Superbly crafted, exhilarating futuristic tale.
A man capable of transforming into a lethal beast seeks revenge against those responsible for his friends’ deaths in Stevens’ SF/thriller debut.
Ever since the attack on Earth seven years ago, former military strategist David has been training. He blames and has targeted certain individuals for the loss of two beloved friends. His current goal is to train with enigmatic Mr. Three, whom David can only contact by reaching Level 23 in arena combat. David rises in levels by winning arena matches on planet Xalapaz, as he’s a formidable fighter, even more so when he transforms into a Wendigo. He does, however, limit his transformations since he fears losing control. When a stranger offers to help David find one of his targets, he makes a deal, for which he’ll need to get his hands on Turnol, a dangerous substance. He and others form a ragtag crew that includes a swordsman in jailhouse isolation and a princess who’s been framed for murder. More often than not, David and his allies wind up in skirmishes that necessitate Wendigo transformations. All the while, David remains vengeance-minded, seemingly heedless of the innocent victims of his retribution. Stevens’ novel runs at full tilt and comprises copious planetary locales and backstory. He nevertheless grounds his electric narrative with familiar sights, as the myriad species that appear are predominantly anthropomorphized animals or animal hybrids. A Uanelin, for example, resembles “an elongated, four-meter-tall spider” while others sport tentacles, a scorpion tail, etc. The dense plot further entails Tempest, a group of soldiers on Earth that resists the regime of diabolical Enzo, who leads Hyperions (modified humans)—all have ties to David. As the story progresses, a few mysteries gradually unravel. But Stevens, who’s undoubtedly planning a follow-up, lets some questions linger.
Superbly crafted, exhilarating futuristic tale.Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2020
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 213
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This thriller’s eerie mood is deflated by a plot with more holes than a Halloween sheet.
Could making a movie about the disappearance of five women from an island reawaken an evil presence there?
Five dresses hang from the topmost limbs of an oak on a remote island in a Vermont lake. That memorable image marks a mystery from a century ago, when five women believed to have been part of a commune vanished forever. As this novel opens, another group gathers on the island to make a movie based on that tale. Marin Keane, the narrator, is surprised but thrilled to find herself cast as one of the leads; she’s a struggling actor whose biggest part so far has been “Bridesmaid with Eczema” in a drug commercial, so playing Daisy Rue, whose haunting diary is the basis for the movie’s script, could be a career-making move. Ronan Peters, the writer-director, is talented and, Marin notes, hot. His reason for gathering the cast on the island is a kind of boot-camp rehearsal: They’ll spend a week living there, wearing period clothes, and managing without internet or phone service. Oh, and holding séances. What could go wrong? Marin quickly meets the other women in the cast: regal character actor Julianne Brown, cool and competent Heather Benchley, bratty former Disney star Susie Hutchinson, and, striking awe in all of them, Violet Wright, a much-awarded Meryl Streep-ish figure who will play the woman who brought the others to the island, which she owned. They get to work, but soon enough someone disappears. The book’s plot, like the movie’s script, largely follows Daisy’s journal, and since the reader is supplied with pages-long sections of that journal, there’s not much suspense about what will happen next. There are some effective set pieces, such as the group’s first séance. But in its last quarter, the plot collapses into a muddle of #MeToo vengeance, improbable secrets, and jarring character reveals that is, as Marin says, “the most Scooby-Doo thing I’ve ever heard.”
This thriller’s eerie mood is deflated by a plot with more holes than a Halloween sheet.Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
ISBN: 9798217044092
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
Buckle up—fans of page-turning SF may find themselves binge-reading this novel in one butt-numbing marathon session.
Like a truck with no brakes speeding down a steep mountain road, Islington’s latest is an adrenaline-fueled SF thrill ride that follows a biomechanically enhanced assassin as he tries to understand his mysterious origins.
The chaotic opening scene gives readers a clear indication of what they’re in for: Contract killer Azure, attempting to complete a mission, is involved in a life-or-death battle with a multieyed biomachine called an Argos. “The thing’s bipedal but has six gorilla-like arms that end in half-metre-long claws,” he complains. After Azure barely dispatches the monster and kills his target, his AI assistant, Atti, informs him of his next job: protecting an elderly—and incredibly rich—woman living in a sprawling underground bunker in the middle of nowhere. “Old Woman,” as Azure calls her, isn’t forthcoming with personal details; all Azure can suss out is that she may be the target of a powerful organized crime syndicate—the same organization that employs him! Is Azure’s ultimate goal to save her or kill her? Although the worldbuilding could’ve been more comprehensive, Islington’s editing choices are brilliant—he strips away the insignificant narrative content to create a streamlined, action-packed adventure with seemingly one goal: to keep the reader furiously turning pages. The various mysteries—Azure’s murky beginnings, the tragic death of his best friend years earlier, Old Woman’s true identity, etc.—maintain the momentum and intensity. The takeaway here is the narrative potential of the characters as well as the plethora of subjects that could be explored more deeply, like immortality for the rich, cloning, and the potential to create bioengineered nightmares for “security.” Islington leaves the conclusion tantalizingly ambiguous. This novel could be the jumping-off point for a memorable series.
Buckle up—fans of page-turning SF may find themselves binge-reading this novel in one butt-numbing marathon session.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781668239247
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Saga/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
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