Published by Daw, 1991, 336 pages
ISBN 0-88677-460-8
$3.95

As Thomas Blade, the Lord Protector, seeks to train a new generation of mappers and surveyors, the school is attacked by wild mutants called nesters. Of course, Blade and his group are also mutants, but they are trying to rebuild the collapsed civilization, not destroy it. And the long-term battle hinges on water--or the lack of it.

Meanwhile, the Dean, escapee from the Vaults in book #1, returns to create mayhem and his own idea of civilization. To that end, he's stirred up the nesters and made himself chief. And if that isn't enough, a trio of generational spaceships, sent out long ago, return to an Earth devastated by nuclear and biological disasters. Which side will they take, assuming both sides reach them at the same time....

Ingrid's sequel continues the strong characters of the first. If the plot is a bit more do-or-die, it's because the stakes are higher--like a good sequel should push. If the characters falter a bit more, it's because Ingrid seeks to explore their essence more. If this book reads a bit faster than the first, it's because Ingrid has once again hooked you. And hooked me he has.

Marked Man #1