A measured but riveting tale of the wonders and potential dangers of unknown worlds.
In Konrad’s SF/fantasy novel set thousands of years in the future, a soldier struggles to maintain peace on a colonized planet.
Senior Militus Matt Heraclius, a combat veteran, arrives on Helivran via a quantum transmatter (teleporter). Helivran is a Gem-world—one of 18 “pre-terraformed” Earth-like worlds discovered by humans—and its colony’s mayor has requested help with the “creatures” there. The creatures, it turns out, are vulps: sentient, genetically modified human/wolf hybrids whose ancestors were abducted by aliens, and who’ve lived on Helivran much longer than the colonists have. The mayor wants to eradicate the vulps, but Heraclius opts for a peaceful resolution and gets to know such vulps as Scotwulf Primas, leader of the Mountain Claw tribe. Heraclius has plenty of time to immerse himself in the culture; the colony can’t power its own transmatter, which means he’ll have to wait a few years for a ship to pick him up. In the meantime, someone on Helivran is cooking up a nefarious plan, and it turns out that the planet is home to numerous Claw tribes, some of whom may not be friendly. Konrad’s novel, which kicks off a prospective series, boasts dense worldbuilding with myriad scenes involving characters discussing politics, religion, history, and more. Although this material generates minimal action, it also suits the narrative, in which Heraclius attempts to pinpoint the source of a severe culture clash. The characters’ backstories are also enthralling, particularly that of Heraclius, whom readers follow as he matures during his time at a military academy and War College. Genre fans will find the technology familiar, but it’s well incorporated into the story. Humans and sentient AIs, for example, have a curious relationship; although they both abide by a peace treaty, humans know very little about AIs, who’ve discovered nearly all 100 planets in the “Known Universe.” Surprises are abundant, including how Heraclius wound up on Helivran. Most of the mysteries are solved in the book’s latter half, but there’s no doubt that the author is saving some details for sequels.
A measured but riveting tale of the wonders and potential dangers of unknown worlds.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.
Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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