A refreshingly unique take on the eternal battle of good versus evil that amuses while it philosophizes.
In Isaak’s fantasy novel, an unsuspecting man discovers the role he was born to play in defeating the forces of darkness on the battlefield known as Earth.
The year is 1969, and Crystal Keeling finds herself in Manhattan at the end of a six-month-long hitchhiking trip. The adventurous young woman dips her toes in a cult known as the Children of Pan, where Crystal was “asked if she’d be willing to play a lead role in The Children’s fertility rites…and when she discovered it involved no more than a little friendly semipublic sex, she was happy to oblige.” After a disappointing non-orgy with the cult’s goat-masked leader, Crystal wanders off to her next adventure. Cut to 35 years later, and Crystal’s adult son Arby is the result of that brief liaison. Living in Saudi Arabia at the time, Arby takes a flight home at his mother’s request. Then he meets Elaina, a blind woman who turns out to be not exactly mortal. Instead, she and Arby are dragged into an epic battle between the forces of light and darkness. Their main adversary is “an entity who lived in both worlds, the etheric and the physical,” who goes by the name of von Fleischer (aka: The Flayer). It turns out that the Children of Pan had been on to something, and Arby soon discovers powers he never knew existed. After Crystal is kidnapped, Arby must reconnect with his previous lives in order to cross “the bridge” into the Inner Planes—a process that he may never be able to find his way back from: “Constriction and form will have to contend with infinite space, and you will have to find a path between the two.” Only then does Arby have a chance at defeating von Fleischer and the darkness he brings once and for all.
Sex with a goat-masked cult leader might be considered a risky way to start a novel, but Isaak pulls it off by blending some absurdly humorous observations (such as one about unplanned pregnancies) with plenty of action and a shrewd eye for philosophy and religion: “It’s an ecosystem. There are entities who feed exclusively on love, entities who feed exclusively on war, even rarefied entities who feed on intellectual excitement. There are others with more catholic tastes, feeding on an array of emotions. Any of them, of course, thrive on worship, for these entities, when encountered by humans, are called gods.” Arby’s journey from ordinary man to bona fide Hero with a capital H is one that forces him to consider the inner workings of both the universe and himself. Naturalistic dialogue provides an easy way to bandy about various philosophical ideas, including the existence of past lives and our ability to shape our past, present, and future. And every time readers think they know where the plot might be going, Isaak tends to take a hard left to set off on new courses that will intrigue even as they baffle. A truly shocking outcome and the promise of a new beginning all make for an ending that, upon further reflection, perfectly fits a novel of this sort—one that constantly keeps readers on their toes.
A refreshingly unique take on the eternal battle of good versus evil that amuses while it philosophizes.Pub Date: May 14, 2024
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 398
Publisher: Utamatzi Inc.
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.
With only a month left until the world ends due to a swiftly approaching black hole, Don and Rodney, a retired gay couple, road-trip from Maine to Washington to spend their final days with their son.
After reports that a planet-swallowing black hole is making its way toward Earth, Rodney and Don—who have been together for 40 years and survived everything from homophobia to the HIV crisis—decide to pack their belongings into an RV, say goodbye to their neighbors, and travel from Camden, Maine, to Washington to uphold a promise to spend their final days with their son. They can’t wait any longer, since there’s already chaos around the country: “Military vehicles in the streets of most cities and towns. Looting, rioting, the burning of cars and buildings and people, all of it had already happened.” As they make their way west across the country, they encounter fellow travelers ranging from close-knit families to free-spirited hippies, some of whom have come to terms with the impending end of the world and others who haven’t. While the story seems to be asking readers what they would do if they had 30 days left to live, and reflects on what different kinds of acceptance might look like in the face of unavoidable tragedy, it loses some of its poignancy in a series of thinly padded monologues about the meaning of life. Clearly intended to pack an emotional punch, it’s failed by an abrupt ending, and the way the journey’s mystery—which will be obvious to many readers—is revealed by an info dump in the last chapter.
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781250881236
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
A tender reminder that gratitude is a path we choose, one conversation at a time.
In Green’s inspirational novel, a journalist boarding the wrong train discovers the right moment to speak the words that matter.
Daniel arrives at the Beacon station carrying a leather notebook filled with an unfinished eulogy for his still-living grandfather, only to be swept onto the mysterious 5:07 Gratitude Express, a steam locomotive that appears “for those who want to express gratitude.” His uncanny journey sends him through vividly rendered moments from his own life, where he witnesses the ripple effects of kindnesses he has offered and reunites—sometimes for the first time—with people who were permanently shaped by those actions. Each stop brings a new encounter: A childhood classmate says, “That morning, you altered the course of my life”; an elderly woman confesses, “Your simple act of kindness saved me that day”; a mentor tells him, “You need to figure out what you’re good at and what you like to do. Because when you do that, your potential is limitless.” By the time Daniel reaches Cedarville, intent on seeing his grandfather—the person who most profoundly shaped him—his reflections echo the conductor’s warning that “Time is unpredictable, and unsaid words bring pain and regret.” What follows is a moving affirmation of connection that honors the story’s central message: Appreciation should be expressed to the living. Green structures the narrative as a fable, with emotional clarity and cinematic pacing. The train’s dissolving walls, the recurring whistle rising “high into the dark sky,” and the symbolic briefcase filled with long-kept letters lend the tale a gentle magical-realist texture. While the storyline remains linear and accessible for all ages, the themes—regret, legacy, and intergenerational love—invite adult reflection. The prose is simple, intentionally so, grounding the fantastical elements in an earnest emotional register. This is not a plot-twist-driven story; it’s a quiet parable urging readers to act before time steals their chances. Readers who appreciate heartfelt, uplifting narrative journeys will find resonance in Green’s message.
A tender reminder that gratitude is a path we choose, one conversation at a time.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
ISBN: 9798891385252
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Jan. 13, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
