The Sword of Forbearance

The Pelbar Cycle #7

by Paul O. Williams

To the rulers of Innanigan, spring brought not thoughts of love but of western victories and rich lands seized from the peaceful Heart River Federation.

And so they went to war.

Yet this one was different, for Innanigan was the last renegade state in North America. If a just peace could be negotiated, the continent would united again for the first time in a thousand years.

But if the conflict continued, civilization might be lost forever!

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

245 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

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

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough book for so much story.

[Aalok Wyckid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get to the end of series like this, wishing there was more. The whole thing is complete though. Nothing more is needed, but the story is long and well told, so it's natural to be sad it's over. I've read this series, I think, four times in my life, and I doubt this will be the last. This is well worth your time.

[Tuxedo Mask · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finale. Von mir aus könnten gerne noch 10 weitere Bände veröffentlicht werden.

[James]

After eleven hundred years of struggle, the warring tribes that survived the apocalyptic destruction of the United States have finally united, forming the peaceful Heart River Federation. But three eastern cities remain outside the federation. Led by Innanigani forces, these last rogue tribes seek western victories and rich lands from the Heart River Federation. In their desire for land, the tribes unleash yet another war. Yet this war is different, for Innanigan is the last renegade state in North America. If a just peace can be negotiated, the continent might be united again for the first time in a millennium. But if the conflict continues, civilization might be lost forever. The Sword of Forbearance is the seventh and final 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 ending to the Pelbar Cycle as the Heart River Federation must face war with the Eastern cities. This book is not quite as engaging as earlier volumes because so much time is spent describing military action. In addition, there are many new Eastern characters that are mostly hastily drawn. Familiar faces reappear including Stel, Ahroe and Tristal, and book-spanning character arcs are brought to satisfying conclusions. However, given that this book focuses on war and conflict, important characters also meet tragic ends. Overall, The Pelbar Cycle in an under-appreciated work of post-apocalyptic science fiction. I expect this is because it does not meet the expectations of a post Mad Max world. William's Urstadge is full of fascinating people and cultures, but the overall tone of the series is quite pastoral both in the sense of focuses on the nature and the wilderness and the spiritual nature of people. There is a clear religious (largely Christian) angle, but fortunately Williams does not proselytize. Well worth reading if you like books like Pangborn's Davy or Hoban's Riddley Walker.

[Raisinlove · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pelbar Cycle remains one of my all time favorite series and I also wished there were more. It was a delight when as a teenager I kept finding more of them after reading the first book.

The ending disapointed me however. 1000 years into the future, we get to see new societies, new languages, new religions, new ways of life, as well discovering relics of the past, but the one thing that ruined the ending for me was the rediscovery of christianity. After all these new future cults, I thought humanity would move on from older ways and it was great discovering these new gods and beliefs, but why include the christian bible in an otherwise great escape into a new and different world?

Anyway, it still provides satisfying closure for the series, despite wanting more.

[Michael Bafford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in the cycle is a war story. Plenty of action but not quite the level of character of my favorite in the series, the previous volume: The Song of the Axe. Or possibly I just like Tor more than Stel. There is sadness here, and philosophizing, plenty of bluster and stupidity; heroism and even a tacky love story tacked on. But mostly there's action: war, weapon escalation, and even the ultimate threat. Mr. Williams ties it all up pretty neatly. The Epilogue is a worthy finish to my favorite "after the apocalypse" story.
Recommended.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last and the hardest book in the Pelbar Cycle. Through this whole series I became so attached to the characters that I was feeling all their pain and suffering as the war with the Innanigan spread across this magnificent re-awakening world. The rulers of Innanigan seize the fertile lands of the peaceful Heart River Federation. Can a peace be brokered or would the Innanigan see to it that civilization might perish again like it had a thousand years before?

[Kione · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was a throw away.
he rushed the story.
to bad. it could have been a great ending.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I finished the last book in the series and it is going to be hard to pick up something that will match what i just read. excellent series.

[Brian]

Pelbar Cycle