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Outlander Chronicles: Icarus
They survived the journey, but can they survive what’s next?
Jacen Chester and the people of Phoenix have risked everything on the dream of building a new world. They survived a journey of 1800 miles and overcame many brutal challenges along the way. Now they are ready to call this last encampment home.
But contrary to their expectations, arriving at their destination does not eliminate hardship. New dangers and new obstacles await that threaten to unravel the entire project. When pressed to the limit, can the dream of Phoenix survive the harsh realities of life in a broken world? Can Jacen himself pass the greatest test of leadership?
In Book 3 of the Outlander Chronicles, author C. H. Cobb brings to a conclusion the epic physical and spiritual journey of Jacen Chester and the people of Phoenix, as they strive to flourish in a world where survival itself is doubtful.
Jacen Chester and the people of Phoenix have risked everything on the dream of building a new world. They survived a journey of 1800 miles and overcame many brutal challenges along the way. Now they are ready to call this last encampment home.
But contrary to their expectations, arriving at their destination does not eliminate hardship. New dangers and new obstacles await that threaten to unravel the entire project. When pressed to the limit, can the dream of Phoenix survive the harsh realities of life in a broken world? Can Jacen himself pass the greatest test of leadership?
In Book 3 of the Outlander Chronicles, author C. H. Cobb brings to a conclusion the epic physical and spiritual journey of Jacen Chester and the people of Phoenix, as they strive to flourish in a world where survival itself is doubtful.
411 pages, Paperback
Published November 5, 2022
3 people want to read
About the author
C.H. Cobb
9 books39 followersC. H. Cobb has a non-stop imagination, identifying with James Thurber’s Walter Mitty. His career as a spinner of tall tales began by regaling his small children with the adventures of Moe, the spider that lived in the bathroom fan.
He now writes military/espionage novels, dystopian fictions, and political thrillers. Kirkus Reviews has compared his writing to that of Tom Clancy and Dale Brown.
His three children are now grown (and are all in some form of the arts, as are their spouses), and he lives with his wife Doris in Ohio where he serves as the counseling pastor of a church.
He now writes military/espionage novels, dystopian fictions, and political thrillers. Kirkus Reviews has compared his writing to that of Tom Clancy and Dale Brown.
His three children are now grown (and are all in some form of the arts, as are their spouses), and he lives with his wife Doris in Ohio where he serves as the counseling pastor of a church.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 6, 2023
I hated to have this series end!! This book is filled with hope, as the reader watches the final stages of the most unlikely companions bring to fruition the dreams that will propel life for the next generation!! A great read, highly recommend!!
May 11, 2023
I enjoyed this book and the series in whole. What does it take to make a sustainable, just society. I wonder if that is a question for us now!!
Actually, the conclusion of this trek was much different than I thought it would be. I was expecting more hardship, more strife, more broken relationships. Why? Well doesn't history show us that the heart of man is war, against God, against each other, against creation and even with ourselves. But until the final chapter, this was a small enough community that each member knew each other well and while not always agreeing with each other, they trusted each other.
So I'm going to appropriate the authors message and apply it differently. I do not suspect that the kind of community Chris has developed is possible in the world. There are just too many Bart Osteen's on the planet. But what about the church. Is it not possible for a group of fallen, broken people to unite under a common creed toward the Lord Jesus Christ and lovingly, faithfully live together, trusting each other to have our back, not because they are good but because their Savior is? To stay together fully knowing the faults of others but loving them anyway as all live humble, forgiving lives in pursuit of Christlikeness while the world presses against them trying to conform them in the world's image? I think so.
So I don't mean to give author Cobb's words meaning that they don't have. The series is very good, worth reading, as Chris develops a just, honorable society out of chaos and under pressure and threat. Oh, that we would be on that task now. I just think that the potential for that society exists now with the called of God through faith in Jesus His Son and living faithfully to the Scriptures.
Maybe all of this possibility is a pipe dream, an actual dystopian future awaits us. But then, there is the age to come!
The Outlander Chronicles are a very good read, very thought provoking. I highly recommend them.
Actually, the conclusion of this trek was much different than I thought it would be. I was expecting more hardship, more strife, more broken relationships. Why? Well doesn't history show us that the heart of man is war, against God, against each other, against creation and even with ourselves. But until the final chapter, this was a small enough community that each member knew each other well and while not always agreeing with each other, they trusted each other.
So I'm going to appropriate the authors message and apply it differently. I do not suspect that the kind of community Chris has developed is possible in the world. There are just too many Bart Osteen's on the planet. But what about the church. Is it not possible for a group of fallen, broken people to unite under a common creed toward the Lord Jesus Christ and lovingly, faithfully live together, trusting each other to have our back, not because they are good but because their Savior is? To stay together fully knowing the faults of others but loving them anyway as all live humble, forgiving lives in pursuit of Christlikeness while the world presses against them trying to conform them in the world's image? I think so.
So I don't mean to give author Cobb's words meaning that they don't have. The series is very good, worth reading, as Chris develops a just, honorable society out of chaos and under pressure and threat. Oh, that we would be on that task now. I just think that the potential for that society exists now with the called of God through faith in Jesus His Son and living faithfully to the Scriptures.
Maybe all of this possibility is a pipe dream, an actual dystopian future awaits us. But then, there is the age to come!
The Outlander Chronicles are a very good read, very thought provoking. I highly recommend them.
July 30, 2023
This May be my favorite book series. My only fear is that the saga ends with Icarus and we never see the fruits of Phoenix through Jacen Chester Jr. this story will be inspiring to anyone who is losing faith in man kind and needs motivation to live a life with higher purpose.
May 28, 2023
An inspiring conclusion to the trilogy that embraces hope while not shying away from the potential trials of a world that has fallen apart.
I’m not normally nearly as drawn in by dystopian futures in storytelling as the majority of the public is these days. However this trilogy sits differently with me I think because it’s focus is much more on a honest look at the positives that can come from trying to put a little bit of the world back together. Overall , it’s not depressing but instead uplifting.
The third book in the trilogy focuses on the start of rebuilding a working community after the previous books told the story of the birth and growth of the idea to put in an effort to change and the also journey across the country to where they wanted to build their journey across the fractured country. In this last book the story sets the characters up to finally see if what they’ve set out to do can indeed be done and if progress will indeed be worth it.
The biggest “test” of the new community and way of life is teased throughout the book as two different plots keep growing closer and closer to colliding. I think this big hurdle that must be jumped in the end perhaps wasn’t quite given enough pages to fully flesh it out but it’s not a fault large enough to take away from its impact and importance. Pushing it towards the end of the book as the sorta “finale” does give the story the time to work towards it though.
In the end I enjoyed this more positive and hopeful look at a dystopian future, where the point is not just to survive but instead to grow and progress.
I’m not normally nearly as drawn in by dystopian futures in storytelling as the majority of the public is these days. However this trilogy sits differently with me I think because it’s focus is much more on a honest look at the positives that can come from trying to put a little bit of the world back together. Overall , it’s not depressing but instead uplifting.
The third book in the trilogy focuses on the start of rebuilding a working community after the previous books told the story of the birth and growth of the idea to put in an effort to change and the also journey across the country to where they wanted to build their journey across the fractured country. In this last book the story sets the characters up to finally see if what they’ve set out to do can indeed be done and if progress will indeed be worth it.
The biggest “test” of the new community and way of life is teased throughout the book as two different plots keep growing closer and closer to colliding. I think this big hurdle that must be jumped in the end perhaps wasn’t quite given enough pages to fully flesh it out but it’s not a fault large enough to take away from its impact and importance. Pushing it towards the end of the book as the sorta “finale” does give the story the time to work towards it though.
In the end I enjoyed this more positive and hopeful look at a dystopian future, where the point is not just to survive but instead to grow and progress.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews