In 2054, half the world is ravaged by climate change while the other half reaps the benefits of technological advancements, all while still trudging through rampant fascism and racism. Basically, March of the War Priests takes place 28 years into the future and also right where we are today.
The book follows five teen runaways skating across an alternately parched and flooded hellscape on their way to join a nihilistic group that has lost all hope of protest, change or improvement and instead plan to simply march inland with the encroaching water as the tides rise.
The first chapter feels very YA – it’s all about who’s got a crush on whom, who’s worried about their reputation, and posting videos of their skating tricks along the way. And then the group starts harassing a sleeping unhoused man because he’s lying where they want to skate, and suddenly the book becomes, ooh, this has some Clockwork Orange notes.
Severance fans will recognize the defensive self-disclosure helmets the police wear (“I’m in love with my coworker”) to keep from being assaulted on the job.
And what starts as a buddy road trip gets very dark by the end.
For me, this book is greater than the sum of its parts. Many individual scenes feel padded – which could absolutely be a ‘me’ problem since I prefer a faster-paced story. Literary readers will likely have no problem with the pace, but I found myself getting antsy during scenes that were primarily about inter-character relations.
But there are many powerful payoffs throughout the book that make sticking with it well worth the time. There were scenes that will stick with me for a long time, and when I finally closed the book, it came with a profound “wow, we just went on a capital-j Journey” feeling that made the slower scenes make sense.
And the third-act crisis? One for the history books.
Spoiler! Discussion of third-act plot details
The teens’ only goal is to get to this group whose purpose is simply to walk with the tide that will wash away the country as it advances. But they’ve been posting skating videos the whole time (influencers, pssht) and just when they get to California, they’re presented with another path. Either continue on their nihilistic journey… or choose capitalism and fame in the form of a skating contract.
I won’t go any further into what happens, but that philosophical choice was so harsh and funny and realistic, it made the entire book for me. Do you want to go to the beach and wait for the world to end, or do you wanna be Instagram-famous? Nothing could sum up being a teenager – in any era – better than that.
March of the War Priests (named after a Mendelssohn composition, by the way) will likely resonate with literary fiction readers, fans of the dystopian road trip trope (a la Parable of the Sower), and anyone who enjoys a slow build to an ending that has no intention of sparing your feelings.
I featured this book in my round-up of the most anticipated dystopian books coming in late 2026 & 2027, and it did not disappoint! Check out the rest of the list for your next favorite read.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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