FAR REMOVED

SF meets horror in this novel about an unjust alien civilization.

On the moon of Knyadrea, sentient life sprouts from the sea. The knyad start out as coral-like beings known as tidelings, eventually developing into an intelligent life form. It is not known how this process happened, although most believe they were simply created in the image of their god, Adecai. Their complex society is a stratified one, divided into clans. The Erudean Pentarchy comprises the five main clans, which select one leader to govern. On this world, two characters find their lives turned upside down. Oklas Sayve is a prominent, charismatic minister and inventor with a brilliant future. But his connection with an insurgency that aims to shed light on the dystopic nature of their society leads him into trouble with the authorities and to a terrifying reversal of fortune when he is caught. Prismer is an inspired sculptor whose nonconformity years before turned her into a maskad, a social outcast who is obliged to always wear a mask in public to hide her looks. The maskads’ nature is one of the Pentarchy’s best-kept secrets—and a way to maintain conformity and order. Although Prismer’s and Oklas’ paths have crossed before, it is not until Oklas is horrifically punished for his crimes that the two become closer. “Every society has its secrets,” Oklas’ mentor had told him. “Uncover as many as you can, and no one can catch you off-guard.” This engrossing, well-paced SF tale deftly merges elements of body mutilation and dystopia to examine topics such as agency and autonomy, prejudice and tyranny, and power and dissension. Lansdell does an excellent job of slowly introducing readers to a new world and society that are incredibly alien and yet utterly familiar, particularly when the story explores problems caused by deeply entrenched social stratification. In this first installment of a promising series, the prose is cohesive and inviting, with a pair of likable protagonists who try to find their way through an unfair world without losing track of kindness and connection.

An engaging, discomfiting, and thoughtful dystopian tale.