sent north (to Udge's disgust) and another runs away southward, hoping to fix everything if he can only find another shell like the one that was broken. They both have adventures and make amazing discoveries and it all comes together in a smashing climax. There are some very moving scenes in this one as well, as one person learns to rethink everything from the ground up. ****… (mehr)