Synopsis
What will become of us?
In the deep future beyond the burn line of the Anthropocene and the extinction of humanity, the city states of an intelligent species of bear have fallen to a mind-wrecking plague. The bears’ former slaves, a peaceable, industrious and endlessly curious people, believe that they have inherited the bounty and beauty of their beloved Mother Earth. But are they alone?
After the death of his master, a famous scholar, Pilgrim Saltmire vows to complete their research into sightings of so-called visitors and their sky craft. To discover if they are a mass delusion created by the stresses of an Industrial Revolution, or if they are real — a remnant population of bears which survived the plague, or another, unknown intelligent species.
Risking his reputation and his life, Pilgrim’s search for the truth takes him from his comfortable home in the shadow of a great library to his tribe’s former home on the chilly coast of the far south, and the gathering of a dangerous cult in the high desert. Whether or not the visitors are real, one thing is certain. Pilgrim’s works and everything he thought he knew about his people’s history will be utterly changed.
Review
Think Redwall meets War of the Worlds and you’ll have some idea of what to expect from Beyond The Burn Line. It depicts a post-apocalyptic world bent on survival. Those engineered to survive have founded their own unique culture and respect their history, but do they truly know what that history is?
The book is split into two parts, with themes and personalities running through them both. What really works well is the immersive introduction into this strange new world, which you soon realise is more familiar than it first appears. Society is facing the dilemma of how to share resources, and deal with outsiders as well as dissenters from within.
Pilgrim Saltmire is a secretary who’s trying to honour his late professor’s work by finishing it. Seemingly ready to go to any length to do so, he soon ends up in an adventure all of his own. Pilgrim’s journey takes him back to his family before he’s banished to another tribe’s hearth. While sorting their library, he discovers a map that will change his life forever.
I enjoyed Pilgrim’s journey. He’s a complex character, and he makes a great introductory lens to see this twisty, layered world.
Long before the true nature of the people inhabiting the planet is revealed, McAuley builds a strong picture of what drives them and their approach to life. Working as a community is paramount and each member must contribute their share of work. When disciplined there is no need for binding or imprisoning as they always keep their word. They catalogue the treasures discovered from when the Bears enslaved them. (Yes, those are real bears!) They keep everything they find safe in their library for all people. But who really are they and how do they fit into the bigger picture? That’s where the mystery of the story lies, and the constant intrigue is what keeps you turning the pages. It’s handled with precision and makes for a compelling read.
The struggle between the natives and outsiders is a familiar theme which is approached with honesty. Both sides are presented in such a way that you can identify with all the characters. When the second part of the book starts from the perspective of Ysbel Moonsdaughter, an outsider, it feels a little awkward, but the strength of her character soon has you liking her, even if you don’t want to! Her mission to keep peace with the natives soon triggers a chain of events that further changes the course of history.
If you enjoy a book that makes you think from front to back then Beyond the Burn Line is for you. You won’t see the end coming! Immersing yourself in this reality is an escape that will leave its mark. It’ll burn a line through your imagination, and beyond.
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