US DEADLY FEW

Will-they, won’t-they couple Khalani and Takeshi return in this second series entry, having broken out of Braderhelm Prison in order to save humanity’s future.

To do so, they and the friends who escaped with them will have to travel across the Death-Zone, a post-apocalyptic desert in the Southwest of the “old United States,” to the underground city of Hermes, encountering new enemies along the way. The plot meanders along with the wanderers’ journey, save for some steamy carnal scenes between the leads, until they and their crew are abducted by the Desert Spring, a fringe religious society whose members live in a walled compound. Cornered, the gang agrees to the demand of the Desert Springs’ leaders, who want information from Hermes that will help them beat their enemies, the Sinners. Following the first, drawn-out part of the story, the rest of the novel feels overly stuffed with information and plot points, introducing new civilizations, communities, rebels, gadgets, and evils at such a rapid clip that readers scarcely have time to catch their breath before a harsh, abrupt ending that sets up the trilogy closer. Fans here for the sexually charged romance will be satisfied by electric erotic scenes, and the emotional growth of the two leads will keep some readers engaged with a book that otherwise feels clunky. The first entry described Khalani and Takeshi as “Hispanic” and “East Asian,” respectively.

An ode to continuing to fight in dark times that struggles with uneven pacing.