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Willow's Run
The Circuit winds through the isolated villages and towns of the Survivor's Alliance bringing news and mail, along with seeds and livestock for sale. This is Willow's first run as Boss, and she's eager to prove herself.
The big Circuit Wagon, pulled by a team of four horses, headed out from the train station with a young crew for a trip that could take months. Willow's got an experienced guard captain, a Doc, a Judge and a Vet to help her deal with any problems along the way, but storms, raiders and wild animals are only a few of her trials as she guides her crew through a harrowing journey. She may have to rely on the arcane skills that she inherited from her father, Wisp, to get everyone home in one piece.
The big Circuit Wagon, pulled by a team of four horses, headed out from the train station with a young crew for a trip that could take months. Willow's got an experienced guard captain, a Doc, a Judge and a Vet to help her deal with any problems along the way, but storms, raiders and wild animals are only a few of her trials as she guides her crew through a harrowing journey. She may have to rely on the arcane skills that she inherited from her father, Wisp, to get everyone home in one piece.
- GenresScience Fiction
352 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 5, 2020
9 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Alice Sabo
51 books63 followersAlice Sabo is the author of character-driven stories in multiple genres. Her characters struggle to make the right choices in difficult and often dangerous situations. Whether seeking lost cultures in an unforgiving galaxy or finding a murderer on the streets of LA, her books have strong world building, multi-layered characters and a satisfying culmination.
You can find all her series and the order in which to read them on her website, along with maps and other extras. www.alicesabo.com
You can find all her series and the order in which to read them on her website, along with maps and other extras. www.alicesabo.com
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 3, 2021
Not a complicated book, but great characters, as usual. I was hooked by the end of the first chapter and didn’t get to sleep till about 3 a.m. (Good thing I’m retired and don’t have to get up early.)
I have yet to find a book by Alice Sabo I didn’t like, just some a little more than others. I don’t know if her books are intended for adults or young adults, but I recommend them for both.
I have yet to find a book by Alice Sabo I didn’t like, just some a little more than others. I don’t know if her books are intended for adults or young adults, but I recommend them for both.
February 7, 2022
A light read that continues to explore the fascinating world Sabo set up in her classic "Changed World" series
As I wrote many moons ago when I read the first books from this world, "Willow's Run" is a much lighter dystopian read than the usual offers in this genre - noting that the very concept of 'this genre' has to be rather widely defined (what's new, right?). In fact, this offer is even tamer than the original series simply because the focus is almost entirely on the characters and their growth as a functioning team with a difficult task to accomplish. Sure, there's some good spells of tension in here, but nothing like a great deal of the struggles - including both violent and horrific events that showed just how terrible people can be to each other - that so many of the "previous generation" went through! There is a scene in this book of the circuit doctor, Jane, describing surviving as a child that puts this all too well into perspective, one that is met - initially - with some disbelief by her younger assistant (sorry, no spoilers). It's a very powerful moment and really spells out just how this community is now doing overall!
As I pointed out when I read and reviewed my first book from Alice Sabo, I picked it up in part because I read she lives in Asheville, NC which is where half of my family originate from or still live. And I was shocked at how familiar the settings involved were, even though she has assured me - yes, I even wrote her and asked point blank - that the hospital is NOT the one my father grew up across the street from. But the familiarity remains and if you are at all acquainted with the beauty that is the Appalachian mountains, these stories will hit you at least in part with a strong sense of nostalgia. (Oh and I'm not entirely convinced I'm wrong about the exact location, which she may be keeping secret to avoid having folks dig up the football stadium for crop planting!)
"Willow's Run" picks up some years after what is now called The Gray Flu, something that was sweeping through the community at the end of the mentioned final chapter. However, it proved to not be as deadly as the repeated pandemics our apocalypse survivors continued to suffer from but instead brought with it welcomed albeit unexpected pregnancies. And if that weren't enough, it seems that these pairings wound up resulting in twins or even a number of triplets being produced. That certainly plays a role in the dynamics as you'll see! And yes, the occasional, very much random displays of powers - not of a "mutant" character per se but rather much more sympathetic and empathetic in nature - continue to run throughout this new age of players as well. This is, in fact, the strong point of the story as we begin to see evidence of healers, prognosticators (folks that can sense the future?), danger sensers and even folks that can read emotions of humans AND animals. This latter skill provides a lot of great scenes throughout.
As I hinted at though there is a real drop off in the level of conflict that while certainly nothing like you might find in a typical zombie apocalypse book still needed - I felt - a bit more here. Keeping a herd of animals heading to market is not the height of literary suspense for sure! And most of what we are faced with are indeed the issues that young people tend to deal with - adding perhaps as well inexperienced and naive people to that list - that leaves the book moving at pretty much the same pace as the caravan itself. That is, often moving along with no hiccups, other times struggling to make good time! Still, these books have always served their purpose well, namely, providing a break from other stories that you could claim are distantly related so same and quite enjoyable to read!
Now on to Book 2!
As I wrote many moons ago when I read the first books from this world, "Willow's Run" is a much lighter dystopian read than the usual offers in this genre - noting that the very concept of 'this genre' has to be rather widely defined (what's new, right?). In fact, this offer is even tamer than the original series simply because the focus is almost entirely on the characters and their growth as a functioning team with a difficult task to accomplish. Sure, there's some good spells of tension in here, but nothing like a great deal of the struggles - including both violent and horrific events that showed just how terrible people can be to each other - that so many of the "previous generation" went through! There is a scene in this book of the circuit doctor, Jane, describing surviving as a child that puts this all too well into perspective, one that is met - initially - with some disbelief by her younger assistant (sorry, no spoilers). It's a very powerful moment and really spells out just how this community is now doing overall!
As I pointed out when I read and reviewed my first book from Alice Sabo, I picked it up in part because I read she lives in Asheville, NC which is where half of my family originate from or still live. And I was shocked at how familiar the settings involved were, even though she has assured me - yes, I even wrote her and asked point blank - that the hospital is NOT the one my father grew up across the street from. But the familiarity remains and if you are at all acquainted with the beauty that is the Appalachian mountains, these stories will hit you at least in part with a strong sense of nostalgia. (Oh and I'm not entirely convinced I'm wrong about the exact location, which she may be keeping secret to avoid having folks dig up the football stadium for crop planting!)
"Willow's Run" picks up some years after what is now called The Gray Flu, something that was sweeping through the community at the end of the mentioned final chapter. However, it proved to not be as deadly as the repeated pandemics our apocalypse survivors continued to suffer from but instead brought with it welcomed albeit unexpected pregnancies. And if that weren't enough, it seems that these pairings wound up resulting in twins or even a number of triplets being produced. That certainly plays a role in the dynamics as you'll see! And yes, the occasional, very much random displays of powers - not of a "mutant" character per se but rather much more sympathetic and empathetic in nature - continue to run throughout this new age of players as well. This is, in fact, the strong point of the story as we begin to see evidence of healers, prognosticators (folks that can sense the future?), danger sensers and even folks that can read emotions of humans AND animals. This latter skill provides a lot of great scenes throughout.
As I hinted at though there is a real drop off in the level of conflict that while certainly nothing like you might find in a typical zombie apocalypse book still needed - I felt - a bit more here. Keeping a herd of animals heading to market is not the height of literary suspense for sure! And most of what we are faced with are indeed the issues that young people tend to deal with - adding perhaps as well inexperienced and naive people to that list - that leaves the book moving at pretty much the same pace as the caravan itself. That is, often moving along with no hiccups, other times struggling to make good time! Still, these books have always served their purpose well, namely, providing a break from other stories that you could claim are distantly related so same and quite enjoyable to read!
Now on to Book 2!
November 18, 2024
2 1/2 stars really. I liked the world-building and the overall atmosphere, and some of the characters were interesting, particularly Jake. But the idea of it was what got me hooked -- the traveling crew trading with and helping people -- and the story fell rather short. It was basically a series of incidents: problem comes up; solve it; another problem comes up; solve it. The stakes were low to non-existent most of the time, and a lot of details seemed to be glossed over or left out entirely. Like the town that was decimated by raiders. The survivors "shared a harrowing story" about the experience, but the author didn't choose to let the reader in on it. Thoughts and details kept getting repeated from one character to another, and the descriptions of facilities at nearly every stop along the way got tedious, especially since most of it didn't seem to matter to the story. Barely anything that happened had a real ongoing effect on the characters or the storyline. I don't find myself interested enough to read any more of the series.
November 9, 2021
The descriptive world building in Willow's Run, by Alice Sabo, is excellent. I can see the people, animals and wagons clearly, as they make their way down the road. Nan's cooking beckons. And I can smell the sheep, even now.
The characters are distinctive and believable. Some of them feel like friends now.
This is a nicely balanced novel and a pleasure to read. I will be reading more of Sabo's work.
The characters are distinctive and believable. Some of them feel like friends now.
This is a nicely balanced novel and a pleasure to read. I will be reading more of Sabo's work.
December 21, 2021
Solid Read
While not as gripping as the previous volumes, the premise of the "Circuit" is intriguing and shows promise for the next book. The character development was somewhat pedestrian with none really grabbing me. Based upon the development of the storyline in the initial three books, I'm hopeful for improvement in the next book.
While not as gripping as the previous volumes, the premise of the "Circuit" is intriguing and shows promise for the next book. The character development was somewhat pedestrian with none really grabbing me. Based upon the development of the storyline in the initial three books, I'm hopeful for improvement in the next book.
April 4, 2022
Meh, a very disappointing meh. Loved the first series & was excited to read these, but it's all fallen very flat. 2 dimensional and easily forgettable characters in an unexecptional plot.
February 11, 2023
The character development was okay, but there was no real climax to the story. Aside from a few small interesting bumps, the story was flat. I read, expecting something more to occur.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews