Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
The Burning Road
Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Ann Benson
Class/Genre: Science Fiction Medical Historical Romantic Suspense
Delacorte, Apr 1999, $23.95, 467 pp.
By 1358, the French remain stunned by the recent loss at Poiters to the English and the even more devastating results of the Black Plague. Dr. Alejandro Canches, a Jewish physician accompanied by his foster child Kate, travels in France, trying to help the sick. When Kate meets revolutionary Guillaume Karl, they fall in love. Meanwhile, Alejandro searches even ancient manuscripts seeking a cure for the plague.
By 2007, the world tries to recover from the pandemic destruction of DR SAM, a deadly infectious disease. However, a new epidemic appears to be starting. Janie Crowe seeks a cure even contemptuously going back to Medieval manuscripts, including one written by a Dr. Canches.
THE BURNING ROAD, the sequel to THE PLAGUE TALES, combines a historical plot with a futuristic story line. The Medieval tale is an interesting scientific romance that readers will relish even if there appears to be several stretched moments. The post-millennium story is also well designed in its own right. However, the two tales blend into one concrete, feasible story line. Ann Benson is clearly a major talent, but her herculean effort falls a bit short as the sum of the parts is greater than the whole.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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