GENIUSES® IV

Flanzraich’s superpowered adventure novel continues his SF Geniuses series.

Roger Reynolds lives in Maryland with his lovely wife, Rebecca. While the couple may seem average enough, they’re anything but: Roger and his family are among the 500 “Geniuses,” superintellects who live on Earth and whose IQs register in the thousands. These Geniuses are more than just smart—they have powers, including but not limited to telepathy and the ability to fire energy pulses from their eyes. If Roger and Rebecca want to go out dancing, they can do so while levitating 40 feet above the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. It would seem that being a Genius is great, yet trouble is afoot: An evil Genius named Arkan Astrakhan comes to Earth from the Andromeda Galaxy (Arkan is hungry for vengeance due to events in a prior installment in the series). When Arkan arrives, he’s willing to play a slow game; he spends years building up both a legitimate business empire and one involved in murkier dealings. Arkan also gets his son, Arkady, involved in politics, though this ultimately bears little fruit. Arkan turns his attention to destroying the Reynolds family, with particular plans to destroy Roger in a way that will maximize his suffering; to ensure his plans do not go awry, Arkan enlists the help of a powerful demon. The novel moves at a swift, rollicking tempo. Arkan is entertaining to follow as he goes about his business with exclamations like “It’s all so deliciously evil!” (cartoonish though Arkan may be, he’s not afraid to go hard with his wickedness). Some internal dialogue breaks the story’s rhythm—characters are prone to sharing their thoughts, and at one point Roger reflects how “I doubt I can overcome the supernatural powers of Arkan and his demon.” Such flat remarks do little for the narrative, but the story takes on an atmosphere of refreshing whimsy as the end draws near.

Though the characters overshare, the fantastical tale yields action and surprises.