ENEMY OF THE GODS

An SF adventure novel set in a land of dreams.

Hofsetz follows up his SF novel Challenges of the Gods (2019) with this second installment, which sees protagonist Zeon in his second year in prison on Jora. Zeon hails from that planet, which is very similar to Earth, although his sentence is carried out in a place that brings to mind a desert island more than someplace like Alcatraz. One day, he receives a visit from Dooria, the vice governor of the Atlantic Alliance. She wants to send Zeon to Pangea, a place “where our consciousness goes when we’re asleep, while our bodies stay behind,” as Zeon describes it. As it turns out, Zeon is an angel who’s meant to protect Pangea, where a war between gods is raging. Zeon is initially hesitant to help, but he receives a personal message from Jane, whom he knows well, which convinces him that the mission is worthwhile. The pages that follow offer all sorts of SF wildness involving parallel universes, wacky outfits, a “bug general,” and loads of action involving hyperspheres—“holographic environments inside Pangea, created by the messengers of the gods.” From the outset, the narrative is as complex as it is ambitious. Readers learn much about Pangea and the rules that govern a place so fantastical and dangerous. Although a plethora of characters march through the story, the focus remains on quirky Zeon, who’s hardly a stereotypical action hero: He doesn’t care for killing, he likes his alcohol sweet, and his idea of great sexual activity involves tickling. In a world that’s dense with rules and conflict, he doesn’t take himself too seriously. He is, in other words, a welcome change from the average laser-blasting SF–action protagonist. Following his journey isn’t always easy, but it never fails to entertain.

An often dense story with a refreshingly unique hero.