The Seventh Throne by Stephen Zimmer (The Rising Dawn Saga: Book 3)

9/10

This, the third episode in the Rising Dawn Saga sees the stakes get raised higher. The quotes preceding the novel from historical figures are a chilling introduction to what one can expect from this outing.

The story picks up with Friedrich continuing his journey into the Abyss with powerful Avatar Enki. Their quest takes them to the edge of Hell itself.

Meanwhile martial law is declared across the UCAS and there is a terrifying outbreak of a deadly virus that will affect the entire world with millions of lives threatened. War with the East ensues and a new technology known as Living ID is forced on the population.

Ex marine Gregory Andreas leads the resistance and the fight back but his band of loyal followers are vastly outnumbered and outgunned by the forces of the TTDF and the army of the central government. Can they make a difference?

Innocent civilians are being arbitrarily rounded up and herded like cattle by government forces and held in large detainment facilities. It is up to teenager Seth and friends to investigate and leak the truth to the unsuspecting masses.

The shape shifting An-Ki are caught up in the terrible events and they must decide which direction they must take. The clan’s survival depends on it.

Zimmer’s far-reaching and epic saga grips the imagination with the action shifting across many dimensions. Things are not only heating up in the UCAS towns and cities of Troy, Madison, Yorvik and Godwinton but also The Abyss, the Middle Lands and the Higher Realms. Everything is turned up to eleven for this entry!

Zimmer’s depiction of an Orwellian police state is unsettling and at times shocking with its surveillance of its civilians, the introduction of detainment camps and even booths where civilians can inform on their fellow citizens.

It is clear that the corporation Babylon Technologies is running things by proxy and is headed by some very nasty individuals indeed, particularly Dagian Underwood.

There is a pervading feeling that something much bigger and seismic in nature is about to be unleashed.
The pandemic is reminiscent of recent scares in our own world such as SARS, swine flu and Ebola and Zimmer plays on our fears of an invisible and fatal enemy. War, famine and pestilence all get a look in with this much darker entry in the series.

Fear is expertly used by the government and its agencies to control and manipulate its people. Torture, disease and widespread suffering are not easy subjects to read about but thankfully there are a few rays of sunshine in the form of Sherriff Howard, his friend Ian and the moral compasses of the book: Seth and Benedict Darwin.

What I like about Seth is that you experience this world through his eyes and therefore get a civilians account of proceedings. Zimmer can write about fantastical realms, creatures and beings but he excels at capturing ordinary people’s feelings, mannerisms, inner turmoil and desires. For a novel this ambitious in scope it is crucial to have characters we can relate to and Seth is a perfect example.

Technology and hardware is also juxtaposed neatly against otherworldly supernatural power. It’s chaotic, brutal, violent and at times shocking yet ‘The Seventh Throne’ is first and foremost pure old fashioned entertainment with the struggle between Good and Evil its focus.

With breath-taking imagery from the imagination of its author excellently captured by the artwork of Matthew Perry this is the best entry in the series yet and opens the door to a thrilling next instalment that promises to change things forever.

Published 2011 by Seventh Star Press
ISBN: 9780983740247

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