THE HIDDEN SCRIPT

Victor’s first installment of a planned fantasy series tells a tale of superpowered 20-somethings in a competition to become royalty in a faraway land.

Friends Eibo, Kiru, Janeen, and Yahri left their loved ones behind to live and compete for the posts of king or queen of the country of Ehre. There’s already trouble at the orientation when a fight breaks out involving some other entrant; also, Yahri is a nowhere to be found, and one of the three remaining friends is accused of a crime. In order for Eibo and the others to make it to Induction, a mere few days away, and earn a necessary sponsorship, they’ll have to track down the perpetually late Yahri and survive encounters with hostile fellow entrants, such as the Sprague brothers. They have skills and special abilities that allow them to excel at one particularly crucial competition: Kiru, for example, can control wind, and Janeen is psychic. But after they stumble onto a sinister plan someone has brewing for the competition, they realize they’re all in unavoidable danger. This book’s likable cast of Black characters speaks in a distinctive dialect that the author describes as a mix of “American English, African American Vernacular English, Haitian Kreyol, and French”; it pairs sublimely with Victor’s lyrical prose describing trees “opting for suits of red, orange scarves, and bright yellow garments” and a post-storm aroma as “earthy, fresh, and tinged with a comforting familiarity.” Despite its succinct chapters told from various points of view, however, this opening installment moves at a slow pace, with relatively few opportunities for superpowered action. In fact, before the story begins, the friends spent 18 months tackling missions in the wilderness, and readers sadly get only a taste of these apparently death-defying missions. Still, they’re part of a dense, meticulously detailed backstory that sequels may expand upon. The artwork by Fulmore and Ebengho features beautifully muted tones, as in an image of a winding staircase and the silhouetted friends standing abreast.

A measured but absorbing tale of grit, camaraderie, and preternatural abilities.