PENCHANT FOR DARKNESS

A Filipino man must come to terms with his burgeoning powers to save his family in Elizaga’s SF adventure.

At a young age, Miles Penchant gets an inkling that he’s something special when he discovers that he can see the spirits of a spooky neighbor’s dogs. But he puts such thoughts aside until he’s an adult. Miles, an engineer, and his wife, Richelle, a call-center supervisor, have been trying to conceive a baby for seven years but finally decide to adopt. They take a much-needed getaway to a resort, where they’re attacked by an emissary of Lucifer, an artificial being imprisoned on the planet of Clos Friga for his godlike aspirations. Miles gets badly injured while Richelle is left in hysterics but somehow pregnant. Three of Lucifer’s foes inform Miles he is an Anomaly; he also learns he has unusual powers and that he, his wife, and their unborn baby are at risk. As Miles trains with Darma, a monk, to hone his abilities, Richelle gives birth but falls into a coma. Along with the stress of a new baby and a comatose wife, Miles must contend with battling Lucifer’s forces on the prison planet of Clos Friga. With this novella, author Elizaga continues her pattern of creating memorable characters with extraordinary gifts based on Pacific folklore (The Aqua Human, 2019). Miles is a well-meaning but ordinary man whose heroic actions are meant to help his family but may benefit humanity as a whole. And his engineering brain plays a satisfying role in various plotlines as he navigates challenges. Richelle, however, is less well-developed. Elizaga’s concept is as old as time: Someone finds themselves caught between good and evil. But the author’s twist on the devil as rogue AI is intriguing.

A fast-paced thriller that is both predictable and enjoyable.