SHADES OF DESTINY

In this debut fantasy, some friends use their developing superpowers to try to stop evil forces from taking over Earth.

Five realms exist on Earth, or so Michael’s best friend, Damian, tells him. Long ago, the sinister leader of Perdicium wanted the whole planet for himself, and the ensuing “big fight” left two realms destroyed. But these two friends, who hail from Oregon, can fix everything if they track down three relics—the Apple of Eden, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Holy Grail. Amazingly, the pair, along with other high school pals, develops special talents, such as Michael’s ability to hop back in time “only for a moment.” Then Perdicium, after fracturing a protective Veil and once again attacking realms, starts a cataclysmic war. And as Perdicium may have the Ark, Michael is determined to hide the Apple from the realm, even if he has to lie to Damian about discovering it. The two pals soon turn on each other, as Damian seemingly joins Perdicium in hunting relics, and Michael vows to protect humanity. Pittman’s dense worldbuilding drops readers into an engaging saga, as there’s long been conflicts between the realms. Much of the story unfolds in minimalist environments, from valleys to caves and tunnels. But readers catch glimpses of other realms as Perdicium uses natural disasters as weapons, and good versus evil clashes end in abductions, betrayals, and startling deaths. The author moreover weaves in obvious but delightful nods to Christianity and Greek mythology. Nevertheless, the plot itself is sometimes baffling, especially in the latter half, and it’s eventually apparent that one character is purposely withholding details and delaying elucidation (“We are just so confused by everything,” a player understandably asserts). Still, the final act does a reasonable job of untangling the convoluted narrative, which ends on a superb denouement hinting at a sequel.

An entertaining but sometimes perplexing tale about an apocalyptic war.