THE RISE OF PI

by Dan Dwyer ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

An unassuming businessman must go on a mission into deep space with U.S. Marines and a literal guardian angel in this SF/fantasy series installment.

Dwyer continues his Fortress of Time series, taking up his story right where the previous entry, The Return of TAU (2020), left off. Self-described “nerdy economist” Jonathan Prescott, who neglected his missing family due to his workaholic ways, now has a cosmic crisis on top of his domestic regrets; he’s been thrust into dire interplanetary conflict against aliens who dwell in dimensional space “valleys” close to Earth. The worst opponents are evil body snatchers called the Nardomons—the real name of the bulbous-headed, spindly “Greys” of flying-saucer lore. To reproduce, the Nardomons genetically infect and transform other races, and currently, their prey are the Kronogons. The latter are advanced shape-shifters who normally possess reptilian features; they’re turtlelike in their regular lives but grow into fearsome, giant anaconda shapes in the event of battle. TAU, a key Kronogon, recently became an ally and friend to Jonathan, whose wife and daughter were killed in a previous tragedy and then resurrected thanks to Kronogon medical superscience; then they were kidnapped by the wicked Nardomons and used as a bargaining chip in the running battles that take up much of this book’s narrative. Another victim in Nardomon custody is TAU’s grandson PI, a youth who has impressively shape-shifted into a muscular, human-turtle-anaconda form. PI becomes the host for the mind of SA-Janus, a cruel Nardomon warlord whom Jonathan recently killed. The two minds, trapped together, wrestle and bargain with each other for control of PI’s body for much of the story. At other points, the narrative cuts back to Jonathan, TAU, a sea captain, and other far-fetched characters on a mission to rescue imperiled hostages of the Nardomons.

Other players include the Tralons—another race of shape-shifters who ran afoul of Nardomons, who manifest themselves as either gnome-people or solid balls. This prompts some passages that may induce double takes, such as “My balls are most ingenious.” But for SF readers, the most confused reactions may be in response to Angelina, a beautiful demi-angel tasked with defending Jonathan from harm, although her divinity prevents her from actually taking others’ lives. She must also endure the pain of unrequited love and other trials in order to earn full angel status—rather a bit like the character of Clarence in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. (It’s no surprise, then, that many readers will see a bit of the young James Stewart in the put-upon Jonathan.) The deep theological and scientific implications of the existence of bona fide guardian angels intrude on the adventure only rarely; to the aliens, Angelina is just another Earth being with some handy superpowers. The complicated plot catches fire with some well-paced, high-stakes scenes involving warfare, strategy, and calamities playing out among the various ensembles. The finale wraps things up, for now, but it also points the way toward an inevitable future sequel.

An eccentric mix of sentimental fantasy and military SF that’s touched by an angel.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 290

Publisher: Manuscript

Review Posted Online: Nov. 25, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

FANTASY | SCIENCE FICTION | SPACE | ACTION & ADVENTURE SCI-FI