Author Spotlight - What's the world like after "the" war? By Gail Delaney

At the end of The Phoenix Rebellion, mankind -- with a new group of allies (I don't want to give away too much for those who haven't read it) -- fights back against their enemies and oppressors. The war is short, fighting lasts only three days, but the effects are devastating.

Phoenix Rising brings us back to a post-war/near-apocalyptic Earth. Entire cities were leveled in the attacks before the actual war ever began, a show of power by our enemies intended to keep us submissive. More than 3/4 of the planets population is dead. Our eco-system is suddenly floundering after being carefully controlled by technology for decades, and now not only is the technology gone, but we suffered a planetary war. Even or continents look different because entire portions have been destroyed. Coastlines are reformed, oceans and waterways rerouted. Technology, something we had begun to rely so heavily on, is spattered and undependable. Providing shelter, food, and medical care to the citizens of his world are the primary concerns of the planet's newly appointed president.

Phoenix had once been the rebellion. They had been the men and women hiding in secret to take down the enemy. Now, they control the planet. They are the saviors of a fumbling world. A new rebellion has begun, the Xenos. These are humans determined to rid our planet of all alien influence, despite the fact the DNA of our allies runs deep within our own genetic make up (That's explained in the first series, sorry...) They are not rebels, they are terrorists, killing their own for a pointless, blind cause.

But, despite all this destitution and destruction, there is hope. We have beaten back those who wanted to make us little more than slaves. We have reclaimed our world. We have made allies with races willing and able to aid us, not oppress us. We now know we aren't alone in the universe. We are regaining our sense of self, reviving old traditions and beliefs, finding our paths back to our forgotten truths. Faith and hope walk hand in hand, and we are revived.

No one believes for a moment it will be easy, each day is a struggle, and full recover could be decades away, but as the tagline says...

Out of Ashes Humanity Will Rise Again.