Prison escapees in the mid-25th century face off against archangels and an ancient group destroying human colonies in Gallagher’s cross-genre sequel.

While helping others bust out of an inescapable prison, Sam McCall got himself blown up. However, his consciousness lives on in the Phantom, the prototype ship he stole, and shares the neural matrix with the ship’s artificial intelligence, Samantha. Other escapees board the Phantom, but things quickly go awry when one crew member hijacks control of the ship. Sam and the others soon witness a universe in chaos due to the warring federations of Earth and Mars and the Empire of Cain’s systematically attacking human colonies. The latter uses powerful ancient technology that originated from the Command World—the very first world, which is home to the Garden of Eden and even heaven itself; this isn’t terribly shocking to the escapees, who had run-ins with flaming sword–brandishing archangel Samael. What is surprising, however, are the unique components that form the Phantom and that make it a target of the Empire. Sam, Samantha, and the other crew members must retake control of the ship, evade Samael’s assassination attempts, and stay ahead of a group of warriors that’s been around for millennia. As in Gallagher’s preceding novel, Prototype (2017), a large cast and copious subplots crowd this tightly paced narrative. For example, a pathogen from the first installment remains a menace here, and combating it may necessitate tracking down an archangel that’s been missing for 200,000 years. This sequel is heavy on backstory, as well, spotlighting such characters as a double-crossing crew member and more famous figures, such as Lilith, Adam’s first wife. The author combines an intriguing take on the story of Creation with exciting plot turns, such as the sudden appearance of a familiar supernatural creature. Disappointingly, grammatical and typographical errors hamper this otherwise keen story; inconsistent spellings of proper names are particularly jarring.

A smart, witty tale with sharp religious and SF notes that might have benefited from a stronger edit.

In this sci-fi debut, a prison escape artist faces his greatest challenge yet aboard a computer-run space station facility revolving near a black hole.

Sam McCall, by the federation year 2424, has escaped more prisons than anyone else alive. After he steals and subsequently refuses to reveal the whereabouts of a new prototype, Sam’s next destination is Facility Zero, from which no inmate has ever made it out. A black hole acts as the place’s power source and will likely annihilate any fleeing pod outside of the prison’s gravity shield. Furthermore, the black hole’s the reason for time dilation: a month in the facility is years back on Earth. It turns out Sam’s incarceration may have another purpose; Facility Zero architect Alistair Brookes is trapped there and wants to get home to his wife and daughter. Sam, Brookes, and others, including combat-trained Jessica Braose, search for a means of escape while fighting off waves of freakers, crazed inmates who mutilate themselves (and others) during sporadic power fluctuations. Someone inside Facility Zero may be controlling the freakers, but another threat is on the way. Individuals behind Phantom, the never-recovered prototype Sam pilfered, plan to retrieve it—however they can—from the prisoner. Gallagher’s series opener is jam-packed with plot details at a nearly overwhelming volume. Numerous revelations come later, à la twists: the freakers’ origin; the explanation of Phantom; and, in the best turn, where exactly Sam “hid” the prototype. Though it’s quite a lot of information, the smart and witty narrative makes it easy to digest. Technology, for one, is chic, especially the nanites and dermal protection that safeguard formidable Jessica. Cynicism, meanwhile, is a relief from recurring bouts of freaker violence (which also provides much of the action); Sam notes a character, having survived a vicious assault, “amazed us again by not dying.” The dizzying story eventually spins off into the fantasy realm, and Gallagher wisely doesn’t even attempt to wrap it up, opting instead for a massive—and rousing—cliffhanger.

A crafty futuristic yarn brimming with inventive ideas to fill the forthcoming series installments.