ISKAR AWAKENING

Algabi’s debut fantasy/SF/mystery novel, the first installment of his Under the Alien Veil series, follows a framed ex-cop who’s mysteriously released from a maximum-security prison.

Joel Tremblay was close to taking down a human trafficking ring when the organization masterfully turned the tables and framed him, effectively destroying his reputation and career. Sentenced to 15 years in prison, he’s shocked when he’s released 10 years early. Vowing to get revenge on those who framed him, he finds his life turned upside down when he discovers a gravely injured huge being in the middle of a road, cloaked in golden mist; next to him is a glass tube with what looks like a blue-skinned female being trapped inside. After losing consciousness, Tremblay awakes and discovers that he’s somehow become a hybrid—half human and half alien, with untapped abilities. He quickly realizes that he’s at the center of a grand conspiracy involving a sadistic alien faction that’s harvesting humans like crops. Algabi’s novel is a unique fusion of science fiction, dark fantasy, and detective fiction. The first half of the novel flows well, powered by nonstop action and intrigue, breakneck pacing, and tight storytelling, but the second half sputters a bit, hampered by an excessive focus on the nature of magic (“brooma”) and Tremblay’s attempts to use his newfound abilities, rendered in wonkish detail: “The brooma perception aptitude refers to the ability of someone to measure and determine, through sensing, the exact amount of brooma channelled into a part of his body.” The novel’s ending contains numerous jaw-dropping revelations—some readers may find the sudden introduction to so many new and significant characters and storylines overwhelming, but the new plot threads effectively act as teasers for a much larger story arc to come.

A solid if flawed beginning to a potentially spectacular genre-blending saga.