A planet of bumpkins declares war on the rest of the universe in this humorous sci-fi debut.
Krikkit is a bucolic world whose inhabitants are hardworking above all else. What they value most are the things they can touch and experience firsthand. When they look up in the sky, they see the sun—and not much else. A vast dust cloud obscures the rest of the cosmos, so the Krikkitans have no sense of their place in the larger scheme of things. It’s all the more shocking, then, when a spaceship crashes. Two Krikkitans named Brag and Tarm investigate the oddity, dragging it to a barn. Eventually, they get it flying and travel past the dust cloud. Upon seeing the majestic cosmos long hidden to them, they decide it shouldn’t exist, and they mobilize the rest of their people to destroy it. This endeavor involves building more spaceships and mastering weaponry. And because the Krikkitans only learn by doing, it’s a slow process. Still, they succeed in their epic quest by blowing up some planets and battling various races—including, by all appearances, humanity. But with Krikkit’s own natural resources limited, how much of the universe can their war machine destroy? Debut author Forjans offers a hilarious premise that wouldn’t be out of place in a Monty Python film. His narrative quickly proceeds with bone-dry wit and, in discussing the known universe, reveals that many civilizations “are so advanced that their primary function has evolved into having...a wonderful time whilst drinking perfectly chilled imported beer.” Adding to the tone is angular prose that alternates between charming and all-too goofy; for example, “Brag had, as no one else on Krikkit, not ever seen anything like the thing he now saw.” These highlights, unfortunately, are steadily brought low by Forjans’ pedantic plotting and argumentative, one-note characters. Frequently sloppy grammar doesn’t help, either: “Brag and Tarm was pleased with the result.” Tighter editing and defter storytelling may help a sequel.
An overdose of silliness for its own sake.
Pub Date: Nov. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1477246313
Page Count: 232
Publisher: AuthorHouseUK
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A captivating start to what promises to be an epic post-apocalyptic fable.
The first volume in Carey’s Rampart trilogy is set centuries into a future shaped by war and climate change, where the scant remains of humankind are threatened by genetically modified trees and plants.
Teenager Koli Woodsmith lives in Mythen Rood, a village of about 200 people in a place called Ingland, which has other names such as “Briton and Albion and Yewkay.” He was raised to cultivate, and kill, the wood from the dangerous trees beyond Mythen Rood’s protective walls. Mythen Rood is governed by the Ramparts (made up entirely of members of one family—what a coincidence), who protect the village with ancient, solar-powered tech. After the Waiting, a time in which each child, upon turning 15, must decide their future, Koli takes the Rampart test: He must “awaken” a piece of old tech. After he inevitably fails, he steals a music player which houses a charming “manic pixie dream girl” AI named Monono, who reveals a universe of knowledge. Of course, a little bit of knowledge can threaten entire societies or, in Koli’s case, a village held in thrall to a family with unfettered access to powerful weapons. Koli attempts to use the device to become a Rampart, he becomes their greatest threat, and he’s exiled to the world beyond Mythen Rood. Luckily, the pragmatic Koli has his wits, Monono, and an ally in Ursala, a traveling doctor who strives to usher in a healthy new generation of babies before humanity dies out for good. Koli will need all the help he can get, especially when he’s captured by a fearsome group ruled by a mad messianic figure who claims to have psychic abilities. Narrator Koli’s inquisitive mind and kind heart make him the perfect guide to Carey’s (Someone Like Me, 2018, etc.) immersive, impeccably rendered world, and his speech and way of life are different enough to imagine the weight of what was lost but still achingly familiar, and as always, Carey leavens his often bleak scenarios with empathy and hope. Readers will be thrilled to know the next two books will be published in short order.
A captivating start to what promises to be an epic post-apocalyptic fable.Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-47753-6
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Orbit/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
The first installment of an effortlessly readable series that could be the illegitimate love child of Terry Pratchett and...
The debut novel from Australian actor Arnold is a fusion of paranormal fantasy and mystery set in a world where magic has been effectively destroyed by humans, forcing the supernatural population to live a radically diminished existence.
Fetch Phillips is a “Man for Hire,” which is another way of saying the down-on-his-luck, hard-drinking former Soldier–turned-detective will do just about anything to pay the bills. When a principal from a cross-species school enlists him to find a missing professor—a 300-year-old Vampire named Edmund Rye—Phillips quickly agrees. Without magic, the Vampires—and all other supernatural beings—are slowly dying. So how difficult could it be to find a withered bloodsucker who is so weak he can hardly move around? After visiting Rye’s last residence—a secluded loft space in the local library filled with the Vampire’s research and writings—Phillips discovers that one of Rye’s students is missing as well: a young Siren named January. His investigation becomes complicated when more Vampires turn up dead and he is almost killed himself. While the mystery element of the storyline is a bit thin, the focus on meticulous worldbuilding and highly detailed backstory as well as the cast of fully developed and memorable characters (Simms, the reptilian cop; Peteris, the disfigured half-werewolf; etc.) are unarguable strengths. But the real power here is in Arnold’s use of imagery throughout. His unconventional descriptive style brings a richness and depth to the narrative. Pete’s smile is “like a handbag with a broken zipper,” and the sound of Phillips’ falling from a building is “like someone stepping on an egg full of snails.”
The first installment of an effortlessly readable series that could be the illegitimate love child of Terry Pratchett and Dashiell Hammett.Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-45582-4
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Orbit/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
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