Cloud Warrior

Amtrak Wars #1

by Patrick Tilley

Ten centuries ago the Old Time ended when Earth's cities melted in the War of a Thousand Suns. Now the lethal high technology of the Amtrak Federation's underground stronghold is unleashed on Earth's other survivors - the surface-dwelling Mutes.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopia, Apocalyptic, Military Science Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1983

Reviews

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book this. It’s basically a post-apocalyptic story with elements of dystopian science fiction, fantasy and even western fiction. Remember the real-time strategy game Krush, Kill ‘n Destroy from the 90s? Well, if you cross that with Dances With Wolves you’re halfway to understanding the feel of this story.

What we have here is a war between technologically advanced underground dwellers and tribal surface dwellers who also happen to be mutants with some magic capabilities. So: it’s tech vs magic. But things aren’t what they seem. The author, cleverly, introduces elements of dystopia into the story as it progresses. The morally superior underground isn’t what it seems. Neither are the surface dwellers. Politics. Questions. Prophecies. Lies. Subversion. Even so, the book remains at heart an adventure story so it doesn’t get bogged down; that’s to say it remains extremely readable.

The story revolves around a pilot (yes, the underground has planes, of a sort) that gets captured by the surface dwellers, and it’s through his eyes and his thinking that the reader comes to understand the nature of both factions. The real question here is: how honest is he willing to be with himself when it comes to making the really important decisions? It is also fairly clear that this story is going to be quite a bit bigger than everything depicted in this novel, with some hints (and prophecies) pointing to events of potentially epic proportions still to come.

There is also some really cool, post-apocalyptical tech, not the least of which being the 600-ft trains used by the underground (basically a cross between ironclad and aircraft carrier).
The story was written in the 80s and it shows, it just has that old-school vibe going, which is a good thing. With post-apocalyptic fiction enjoying a bit of a resurgence recently, this may be worth your while if you’re looking for something fun to read in this genre (as opposed to just miserable for misery’s sake). This is the first in a series that enjoys a bit of cult status.

4 stars.

[C.J. Whitley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first review. Not wanting it to be wasted on whatever book I happen to be reading at the moment, I have decided to review Cloud Warrior, book 1 of the AMTRAK Wars. I read this (quickly followed by the rest of the series) when I was about 12 years old. I was already an avid reader and had a great and growing appreciation for fiction. I’d read fantasy (such as the original Shannara trilogy by T. Brooks), I’d read Sci-Fi, (such as the Dorsai books by Gordon Dickson, and several Asimov books).

This book (or these books, as a series) changed my idea of what fiction was. Fiction could be anything. It isn’t restricted to any genre, it is limited only by imagination, and therefore unlimited.

Cloud Warrior is the first book (written before I was born) in a six-book-epic describing a sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, dystopian, magical, fantasy world. It sees a technologically advanced (modern technology level) oppressive regime that is the remnant of western society that survived a nuclear war (in underground bunkers) attempting to wipe out or subjugate the surface dwelling mutants (Mutes). The mutes live a sort of native American lifestyle (of 400 years ago), but are supplied weapons (cross-bows) by a third civilization, the Iron masters (a samurai based civilization on the cusp of an industrial revolution). But to add into the mix, a minority of the mutes have the power of magic, which may just even the odds against the bullets and bombs of the AMTRAK federation.
There are 5 main characters in this book. Steve and Roz are siblings raised in the federation, raised with the sole aim of helping wipe out the mutes. Cadillac and Clearwater are two mutes, gifted with magic, being taught by their mentor (and the fifth major character) Mr. Snow.
With lives shaped and bound together by the Talisman prophesy, they struggle to survive through the genocide that they are supposed to be waging against each other, with loyalties constantly questioned and tested. Never before or since have I felt so personally invested in a set of characters. Perhaps some of that is nostalgia, but this is easily the series of books that I have read and re-read the most. With the mutes names referring to popular culture (of the eighties), some references might be a bit dated, but this story feels very fresh.
If you liked the story in the film Avatar, I think you should give this cult classic a try.

[Infosifter · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars this book was the victim of a technology crash and got deleted, and I realize that I'm so indifferent to it that I don't feel like downloading it again, which says a lot because I almost always finish books. There are two civilizations in this post apocalyptic story, and part of my problem with them is that they both contain flaws that I believe make them unworkable. In the technologically advanced civilization, there are supposedly no words for things like love or jealousy. While different inconvenient emotions, such as love for something other than the state or personal jealousy are fiercely discouraged in some cultures, I don't believe there has ever been a civilization where they didn't exist. Words for the way you feel about your family or a person you are romantically attracted to would develop even if someone outlawed and made everyone forget the words that already existed. In the other civilization, humans have mutated to the extent where most of them have almost no meaningful memory. There is one person in the tribe who holds the group's memory, but I don't believe that would work in practice. The third thing I dislike was the love story, a case of physical attraction with nothing else holding it together. I have never found relationships exclusively based on pvisual attraction and desire remotely interesting, and this is no exception. I'm not usually so literal that I can't suspend my disbelief and enjoy a good science fiction or fantasy story even if I know certain details don't work, but for some reason I can't get drawn into this one. I hope this review will help someone decide whether or not they care about the things that bothered me in the story; most of the reviewer's really liked it.

[Wreade1872 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quite decent post-apocalypic tale with western overtones. It does however slow quite a bit around the half-way mark.
Its also a very particular western ie. Dances with Wolves, which has been done in sci-fi fashion on other occasions most notably Avatar, although Enemy Mine is similar.
I was one of the few who quite disliked the big film mentioned above, and was actually rooting for the bad guys frankly :P . This however is a better rendition of the story with multiple pretty decent characters.

Ultimately though its still a Chosen One narrative with a lot more ‘magic’ than i was expecting in a sci-fi dystopia and goes very heavy on the predestination which, as usual with prophecy, robs events of a lot of their urgency.

There’s also some minor problems such as some stupid future-speak, although not as bad as the like of the kids from Beyond Thunder Dome.

Finally this one is very much a Book One which comes with its own issues.

Edit: It just occurred to me that this makes an interesting juxtaposition with the Time Machine, where the surface dwellers here are physically repulsive rather than the underground ones but the underground dwellers are still the monstrous ones....

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

i stumbled into this series quite by accident. I was browsing the wonderful Coa's Used Books in Las Cruces while on vacation when the cover of First Family caught my eye with its armored train. Since that is the second book in the series I put it down and bought Cloud Warrior instead. Its cover was intriguing as well with a pair of Native Americans fighting a pair of guys in space suits.

The story started off a bit slow in my opinion, probably because the world building lasted longer than I expected. The setting was interesting enough and the plot eventually picked up. Once the first conflict started I was absolutely hooked.

While the battle was interesting what really hit me were the more subtle things, especially a few things from the early chapters that only later did I realize were not trivial details but instead helped to enforce exactly what type of society the Federation is.

By the time I hit the 2/3 mark I knew that I was going to read the rest of the series. I am being intentionally vague because there are so many ways to spoil the small things in this book. This was a great dystopian story that departed from the usual high-tech sci-fi setting. ut still kept the trope of a future society where the ruling elite carefully control the flow of information to the masses.

[Paul Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

by Partrick Tilley, published in 1983.

The Amtrak Wars Book 1: Cloud Warrior is the first of a six book series set in a post-apocalyptic USA one thousand years after the thousand suns fell - yeah, nukes.

There are two distinct societies, at least so far revealed in Cloud Warrior with hints of at least one other. One society lives underground in huge complexes and is technologically advanced. The other lives on the overground, or outside in the wilderness, and is reputed to be savage, dumb and mutated. We see through the eyes of a cloud warrior from the underground society named Brickman, and what a cloud warrior does is fly airships to search out and hunt mutes from the wilderness.

The mutes are thought to be stupid and savage. They are the overground survivors of the thousand suns while the civilized computer literate humans survived by living in underground shelters - vast underground shelters. The dwellers underground want one day to take back the overground as their own.

But the mutes are not so easily defeated and rumors of them possessing magic has some of the overland sortie parties spooked. The official take from the underground dwellers is that no such thing exists.

It is an honor to be able to run missions on the surface world and Brickman, by recently graduating near the top of his class, has just won himself such an honor and will soon depart with a land train to hunt mutes. Fun times for new recruits, but of course nothing can go smoothly and Brickman crashes into enemy territory having been shot down with a crossbow bolt.

Brickman gets exposed over several months to mute society and ways and finds their wordsmiths are extremely bright and have in fact kept him alive because they believe he is part of a prophecy. This disturbs Brickman, but his worst shock is witnessing the magic which is not supposed to exist. His world view is changing and the mute society is revealed to him to be much richer and more complex than mere animals - which he thought they were before - which he has always been told by his people.

And to make matters worse he falls in love with a smooth skinned mute (rare they are and only males - or so he thought) female named Clearwater.

I have to say, without giving away too much more of what happens, that this was one enjoyable novel. It reminded me somewhat of Star Wars since the magic appears to be like a force which can be channeled through certain mutes but along with this force there are also machines and computers and huge vehicles.

A vast panorama of fun is this novel and I would recommend it - that is if you can get your hands on a copy as well as the other five. I lucked out at a used bookstore where some fool traded in his/her whole set and I got to benefit from it.

Thank you to whomever you are. I never would have read this otherwise and I’m very glad I did. And, I’m looking forward to the next five. Cloud Warrior ends on a big what-is-going-to-happen-next cliffhanger - so it won’t be too long until I read book 2.

I’ll list all six books of The Amtrak Wars in the off chance you can find them.

1) Cloud Warrior
2) First Family
3) Iron Master
4) Blood River
5) Death Bringer
6) Earth-Thunder

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first started this series 15 years ago. I was borrowing the copies from my boyfriend at the time, at whose recommendation I was reading it. I made it to the third book. Then we broke up. Nine years ago, I bought the set, off Amazon, I believe, and attempted to restart it. According to a bar receipt I found inside, I made it 15 pages while sipping two martinis in Dels Saloon in West LA before I drunkenly rear ended someone on my home. And so began my downward spiral, my mental breakdown. I didn’t read much that year. And the next year, when I started reading again, I went back to comfort reads, historical fiction, and I regained my mental health. Which brings us to 2018, when I made it one of my reading goals to read this series start to finish and need what I began 15 years ago.

This book is a great series starter. It introduces us to our antagonists, the Federation, the remnants of humanity who burrowed under ground following a nuclear holocaust and survive in a dystopian commune, ruled by the despotic First Family for the last 1000 years. The Plainfolk, the remnants of humanity who survived above ground, bearing the genetic mutations resultant from said nuclear holocaust. One thousand years of warfare are about to come to a head, when a Tracker from the Federation, and a young couple from the Plainfolk meet, their destinies intertwined.

What is a little bit hokey in this book, but which I also find fascinating, is how the Twentieth Century, when the nuclear holocaust happened, plays out a thousand years from now, how consumer culture has evolved with brand names becoming symbols of power to those so far removed from the products themselves, that they lose all meaning but the symbolic. The Plainfolk worship the god Mo-Town, the She-Kargo are a powerful clan, the Amtrak Federation live underground but explore the overground in militant wagon trains. So, a thousand years from now, will these brands which hold such economic power today, become merely symbols to the survivors of a seemingly inevitable nuclear holocaust?

I definitely really enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest of the series; I wish my library had copies of the ebooks so I could dual read. I was utterly engrossed by this story and have actually already started book 2. And this time, I already own all the books so a pesky breakup can’t get in my way.

[Adam Whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

AD 2989. Nine hundred and seventy-four years ago, the Old Time ended in the War of a Thousand Suns. The cities of the United States were seared from the face of the Earth in a nuclear holocaust unleashed by the evil 'Mutes', malformed immigrants whose only desire was to destroy all that was beautiful and good about this great country. Or at least, that's what the historical databanks of the super-computer COLUMBUS say, anyway.

The Amtrak Federation: a network of underground cities and overland way-stations that grew out of a few bunkers where the top-ranking politicians and generals of the United States rode out a thermonuclear war. Forced to abandon the surface world due to radiation, the descendants of the survivors dug out a vast subterranean, high-tech civilisation where everyone knows their place and does their bit to help society survive, whilst the wise and just First Family rules over everything. Once radiation levels had dropped to a relatively safe level, the Federation emerged to retake the surface world. Unfortunately, they found that the Mutes had prospered and multiplied to truly frightening numbers in the intervening centuries. The Federation's response is to build enormous 600-foot-long wagon-trains and send them into Mute territory to begin the process of conquest and purification. With the Southern Mutes cowed, the Federation dispatches one of its most decorated trains, the Lady from Louisiana, and its air wing deep into the heart of the territory of the northern Mutes, or the Plainfolk as they call themselves. But the Plainfolk are a hardier breed with unusual weapons at their command, and in the epic Battle of the Now and Then River the clan M'Call drives off the Lady and takes one of its pilots captive.

For Steve Brickman, captivity amongst the Mutes is a terrifying prospect, but as he plots his escape he learns from his captors a radically different version of history and begins to question the very foundations of the society he was born into.

The Amtrak Wars is Welsh author Patrick Tilley's grand SF adventure series, originally published in six volumes throughout the 1980s. It is a cross-genre story, incorporating elements of post-apocalyptic SF fiction with the Western and epic fantasy (with North America standing in for a Middle-earth clone as the landscape) and, in later books, Shogun-style historical fiction as well. There is also a strong, often darkly comical subversive and satirical streak as well, with the Amtrak Federation itself coming over as a fascist state which employs some of the rhetoric and traditions of the 20th Century United States. Tilley himself spent a lot of time in the USA in the 1970s and 1980s and appears to be something of an Americanphile (not just in the Wars but also in his excellent 1976 disaster novel Fade-Out), but his use here of many of the traditions and 'feel' of the US government and military in the hands of an unelected dictatorship is effectively disturbing. However, I gather that American readers got the impression that Tilley was taking the mickey instead, perhaps accounting for its low sales in the USA compared to its much greater success in the UK, Canada and Australia.

In the first book, it is fair to say that Tilley is still getting a feel for the story. His previous novels had been an SF-tinged disaster scenario called Fade-Out and a rather bizarre story about Jesus turning up in modern New York (Mission), so Cloud Warrior represented a rather unusual new direction. The tone of the writing here is less formal than in his earlier novels, and it has to be said that the prose jumps around in its remoteness from the reader (at one point directly addressing the reader in a rather jarring fourth-wall-breaking moment). Some scenes take place in the limited third person perspective that is now traditional in epic fantasy, but most adopt an omnipresent viewpoint which feels curiously old-fashioned (and this is a book that's 26 years old) but not ineffective.

It's a tribute to Tilley's vivid and well-conceived (if somewhat barmy) story, characters and setting that the book overcomes these problems and roars along like a greyhound on crack. The traditional modern fantasy approach of the author spending two hundred pages just clearing their throat has no truck here as we are whizzed through the Amtrak Federation's air force training programme, introduced a dozen protagonists in both the Mute and Tracker camps and machine-gunned with inventive concepts and ideas (although luckily most are revisited later under somewhat more relaxed circumstances) in less than a hundred pages. The book hangs on its characters and one of The Amtrak Wars' trademark concepts is that half of those characters are tools whom you want to spend a fair amount of time beating the hell out of, most notably Steve 'All-American Hero' Brickman, whose arrogance and pig-headedness makes him a hero that's hard to like. However, he is also only 17 and the result of a disturbing indoctrinated upbringing, and as the book progresses and you see the scales falling from his eyes (a bit), the reader warms to him a bit more. Amongst the other characters, Steve's Mute antithesis Cadillac is well-drawn but is also a bit of a plank (the contrast between these two characters' developmental arcs over the course of the series is extremely well-handled), with the most fascinating character in the book being Mr. Snow, the Mutes' chief wordsmith and summoner who fulfils the traditional mentor role, although his approach of thinking his would-be students are total morons is refreshing (Mr. Snow is the missing link between Gandalf and Abercrombie's Bayaz). Other characters such as the inevitable romantic interest Clearwater are a bit one-note in this first volume, whilst later, more important characters like Jodi Kazan and Steve's sister Roz barely get more than a few lines. There is also an intriguing mention of a group called the 'iron masters' and a typical cliffhanger ending, setting up the inevitable sequel, First Family.

In Cloud Warrior (***½) Tilley sets up an interesting and somewhat original (in combination, if not in original conception) world and story with well-drawn and often ambiguous characters and some fresh takes on old concepts (Tilley's handling of the tired prophecy motif is particularly nicely done). The writing is a bit all over the place, though never less than readable, but settles down in the later, stronger volumes. The novel is not currently in print but second-hand copies appear to be readily available in the UK and USA.

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Why did you not tell me you were a summoner?’ Clearwater shook her head in bewilderment. ‘I did not know until now. It was only when you were about to die that the power came upon me. It was sent through me. It used my voice to call the forces up from the earth but I did not guide it.’ She paused and looked back at Shakatak’s body, suddenly intimidated by the terrible violence she had unleashed. ‘I do not know if it will come again.’ Cadillac nodded. ‘The door in your mind has been opened. If you call, the power will enter. Mr Snow will teach you how to guide it.’ Clearwater shivered and rubbed her arms. ‘It frightens me. Talisman saved your life. It was his strength that flowed through me."

[Wombat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh.. I vaguely remember reading this back when I was a kid. It still has somewhat of a 80's feel!

Basic post-apocalypse - somewhat like "Wool" perhaps? The über-usa survivors (Amtrak Federation) are living in cities underground, and the other survivors are the "mutes" who are mostly lumpen, multicoloured, and brain damaged....

The Amtrak Federation are obviously the "bad guys" - militaristic, jingoistic, massively racist - sounds something like the media-version of the USA today actually... But our protagonist is a pilot graduate who is assigned to a Wagon-Train - basically a land-travelling aircraft carrier!

We get a few "mutes" PoVs - from the class M'Call of the plainsfolk - they have some special folk - Wordsmiths (mutes with super-memory) Summoners (able to summon magic) and a Seer (able to see the future in special stones)...

This is a weird combo of "dances with wolves", "Mad Max" and "Top Gun".

Never would have thought it would work, but its a fun read. #2 is on my to read list now :)

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably should've done more research before getting this but it really wasn't for me.

It wasn't terrible, per se, but it really felt like it was written by (or for!) a teenage Rainman. Everything was exactly described in in distance terms - one page even had like ten mentions of feet and inches.
I wasn't a fan of a occasional casual-sexism-but-trying-really-hard-not-to-be ("there were 200 pilots, over a third of them girls!"), or repeatedly describing women in terms of property or things to be possessed. I know the author was writing a character, and that this was written in the early '80s, but still it didn't sit right with me.

That said, the actual writing wasn't too terrible (although some later parts were really drawn out, "He put his foot on a rock. Then he tightened his boot buckle. Then he put his other foot on the rock...") and I wouldn't mind knowing the entire story... I'm just not going to slog through ten mediocre books to find it.

[Lily Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cloud Warrior, the first book in The Amtrak Wars, is an amazing burried classic. An old school sci-fi set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic Earth, a must-read for any sci-fi fan.
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✅ wonderfully combines Native American culture into a post-apocalyptic world
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✅ plenty of unanswered questions which make the reader want more
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✅ interesting and original setting and characters combined with creative technology
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✖ plotline threads which get forgotten (namely Roz)
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✖ writing style is a little weak in places
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✖ the magic system isn't fully realised or explained
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Rating
4.5/5

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[Gillian Murrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book in the 1980's so I thought I would see if I still felt the same about it. I am pleased to say I loved it just as much this time around. Patrick Tilley world building is so well done, he doesn't need to go over board with his descriptions to build a vision of what earth is like. I love the use of all the old world names through out the entire story. I look forward to seeing where the mental a physical connection between Steve and his sister leads. If the federation work out what is going on it could spell disaster for both off them. In this book we learn a great deal about the Mutes, I hope to get more insight to what and why the federation are keeping so much hidden from their own people in future books.

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit of a guilty pleasure read for me. I first read this series in my teens, and it still holds up well. As someone not from North America, I found the southern/mid-west setting fresh, and the Tracker society believable.

Not sophisticated sci-fi/fantasy; however, it's largely free of cliches and well-paced without being all action. My only compliant is length - it's short, and feels like it has ended just to serialize the story and string out the number of books.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought Cloud Warrior the 1st book in the Amtrak Wars series by Patrick Tilley back in 2022. I basically grabbed it because of the cover and then the story sounded interesting. It's been sitting on my shelf since then but I really wanted to take a look at this series. It was all right.

The story is set in a dystopian US (no, it's not in 2025), ten centuries into the future? Many centuries before the US (and maybe the whole world, that's not clear yet) was destroyed by something. I believe it to be a major nuclear war but it's not specifically stated. These centuries into the future, the US is divided into the technological folks who live underground, they being the Amtrak Federation, ruled by the First Family and the surface peoples. These people who live on the surface are the Mutes who run in tribes and have certain powers.. at least some of them do. Now there are hints of other groups who live on the surface but I'm presuming they might become more obvious as the series develops. But there is mention of some escapees from the Amtrak federation who have survived on the surface and also some people from Pennsylvania who provide tools and weapons made of iron.. More to follow in that regard as I continue the series.

At any rate, the story focuses on Steve Hamilton of the Amtrak Federation who is finishing pilot training and will join one of the Pioneer groups to explore and invade one of the Mute regions. He has a sister, Roz, who seems to have some sort of psychic link with him... just hints of that mentioned. On the Mute side, you've got Cadillac, Clearwater and Mr. Snow, of the She-Kargo Mutes of the Central & Northern Plains (lots of names like this for the surface dwellers). Cadillac is learning to be a seer from Mr. Snow, the spiritual leader of their tribe. Clearwater is his 'lover / betrothed' and has her own powers.

So... the two groups, the Pioneers with Steve Hamilton and the She-Kargo Mutes will meet in the field of battle, the Pioneers using all of their technology and the Mutes their strength, grit and a bit of hocus pocus. The result will be that Steve Hamilton will find himself a prisoner of the Mutes and that's where the story continues to develop.

It's an interesting concept. And there is still so much to learn. Who are the First Family? How did the Amtrak Federation get started? What is the link between Steve and his sister? Mr. Snow has a link with the Talisman... is it spiritual or might it be another computer? But how accurate is its foretelling. The people are interesting. I love the names of the Mutes. Because of their link to Chicago and Detroit (Mo-town), you get names like Three degrees, Night-Fever, etc. It's fun trying to figure out the references.

And the story is interesting. Once you get into it, or when I got into it, I found myself getting more involved, engrossed. Not perfect but still interesting enough to get me to order #2. Worth checking out if you like dystopian Sci-Fi (3.0 stars)

[Donovan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Amtrak wars is quite an epic series that spans 6 books. I read this as a teenager and found myself drawn in to it. There were many elements but I think it was the romantic elements of the characters and the adventures contained within that lured me to the series more than the overall philosophy behind the series. It grabbed my attention during a time in my life when I was quite the rebellious teenager and I think that if I read it later in life I would not have enjoyed it as much as I did. Unfortunately the ending killed it for me and I felt short-changed for it.
The series consists of
Cloud Warrior
First Family
Iron Master
Blood River
Death-Bringer
Earth-Thunder



Plot ***Spoilers***
In AD 2989 a 17-year-old, newly-qualified Amtrak pilot named Steve Brickman joins the Lady from Louisiana wagon-train in its first major assault on the Plainfolk Mutes. Thanks to the Mutes' deployment of sorcery, the wagon-train is defeated and forced to retreat. Brickman is taken prisoner by the Mutes but not killed, due to a prophetic vision of the clan's seer, Mr. Snow, which suggests Steve will be instrumental in the fulfilment of the Talisman Prophecy, which suggests a 'chosen one' called Talisman will arise to destroy the Federation and lead the Mutes to victorious domination of the world. Steve comes to admire and respect the Mutes and falls in love with a 'straight' (mutation-free) Mute named Clearwater and forges a bond of mutual respect with Mr. Snow's apprentice, Cadillac.

Steve eventually escapes from the Mutes and returns to the Federation, but his account of his imprisonment and escape is deemed fantastical. Labelled a deserter, he is stripped of all rank and is publicly disgraced. Privately, Steve is recruited by the Federation's top-secret intelligence organisation, AMEXICO, and is sent on a new assignment to capture Cadillac, Clearwater and Mr. Snow, who are deemed of interest to the Federation. Upon learning that Cadillac has used information from Steve to build a primitive glider and fly it to Ne-Issan as part of a weapons and intelligence exchange between the Mutes and Iron Masters, Steve decides to pursue the capture mission into Ne-Issan. During this mission Steve's loyalties become further conflicted between his affinity with the Mutes and his birth allegiance to the Federation, and he begins a risky attempt to play both sides against the middle whilst he looks for a way to escape his enemies on both sides.


Cloud Warrior
This book opens with an examination of the character of a Mute named Cadillac, and his world-view. We learn of the Talisman Prophecy, Cadillac's status as a wordsmith and a freak, and his love of Clearwater. The story, however, is about Steven Roosevelt Brickman, an 18-year-old wingman (pilot) in the war against the Plainfolk Mutes. He is shot down, but is spared by the Mutes. He meets Cadillac, Cadillac's mentor Mr. Snow, and Motor-Head, the tribe's paramount warrior. He sees the gaps in his Tracker worldview, but still tries to escape. He meets Clearwater, falls in love with her, and woos her away from Cadillac. He then escapes, killing the jealous Motor-Head in the process. The book ends with Mr. Snow telling Cadillac and Clearwater that they will have a role to play in the Talisman Prophecy.

First Family
This book opens with an examination of the character of a Tracker named Deke Haywood, and his world-view. He is a 'techie' in the Tracker base on the ruins of Pueblo, Colorado. He then notes that someone is trying to approach the base on his monitors. It is Steven Roosevelt Brickman. He is captured, and treated as a suspected traitor, but is not questioned. Through a series of undercover agents, the First Family manoeuvers Steve into a position of weakness and desperation, then sends him back into the field as a member of AMEXICO, the AMtrak EXecutive Intelligence COmmandoes (agents are known as 'Mexicans') with orders to kill Cadillac and Clearwater. He is promptly attacked by a group of deserters, who steal all his stuff and throw him out. He then finds his way back to Mr. Snow, whose tribe takes him in. After hearing that Cadillac and Clearwater have gone north to the land of the mysterious 'Iron Masters' (and that Cadillac used magic to copy his technical abilities), Steve stows away on an Iron Master vessel.

Iron Master
This book opens with an examination of the character of an Iron Master named Toshiro Hase-Gawa and his world-view. He is a Herald of the Inner Court, a secret agent of his Shogun. With the arrival of Steve, Cadillac and Clearwater, the internal political groups are thrown into some turmoil, and Steve receives some offers. Steve also discovers that Cadillac is making recon gliders for the Iron Masters, masquerading as Steve (since Mutes are supposed to be illiterate). Steve agrees to help Cadillac, in exchange for Toshiro's help in getting them all out of the country at the end. Toshiro then gets Steve to kill one of the seventeen daiyamo (domain-lords). They then escape to a secret First Family recon station with two other runaways, where they steal transportation and fly back to Wyoming. But this is according to the Family's plan, and one of the runaways is a spy.

Blood River
Steve, Cadillac and Clearwater meet with triumph and disaster as they try to evade the clutches of both the Iron Masters and the disguised hunter/killer squads sent out by the Federation to purge the overground of renegade Trackers and deserters. Clearwater is seriously injured and only Federation medicine can save her; Steve uses his identity as a Federation agent to get her treatment.

Death-Bringer
With Clearwater now safely in their hands the First Family hatches a plan to use her as bait to capture Cadillac and Mr Snow and annihilate the Clan M'Call; a plan in which Steve is forced to continue his double-role as loyal agent of the Confederation and blood-brother to the Plainfolk. In the aftermath of events, Steve returns to the Federation to take care of Clearwater while Roz escapes and joins with Cadillac.

Earth-Thunder
As the "Great Mountain in the West speaks to the Sky with a Tongue of Flame", the Talisman Prophecy is on the verge of fulfillment. At that moment Clearwater goes in to labour with Steve's child in a Federation hospital, and Roz conceives a child with Cadillac on the overground. The First Family celebrates their believed capture of the Talisman, but which child is the real one, or are both part of the prophecy?

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The success of Cloud Warrior, and the rest of The Amtrak Wars for that matter, is down to a couple of things. Firstly, there is Tilley’s exquisite attention to detail when it comes to world-building. The Federation and the Mute’s separate societies have been created in such a way that their mutual hostility makes perfect sense. The enmity shared by both sides perfectly mirrors the historical bad-blood that existed between the Native American population and the settlers back in the Old West.

It’s fair to say that the leaders of the Federation go out of their way to foster the pioneer spirit. They paint the Mutes as nothing more than ignorant sub-human savages. The Federation’s militaristic/technological society is built around the premise that they are the rightful owners of the ‘blue-sky world’ and the Mutes (or anyone else for that matter) need to be subjugated.

The Mutes meanwhile have gone entirely the other way and developed a far more tribal culture, more in keeping with the aboriginal people of America. As an aside, I particularly like the way that Tilley has created the clan history within the Mute society, their ancient antiquity being our present day. The Mute clan names of power and mythology always manage to raise a wry smile. Can’t go wrong with the likes of characters named Motor-Head, Flat-Top and Ultra-Vox.

Initially, it appears that the Federation are out and out evil, but of course things are not quite as cut and dried as all that. The author does a worthy job of not favouring one side over the other, there is good and bad on both sides of this cultural divide. Political conspiracies are rife and lead right to the very heart of the Federation, while the Mutes are driven, almost fanatically so, by a prophecy of the “thrice gifted one”.

There are many standout characters, Steve Brickman from the Federation and a Mute called Cadillac of the clan M’Call feature strongly, but my personal favourite is the Mute medicine man/shaman Mr Snow. Think a slightly tripped out version of Yoda, crossed with a geriatric member of ZZ Top and you’ll get the idea. Mr Snow’s enigmatic pronouncements, and cryptic tutelage of Cadillac, standout as my favourite scenes.

If you are looking for a first class science fiction novel that builds into a landmark series then I would suggest that Cloud Warrior might be the one for you. Going back and revisiting it I was pleased to discover that it has stood the test of time and feels just as fresh and original as when I first read it. I rarely use the word classic but I think I might just have to in this case.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the first few chapters I thought I was in for one epic story about a post Apocalyptic world where humans and Mutes battle each other to survive (for reasons that I honestly still don't understand, or were never made clear). It starts off promisingly, with ace pilot Steve Brickman flying his final tests before graduation as the Mutes live their lives on the surface and fight amongst themselves.

Sadly the book did little to keep that momentum. Here's the thing: Steve Brickman is kind of a dick. He's got entitlement issues, and a serious case of White Man Gaze. And for all the action in this book, it's amazing how little actually happens. Around 65% in, I went back to Amazon to read the summary and it described a forbidden love story. Well, this was news to me because it still hadn't even begun to happen!

So little of the premise is explored, I have to wonder if this was destined to be a huge series of books from the beginning. Steve's sister's plot is almost completely dropped after a couple of scenes, and really the whole book is Steve being rescued by the Mutes and treating them horribly despite numerous signs that they are the more culturally relevant and intelligent peoples. I'd say it was a Dances with Wolves clone except this came out long before it. And Steve never really tries to blend in unless he can steal some women. Like I said, he's kind of a dick.

Two more things. One, I was really impressed by some of the technology the author describes. He basically talks about an iPad, only this was 1983. On the other hand he describes a VHS technology, so you can't win them all.

Finally and most troubling, Steve can't fall in love with a Mute because it's forbidden and 'gross' and her skin is different than his. Instead of dealing with issues of race, Steve conveniently finds out the woman he's interested in has the same skin tone as himself and merely paints her body to fit in with her fellow Mutes. Somehow this makes it all ok for him to fall for her. Racist much? Combined with the creepy white man entitlement issues I am DONE with this series. What a disappointment.

[Shay · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband insisted we listen to this together as it was one of his favourite books when he was studying at university. As I've forced him to listen to many of my favourites over the years I capitulated, and ended up enjoying it mostly.

Cloud Warrior is a genre-defying story set in the future where society has split into factions who are constantly at war with each other. It had elements of dystopian sci-fi, fantasy, military sci-fi and war with a specifically Western vibe.

The opressive regime of the AMTRAK federation governs its people in vast underground bunkers. They are soldiers hell-bent on wiping out the much hated surface dwellers called Mutes, a race of seemingly primative native peoples with mythical powers.

The story follows Steve, an AMTRAK pilot who is captured by the mutes and learns more about their complex ways of living.

The book was published in 1983 so it's easy to see where some of the pop culture references come from. Two of the central characters are called Cadillac and Clearwater with many others referencing common US terms of that era.

I struggled a bit with the slow burn where we got to know Steve and the AMTRAK Federation. It's heavy on the military-talk and tech-talk, both topics that make my eyes glaze over.. but once we got past that hump (around 1/3 in) things started to get more interesting.

There's an overarching sense of mystery to the whole book, and I loved guessing some of the intricacies waiting to play out. The book ended on a really intruguing note just as things were starting to fall into place, and I found myself reaching for the next in the series.

Overall it was a solid read with some great imaginative world building. I didn't get as excited for the AMTRAK federation setting as much as my husband did, but I did enjoy learning more about the Mutes and their world, and how it played into their relationship with the federation.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, fast paced read. I think Tilley balanced his world building with a plot that is still engaging, mostly well. Pretty much just think Government with crazy tech versus “primitive” magic. The action sequences were all fairly predictable but I was kinda okay with that.

Some of the technical jargon describing battle formations, ranks, weapons, military vehicles became a little tiresome for me. I’m sure some would absolutely love the detail but I personally just found it dense and quite frankly I’m just not interested in knowing how many inches or feet or yards something is constantly. Which speaking of, as a personal pet peeve everything is in the imperial system which just made it more difficult for me to immerse myself in the story when I was trying to do maths in the back of my head, half ass converting every measurement being rattled off every second sentence. I much preferred when I got to read from the perspective of the “mutes” and their magic and way of life.

The love story. The cynic in me wants to say this is completely non realistic. Cliche Romeo and Juliet stuff. Based completely on physical attraction and seemingly came out of nowhere. But it sucked me in. It will be interesting to see where it goes in the next instalment.

The plot was light at the expense of world building. And a lot of foreshadowing to an epic plot that will obviously span over what I now know to be several books. A lot of groundwork being layed for what I am hoping will be a pretty awesome series. Hopefully the trade pays off. Time shall tell though. I’m interested to see where this story goes!

[Shay Nankivell · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first it took me a little while to get into Cloud Warrior, only because I had been on a character-driven, general-fiction spree and hadn't buried my nose in hardcore science fiction for a long time. But when I got into it again, I was buried deep! I suddenly remembered why I loved sci-fi so much.
The main characters were so relatable and flawed, they drew me right in, and usually, being a woman, I find it harder to relate to male protagonists. But both Brickman and Cadillac were such fleshed out and vividly woven characters who I connected with at once.
I was fascinated by the contrasting cultures of the Amtrak Federation and the Plainfolk clans. I'm naturally drawn to both military societies and the more primitive, spiritual ways of tribal lifestyles, so I found myself happily lost in both worlds and thoroughly enjoying the level of rich complexity that Patrick Tilley injected into these cultures.
The subtle humour in the names of the clan members and the brutal savagery of their customs around battle and rituals was a treat to read and very inspiring for my own works. To rival that, the militaristic stricture and discipline of the Federation, married with the emphasis on honour and brotherhood, resonated with me deeply, despite the corruption at the core of the society. Something that is all too prevalent in any society and was portrayed well.
Patrick Tilley's writing is both colourful and restrained, something I aspire to as a writer. I wish I had discovered him earlier in my aspiring career, and will now devour his writings with pent excitement!

[Peter Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cloud Warrior was the first novel that I ever read, and I have been hooked on reading ever since that time of revelation.
It started as a campaign by my high school to encourage non-readers to pick up books and read. Luckily for me I had a maths teacher who was willing to call my bluff on the subject that all books were boring.
I started reading The Amtrak Wars with apprehension and completed the series with an insatiable appetite that has never diminished.
Patrick Tilley's dystopian fantasy was just what this teenage boy needed; adventure, war, love, lust, honour, corruption, intrigue, spies, good and evil, plot twists, sweeping backdrop descriptions of a world in recovery, and societies broken down into their most base levels.
Steve Brickman as the lead character, takes with him an audience who are about to set out on a difficult and traumatic journey as he finds that truth, lies, reality and honest have been blurred, and often intentionally erased.
All six books carry through the plot of politics, conquest and duplicity, while Tilley paints a picture of a world where the familiar is evident and the unfamiliar is an apocalyptic nightmare that the survivors of a nuclear winter have survived and learned to revive civilization that we barely recognise.
This set of books change my view of books, but gave me a passion for dystopian fantasy.
So, go ahead and get this book and enjoy the challenges that the characters need to overcome in a dynamic world of tainted beauty and unravelling tragedy.

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so it's another post-apocalyptic story and the humans are getting to the stage where they can start seriously fighting each other again, which is where most of these stories start of course.
The story follows the two main groups, the underground humans who live in a technological big brother type society, venturing above land to claim more territory and attack the other group the mutants. These are the remnants of society which have adapted to have huge stamina and survivability, yet they have suffered some sort of damage or mutation to their cognitive function and need special "wordsmiths" to help them recall motor skills and knowledge they can't remember. On the plus side they also have a few that can use what seems to be pyschic abilities which gives them a small chance against the more technological and better armed underground humans.

This is an entertaining read, the impending major clash of civilizations is hinted at on the smaller scale when one of the flyers (glider pilot) is captured and experiences some doubt as to whether his society should be exterminating the mutants and noticing that the differences between them isn't as large as he has been told.
Overall the first book does enough worldbuilding to want me to continue reading and sets up enough characters of interest, it helps also that the novel doesn't take itself too seriously.

[Brian Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book in the post apocalyptic Amtrak Wars series.
Survivors from a nuclear war moved underground and formed their own civilisation run by the former president of the USA. Above ground, people got mutations and moved to a more naturalistic way of life.

The ground dwellers have all the old knowledge stored in a computer called COLUMBUS, and the leading families keep what is known to the masses at a bare minimum, making them work in groups for the greater good.

Any dissent or talk of strange powers of the above ground "mutes" are put down to personal failings and see the perpetrator moved out of sight or publicly executed to keep everyone in line.

Steve Brickman finds himself abandoned above ground following a raid on mute territory and has his eyes opened to the fact he may not have been told the truth by the leaders.

A good start to the series, introducing the main characters and the beliefs of both sides of the conflict. Still as good today as it was when I first read it as a teen.

[Marilag · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm kind of so-so on this book. Don't get me wrong, I liked certain aspects of it, but I'm a little miffed that the story hardly began in this book and things were just starting to finally pick up near the end! Most of Cloud Warrior were plants, and nothing seriously got resolved. Sure, people died, people lived, Steve escapes, Cadillac gets more understanding, and Clearwater finally starts to get some feeling in her nether-regions. Whoop de doo.

Don't get me wrong. I actually like Steve and Cadillac. And Mr. Snow! I love Mr. Snow as a character, but I always had a partiality for the wizened old sillyface who tries really hard to be patient to dunderheads who just don't know any better. I just wish there had been more to the story than introduction of characters and an overall introduction of the world.

Or maybe I'm just bitter 'cause now I have to find the second book in order to continue the story? Bah, series.

[Ayesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty hard core science fiction this series :-) based on a post nuclear world, where half the planet's population lives below ground and has infinite technological resources, but are controlled by the first family (all Jeffersons/Washingtons) - all but the first family have had some sort of mental conditioning to follow orders. The other half live above ground and have resistance to radiation (or do they - is the radiation story a farce to keep the other half underground.. oooh time will tell) but an inability to store long term memory - except for a select few - and no access to technology. The plot is infinitely thicker than this, but I'll spare you the details. Looking forward to the next one, allbeit the series remind me of a conglomerate of other sci-fi-socio-political novels (Wool, Dust, Shift springs to mind)

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

It concerns a post-apocalyptic society that includes primitive mutants tribes with special powers; a high-tech, total discipline miliary society (that lives underground and travels overground in huge mobile trains and fragile glider planes) bent on exterminating the mutes, and a traditional samurai-based Japanese culture that believes higher tech (electricity, etc.) is evil but who otherwise have steam engines and rifles, etc. (and use mutes and feds as cheap labor). It is rollicking yet serious. Some very novel ideas there. The characters are not especially likeable, but they are very watchable. The puns are frequent and often subtle (some are not so subtle). Worth reading if you are willing to commit to a 5-6 book series.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Hippies of the future."

A post-apocalyptic world divide into the people who have made a civilization in the bunkers with all the technology they could muster and the people who mutated to survive in the atom-bomb ravaged world.

The "Mutes" are supported my mother earth and fight for a better world. The "Federation" seek world dominance through the whole scale manipulation of it people.

The noble savage stuff is laid on pretty heavy and the sex less societies of the future are still male dominated although none of them seem to be utopian.

The further books could contain an interesting exploration of the concept free will in a society that believes in a fix destiny and prophecy but that would require some more development from the main characters.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly amateurish writing? Check!
Corny character names like Motor-head, Cadillac, and Black-top? Check!
Corny place names like She-Kargo and Me-Sheegun? Check!
Fun post apocalyptic setting detailing the conflict between mutants (aka Mutes) and mole-like nazis (aka Sand Burrowers)? Check!

If I gave this book a rating based solely on the quality of writing and character development...it would only get two stars. However, this book is more than the sum of its parts. For those willing to look beyond its obvious limitations, this book can be an enjoyable read. For me, this book was a guilty pleasure. I knew it was pure cornball fluff and yet I had a good time delving into the story.

I give this book 3.5 stars. I will read the second book in the near future.

[Cydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The four stars is for the series as a whole. I have been reading these back to back and I don't think the books stand alone, each of which I would not give more than a three as a novel. Each one carries on immediately from the previous one. I wouldn't recommend reading this without having the others to follow on with.
The story and social environment keep me reading but I find the character building lacking. It is really a one character story with any other interesting characters being very much secondary. I'm interested to know what will happen but I don't really care about any of them.