FIRST OF HIS KIND

A disgraced security operative in the space-going 22nd century finds a new calling as a gladiator-style warrior in Sugralinov’s SF novel.

Carter Riley is hired to provide security for a corporate-backed Mars expedition that expects big things from an astounding find: a cube-shaped container of nonhuman origin, left on the red planet by an ancient, unknown civilization dubbed the “Precursors.” But the scientists ignore Riley’s warnings to not recklessly meddle with the relic, and some nasty things get unleashed that literally tear the expedition apart. Quick shooting and mech armor (barely effective under the circumstances) leave a mangled Carter the only one alive, rendered comatose for long months. In dreams, he receives a mysterious message: “The first of his kind shall be rewarded...” By the time unsympathetic authorities have revived Carter (with the cheapest possible replacement for his missing arm) and scapegoat him for the deaths, the artifact has been decoded and has absolutely transformed humanity. It seems that the unseen Precursors established a vast space-station array (called Sidus) in the center of the Milky Way galaxy; here, civilizations worthy enough to translate their glyphs and technology can send representatives to mingle and share culture in a regulated, no-danger/no-fatalities environment. Curiously, however, this society revolves around ritual combat in gladiatorial-style games, where force-fields and other super-science measures ensure that everyone survives even the most vicious bouts. Combatants, successful or not, accrue points and new abilities and modifications; others profit from viewership and fight promotion. Carter, a near-unemployable outcast on Earth, divorced by his faithless wife, somehow knows that, as the “first of his kind” to encounter Precursor consciousness personally, his destiny must somehow lead him to Sidus. An attempt to get there via space-mining scut work gets him aboard a transport that is hijacked by space pirates—in the process, however, Carter assembles a core team of fellow desperate types, setting the stage for unexpected adventures. 

The author, launching a series with this volume, is established in the realm of online-gamer-oriented SF called “litRPG”—the genre’s most famous exponent is Ernest Cline (Ready Player One, 2011). Sugralinov has an assured voice, in the manner of Alan Dean Foster or even Robert Heinlein; the early pages introducing the much-abused, tough-but-ethical protagonist portend a potentially darker and more serious narrative before thrusting the ensemble (which includes a skirmish-ready pet hamster) into the arenas and weapons shops of the Sidus gamer-heaven environment. But once the characters are ensconced in Sidus, the plot focuses more on ranking battle statistics, insider tips, and the storytelling equivalent of cheat codes (“The Raptorians’ wave modulators emitted a barely perceptible, but rapidly growing hum a second before they fired. Knowing that, I could tumble sharply to one side by reflex, dodging the shot.”) The sexual material is mild (PG-13 at its spiciest), and the violence is cartoonish. The target audience should enjoy the result, even if the story doesn’t end so much as it just comes to a stop, promising a sequel.

After a strong opening, this gamer-oriented adventure increasingly resembles its first-person-shooter inspirations.