The Song of the Axe

The Pelbar Cycle #6

by Paul O. Williams

Spring—and civilization—were bringing new life to the valley of the Heart River. But the Old Ways of Urstadge's nomads were dying.

So Tor, last of the great Shumai Axemen, took his nephew Tristal on a last run to teach the boy the Way of the Axeman.

But Tristal would have to survive deadly encounters, endure a seductive captivity, and even suffer enslavement before he learned that there was more to the Axeman's skill than just sound arm and a handy opponent.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

248 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Paul Osborne Williams was an American science fiction writer and haiku poet. Williams was professor emeritus of English at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois.

His most notable science fiction works are a series of novels, the Pelbar Cycle, set in North America about a thousand years after a "time of fire", in which the world was nearly totally depopulated. The novels track a gradual reconnection of the human cultures which developed. Much of the action takes place in the communities of the Pelbar, along the Upper Mississippi River — in the general vicinity of Elsah. Several cultures, including the matriarchal Pelbar, join together in the Heart River Federation. Others, especially the tyrannical Tantal and slave-raiding Tusco, fall apart after suffering defeats. The predominant characters are change agents: Jestak, Stel and his wife Ahroe Westrun. All are Pelbar. Williams won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction in 1983.

He is also known as a writer of haiku, senryū, and tanka, and wrote a number of essays on the haiku form in English. In a 1975 essay, he coined the term "tontoism" to refer to the practice of writing haiku with missing articles ("the", "a", or "an"), which he claimed made the haiku sound like the stunted English of the Indian sidekick, Tonto, in the Lone Ranger radio and television series. Williams was the president of the Haiku Society of America (1999) and vice president of the Tanka Society of America (2000).

Williams died on June 2, 2009.

Reviews

[Иван Величков · Rating 4 out of 5]

В шестата книга от цикъла за Пелбар Уилиамс се връща към някой идеи от предходните томове. Този път приключението е насочено на север и изток и героите му достигат до заледената бивша Канада и Тихия океан.
Носителите на идеите са от племето Шумаи. Тор - останалия с една ръка брадвар, водач на банда, когато вече няма ловни банди, и племенникът му Тристан, който чичото се опитва да обучи в старите традиции.
По време на седемгодишния преход, който правят, Уилиамс успява да доразвие идеите си за няколко общества, подобни на които вече сме срещали - тирания, ръководена със страх, теокрация, робовладелческо общество и добре структурирана плутокрация. Отново успяваме да видим и добрите и лошите страни на всяко едно, като вторите са основно затъване в статуквото и деградация на идеите.
Историята, която върви покрай тези социални експерименти е доволно занимателна, а двамата главни герои се развиват доста динамично.
Все си мисля, че ако бяха преведени през младежките ми години, тези книжки щяха да са сред любимите ми. Сега са само източник на мимолетно удоволствие, без да търся особено голяма дълбочина в идеите.

[Alan Colley · Rating 5 out of 5]

From my first reading of Paul Williams' Pelbar Cycle 10 years ago I find myself going back to one or another book in the series because they speak to my life. My current favorite is Song of the Axe. It calls me to listen deeply and trust my intuition. There is much singing going on in the world unheard by the ears.

[Michael Bafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites in the Pelbar saga. It's not the story - which is a near constant pinballing between disaster and oppression - but the character of Tor the last and greatest of the Shumai Axemen. He is constantly searching for meaning, while being more aware and able than anyone he meets. Plenty of adventure and just enough philosophizing to keep me rooted and awake. I had to pace myself while rereading this, so as to make it last longer.

[James]

Twenty years after the great battle at Northwall, the disparate warring tribes are moving toward a peaceful unity for the first time since before the Time of the Fire. With the comfort of peace, the running bands of nomadic Shumai Axemen are settling down and forgoing their traditional ways. So Tor, last of the great Shumai Axemen, takes his nephew Tristal on a last run to teach the boy the Way of the Axeman. But Tristal will have to survive deadly encounters, endure a seductive captivity, and even suffer enslavement before he learns that there is more to the Axeman's skill than just a sound arm and a handy opponent. The Song of the Axe is the sixth book in the classic series of postapocalyptic novels about the people of Pelbar. Paul O. Williams's fascinating and optimistic vision of an America long after a series of cataclysmic events has enthralled readers for decades.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid entry in the series, similar to The Ends of the Circle. Tor and Tristal head north seeking the great ice that they had heard about in a previous book. The encounter a sadistic band of renegade Shumai, a stone age people that believes their religion keeps a glacier from obliterating the world and other colorful societies. Of course, each of these encounters is potentially life threatening, but Tor has the uncanny ability to exploit any opportunity to survive and help others. Not the most inventive book in the series, but Tor is a memorable character.

[Aalok Wyckid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, in my opinion the best of all the books in the series.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tor is the last of the great Shumai Axeman. It is time that Tristal, his nephew, learn the way of the Axeman. But Tristal gets more than he envisions as has to survive a series of deadly encounters, captivity before he learns that there is more to becoming an Axeman than a strong arm and handy opponents.

[Brett]

Fantasy

[Brian]

Pelbar Cycle

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most excellent read, wow about my 4th time through this series and to say it hasn't lost anything in the reading would be to understate the books. Find something new every time!!!

[Michelle Beese · Rating 5 out of 5]

One more book to go in the Pelbar Cycle!

[SciFiOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

1985 grade B-

Series book P6