Outriders

September 26, 2005
In the first installment of a new series, Mackel, a screenwriter for Disney and Fox, turns her pen from horror (The Departed
) to faith fiction fantasy with noticeably better results. After the Endless Wars in which genetic engineering runs amok, humankind is thrown back into a primitive age. But deep in the ice lies an ark full of people, the "birthrighters," safe from mogs, sorcerers, stronghold princes and "a world trapped in gloom." Some birthrighters, via whale transport, come out from under the ice and establish camps with the goal of advancing the gospel of Christ and to gather whatever is left from the original creation to preserve it against corruption. They must battle the evil inhabitants of Traxx, who serve the powers of darkness. Mackel offers many rich details of her imaginary world, including some interesting botanical information. A nice touch of romance is woven throughout, and she leaves readers in suspense about the motives of certain characters. However, in setting up her series, Mackel offers an abundance of confusing terms without enough supporting explanation, and readers must deal with too much information from many points of view too quickly. Overall, this is a promising series debut, though fantasy has been a tough sell in the faith fiction market.