Killer of Enemies

By Joseph Bruchac
Out of Stock

A post-Apocalyptic YA novel with a steampunk twist, based on an Apache legend.

Audiobook Edition

Description

Years ago, seventeen-year-old Apache hunter Lozen and her family lived in a world of haves and have-nots. There were the Ones-people so augmented with technology and genetic enhancements that they were barely human-and there was everyone else who served them.

Then the Cloud came, and everything changed. Tech stopped working. The world plunged back into a new steam age. The Ones’ pets-genetically engineered monsters-turned on them and are now loose on the world.

Fate has given Lozen a unique set of survival skills and magical abilities that she uses to take down monsters for the Ones who have kidnapped her family. But with every monster she takes down, Lozen’s powers grow, and she connects those powers to an ancient legend of her people. It soon becomes clear to Lozen that she is not just a hired gun.

As the legendary Killer of Enemies was in the ancient days of the Apache people, Lozen is meant to be a more than a hunter. Lozen is meant to be a hero.

About the Creators

Joseph Bruchac

Joseph Bruchac, a citizen of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation, is the author of more than 100 books for children and teens, including multiple picture books published by Lee & Low Books, and the young adult Killer of Enemies trilogy, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. A Rockefeller Fellow and an NEA Poetry Writing Fellow, Bruchac has received numerous recognitions and awards over his long-standing career. In addition to writing, Bruchac is an editor at Greenfield Review Press, a literary publishing house he co-founded with his wife. He lives in Greenfield Center, New York. To find out more about him, visit josephbruchac.com.

Awards

  • American Indian Youth Literature Award

    American Indian Library Association

  • Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

    Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

  • Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature Finalist

    Mythopoeic Society

  • Great Lakes Great Books Award Honor

    Michigan Reading Association

Reviews

  • "This unusual survival story brings a tight, emotionally spare narrative into the often overwrought dystopian genre. Lozen is a captivating heroine who uses her heritage of survival to find hope and strength, and the novel as a whole draws strongly on Apache language and folklore without being heavy-handed. Readers who prefer their warrior heroines with more battle-hardened sass and less self-reflection will find a lot to love here, as will fans of post-apocalyptic survival stories in less well-worn settings."

    - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
  • "This near future dystopia starring an Apache female superhero has the soul of a graphic novel, if not the art... A good bet for fans of superhero fiction and graphic novels and readers in search of superpowered female warriors."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • "Author of more than 120 books for adults and children, Bruchac has incorporated his Abenaki heritage into much of his writing. Killer of Enemies is no different. What is unique here is the postapocalyptic twist. Following the coming of the Cloud, which destroyed all technology and plunged the world back into the preindustrial age, 17-year-old Lozen, of Abenaki and Apache ancestry, is one of the few people left with the ancient skills and courage necessary to survive outside the walls of their city, a former prison. . . . This is a serviceable addition to the ever-growing dystopian genre."

    - School Library Journal
  • "Episodic high-octane chapters alternate between Lozen's battles in the wilderness and the sinister intrigue in Haven. Though the imaginative dystopian mythology is thick and occasionally heavy, the brisk pace and nonstop action keep things moving. This original addition to the dystopian genre ends with the open-ended promise of more to come."

    - Booklist
  • "Bruchac devises ever-more-dangerous battles for his protagonist and intersperses them with steadily worsening conditions on the home front, upping the stakes in the increasingly suspenseful story. What really makes the narrative vibrate is Lozen's sardonic voice, capturing both gallows humor and a very human vulnerability. Admirers of kick-ass heroines such as Katniss Everdeen will definitely want to see more of Lozen, and, since Bruchac ends with a pause rather than a period, a sequel is a tantalizing possibility."

    - The Horn Book

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781620142769
  • Publication Date Oct 01, 2013
  • Trim Size 8.25 × 5.5 in
  • Weight 0.9375 lbs
  • Page Count 368
  • Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781620141434
  • Publication Date Oct 01, 2013
  • Trim Size 8.25 × 5.5 × 1 in
  • Weight 1.25 lbs
  • Page Count 400
  • Word Count 86048
  • Interests

  • Audience Young Adult
  • BISAC Category 1 YAF / Science Fiction / Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic
  • BISAC Category 2 YAF / People & Places / United States / Native American
  • BISAC Category 3 YAF / Action & Adventure / Survival Stories
  • Themes Breaking Gender Barriers, Conflict resolution, Coping with Death, Courage, Dreams & Aspirations, Dystopia, Environment / Nature, Families, Fantasy, Fiction, Friendship, Heroism, Identity / Self Esteem / Confidence, Indigenous / First Nations / Native American, Integrity / Honesty, Leadership, Middle Grade, Overcoming Obstacles, People In Motion, Persistence / Grit, Poverty, Science Fiction / Fantasy, Self Control / Self Regulation, Teen Interest, YA interest
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 11 - 17
  • Grade Range Grades 6 - 12
  • Guided Reading Z+
  • ATOS Book Level 14
  • DRA 80
  • Interest Level Grades 6 - 12
  • Lexile Level 860
  • Reading Level Grades 6 - 12
  • SRC 5.6
  • Bebop Reading Advanced
  • This Book is Included in These Collections:

    • 107
      High-Low Books for Teens: Middle and High School
      Collection of 107 books: $1,639.70