Jackie Morse Kessler

The latest in the Riders of the Apocalypse series centers around a bullied teenager who is tricked into becoming Pestilence, a Rider of the Apocalypse, and finds himself imbued with the power to infect people with diseases. Original. 50,000 first printing.

Loss

Monicap

Eh, okay, no deep thoughts on this one, sorries.
The thing is, the main point is bullying, and I have never been bullied or a bully, and, having gone to middle and high school as part of that school\s first ever class, there wasn’t really a large population of people, so I didn’t observe much bullying, either.
There’s also a point with Alzheimer’s disease which I have even less experience with than bullying. 
Also, the way this book happened just seemed weird to me. okay, yes, the White Rider is CRAZY. Kinda guessed that from Lisa’s and Missy’s interactions with him. But what was the point of him tricking five-year-old Billy to be the future Pestilence? More to the point, why? it seems that the former White Rider/Conqueror, in all his craziness randomly picked a five-year-old boy in a playground to trick into becoming future Pestilence. Like, here was no reason there. it confused me.
Oh, and the ending is TOTALLY guessable.
So, now, I’ll just give you my favorite quote from this book and move on: 

	 He thought he heard Death’s bemused voice:  The nature of life is to be always on the brink of death. 
	No, that was just philosophical bullshit. The nature of life was to  live , period. He was only fifteen, but even he knew that.  

Yep. That there is the best quote in the entire book, if you’re asking me.
Oh, I also feel the need to warn people who hate even the mention of the blood-sucking fiends that have taken over YA literature: the V-word is mentioned in chapter 6, but it’s not important.
Moving on now.
Can’t wait for Breath.

Christian Huss

"Though art the White Rider, William Ballard. Thou art Pestilence, Bringer of Disease. Go thee out unto the world."
"Loss" is the third book in the Riders of the Apocalypse series. I was definitely glad that the plot was different from the first two books, but it took quite a while for the action to begin. During the first 90 pages I considered ending the series because I felt that it wasn't that great, but I am so glad I stuck through it! The book definitely delved deeply into the mystery of the Riders and the fact that they each carry the memories of their predecessors. I felt that this book deviated from the previous two by not sticking to the normal school setting and finally exploring the history of one of the Riders. I also enjoy the fact that Jackie Morse Kessler has a poetic quality to her words, which is always enjoyable.
Here is a short synopsis:
The first 90 pages or so establish the fact that Billy Ballard is a teen in high school that is constantly picked on. His home life is also not that great: his father abandoned their family, his mother is always working, and he has to take care of his grandfather who has Alzheimer's. The only light in Billy's life is his friend, Marianne, but he desperately wants her to be his girlfriend but doesn't have the guts to ask her. 
Apparently at the age of five, Billy was tricked by the White Rider into making a deal, Billy would replace Pestilence when the time came in exchange for a ride on his white horse. Billy agreed and ten years later Death comes to Billy to have him fulfill the agreement (this was definitely different from the previous novels in which Death chose the next Riders, but in this case Pestilence chose his own successor). Of course, Billy denies this agreement ever occurred, but he still must take up the mantle of Pestilence and is given the bow (the crown, however, is not bestowed upon him). It is soon revealed that Billy is not truly replacing the current White Rider, because the White Rider still possesses the crown and Death only needed Billy to temporarily fill the position until the White Lord returned. Billy desperately wants to escape his situation so Death takes him to Pestilence and explains that he is lost in his past, his memories. Billy must enter the White Rider's mind, find him, and bring him back. The rest of the book shows the history of the White Rider and the tragedies that have befallen the incarnations. Once Pestilence is brought back from his memories, he attempts to end the world, but you'll have to read the book to see what happens next!

Loss

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