Return of the Earthers

Seers of Verde #2

by M.L. Williams

Aron Nels has challenged 19 enemy warriors to death duels. If he fails, the truth of the tragic events at Temple Darya will never be known. The lone surviving Defender of the Nuvens is unaware another force is working against him — the powerful Seers who have kept their people safe from space marauders and the Nuvens for centuries.
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Willa Sydriker fights to free her world from the yoke of the Tanlians. To do this, the young woman has to convince her people to back a daring plot to hijack the space marauders’ transport ship. If successful, she has to find and convince their former enemy — the “Earthers” — to help their cause.
——
Gerro, captain of the Tarylan Guards, has committed an act of treason against the Seers. The bastard son of an estranged Seer and unknown father must cross the treacherous mountain to find his mother in the Valley of the Heroes, home of the Defenders.
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Jorn Nandez, a captain in the “Earther” space fleet, dreams of returning to the planet his ancestor helped bioform. No one has been in contact with the former Earth colony world for more than 300 years after it apparently was abandoned. The fearsome Tanlians stand in his way but even they avoid the mysterious “ghost world.”

412 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 2016

About the author

1975 graduate of Drake University
Worked for newspapers in: Carroll and Clinton, Iowa.
Also was an editor in Rochester, Minn.
Retired after 30 years as a weekly magazine editor in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Recipient of four national news writing awards and several state and regional honors.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second instalment of Seers of Verde does not disappoint! As the story continues we find complex forces converging that threaten to destroy the hopes and dreams of many of the main characters. M.L. Williams does a fine job of putting the reader in a metaphysical quandary: questions of weltanschauung are expanded to encompass many differing cultural perspectives. I was reminded of many of the questions the movie Avatar brought up - but the way issues of dominance are addressed reminded me of the Melian Dialogue.

[M.L. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not an objective rating since I wrote this book.

[Randy Roeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second installment of M. L. Williams's tale is every bit as good as the first. Though it had been a year since I completed the first volume, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had no difficulty picking up where I left off. As much fantasy as science fiction, Seers of Verde and Return of the Earthers meet my definition of a good read. The volumes should be read in sequence. Recommended.

[Florin Constantinescu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could've sworn the previous book in the series finished with the two warring factions on the planet finally making peace. I had grown inpatient at their pointless in-fighting when there was such a nice and unexplored universe just 'out there' to be wrote about. So I was obviously frustrated when from the opening pages it looked like the conflict is still carrying on, and on, duels after duels, battles after battles, culminating in a "Gladiator"-like sequence with a mighty all-powerful hero defeating zounds of enemies in single combat in an arena while spectators cheer in the stands.
The much heralded "Return of the Earthers" actually only happens after the middle of the book. A bunch of star ships swoops in and, in a very deus-ex-machina way, solve the external plot line began in book #1.
Overall a very pleasant writing style - the very large cast is handled with ease -, but a very boring first half coupled with a disappointing resolution make this a decent 2* in the end.

[Patricia A Spring]

Sci-fi

Book two was a conclusion and answered many of the questions of book one. Interesting how humans continually act human starting over and beginning at least in stories

[Darrell D. Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I started with the first book of this series, this continues the plot with some curves. I enjoyed this series, hope there is another.