A great convention is taking place to try and form a Federation of the cultures of the western lands: Pelbar, Sentani, Shumai, Atherer, and all the rest--so many of them drawn together by Jestak and Stel in earlier books. One group stubbornly persists in fighting, the Tantal who are the buffer now between the Innanigani of the east coast and the developing Federation. The Innanigani are a true threat, the most "advanced" culture (with the most remnant toys from the Great Fire to help them) they are expanding westward. Ahroe, Stel's wife is the Director of this convention. She and Stel have lost their way maritally as their separate preoccupations and interests have gradually drawn them apart. Stel has built a steamboat from plans and ideas offered by the (very few survivin) Dome people, now part of Pelbar culture, and heads north to the Bitter Sea (Great Lakes). But in a clash with the Tantal his daughter Raydi, who stowed away, is captured. Well, of course, being Stel, he will get her back. And the Tantal will be very very sorry they took her, of course! Lots of emotional stuff in this one, about family and the way people and marriages evolve. Beautifully done. **** ( )

At least seven years after the fourth book, Stel and Ahroe now have a daughter in addition to their twenty-year old son. Their responsibilities have increased significantly: Ahroe leads the effort to coalese the Heart River Federation, while Stel has become an engineer implementing new technologies arising from the Dome. Into the midst of all these personal issues, the Tantal strike again. The cover blurb makes it sound like Stel loses his marbles on a vengeance mission, but that's not quite how things play out. The Peshtak are finally coming around, but the Tantal remain nasty work.

Williams tackles a more character-driven story about love, loyalty and compassion. The Stel-Ahroe relationship is so badly handled here that it reminded me of "Attack of the Clones", but I liked the attempt. Meanwhile Aintre is the first instance of a hopelessly weak female character I've seen in this series, when she's still in awe of a man she admires even after he beats her face against a wall. Logically that fellow ought to have been exiled from Pelbar's matriarchal society on the spot, but I guess nepotism came to his rescue. Elements like this and the advancing technology detract some from the series' earlier flavour, but it retains enough of the original good, and this entry is especially high on action. ( )

This is the 5th book in the Pelbar cycle. This time, Stel is the rescuer, not the one needing to be saved. These books are consistently good through the series, and even in this 5th book they don't get boring. ( )

"An Ambush of Shadows" is book five (of seven) in "The Pelbar Cycle."

Stel Westrun, having aided in the release of the "Dome" people (see "The Dome in the Forest," which is book three), is attempting to recreate the steamboat, based on knowledge they have provided from before the "Time of Fire." As is all too common in the interface between science and politics, however, there are factions in the city of Pelbarigan who see not a process of trial and error, by which he is improving each subsequent model, but a series of embarassing failures; failures which reflect poorly on the city. His wife, Ahroe, is also embarassed, and her role as Pelbarigan's chief delegate to the Heart River Federation, which is attempting to reunite the scattered tribes of Urstadge (known a thousand years ago as "America"), only adds to the tension threatening to tear their marriage apart.

Because of this tension in the family, their daughter Raydi decides to stow away on the steamboat for its first long distance trial run -- a decision that will lead to her being kidnapped and brainwashed by the Tantal, and will lead to Stel almost single-handedly destroying their corrupt culture. Once again Stel shows how a man utterly devoted to peace can be a rock upon which the intentions of more violent groups can be shattered; not to mention the wisdom of the advice "Never piss off an engineer."

From the back cover:
"For years after their disastrous defeat by the Pelbar at Northwall, the slave-holding Tantal had kept their distance.

But once the Pelbar moved northward to colonize the shores of the Bitter Sea, Tantal forces were always on the attack.

Then one day they kidnapped the young daughter of Stel Westrun, Pelbar master craftsman, re-inventor of the steamboat--and, suddenly, the single-minded foe of all things Tantal..." ( )

F/SF