A paddle wheeler cruises up the Mississippi, delivering mail and hosting an occasional concert.A scene straight out of the nineteenth century? Not quite.This Mississippi is a toxic brown river.And the paddle wheeler is run by the River Rats, a troop of orphans who survived the Flash--a nuclear holocaust.What were once huge cities are now plague-ridden ruins, haunted by gangs of savage children.And the concerts the Rats play are post-apocalyptic rock and roll, a music as rough and ragged as the musicians who perform it.When the Rats rescue a stranger from the river, suddenly all the troubles of the old world threaten to end their travels forever.'This adventure is too good to miss.'--Booklist
