Geezer57, thanks for the tip. I've been in the mood for some post-apocalypse lit, and it looked like this might be the series to give me pleasure. Middle book in a trilogy doesn't necessarily excuse some of the bad writing I've been stumbling over ...

I'll take your advice though, and start over with Sterling. Every author deserves at least two chances.

It is funny that we've been reading the same authors. Bujold's first Chalion novel rocked the house. The second left me lukewarm. Same for the third. And none of them rocks as hard as her Vorkosigan books ...