Dimension 111

From author Cruzado (Maria, 2014) comes a fantastical sci-fi novel about a world in chaos.

Not long after being fired from his job at an advertising firm in Puerto Rico, Daniel Amaya was unexpectedly invited to dinner with a prominent physician. Over dinner with said physician and guests, Amaya’s difficulties only increase. Much to the dismay of others, Amaya seems to be completely out of touch with certain aspects of the world around him, not the least of which involves a supervillain known as Mercury, who terrorizes the area and forces citizens into a panic by his mere presence. Though confused by his circumstances, Amaya appears to be undergoing positive physical changes. As his wife remarks, “You are visibly taller. Your skin is darker. You look stronger.” Elsewhere, in the Middle East, a figure calling himself Yahweh appears. Leaving a trail of destruction in his path, he convinces many people that he is truly a jealous and vengeful God. As if that weren’t troublesome enough, the White House is in turmoil over a nuclear threat from Soviet Russia, and the Supreme Chancellor Apollo of the planet Trafamaldor, more than 200 million light-years from Earth, is worried about something “he could feel but not explain.” What, readers will wonder, can ever become of all these varied crises? With Amaya emerging as a hero of sorts, it becomes clear that whatever happens is going to be outrageous, perhaps in multiple dimensions. Combining aspects of political drama, magical realism, and sci-fi—“But how did they reach the blue planet if AP-107 sacrificed his spaceship?”—the story is wild and ambitious. Though some portions can feel drawn out, particularly with regard to politicians who lack much in the way of creative dialogue—such as the president of the United States, who declares, “I’m the president here! I’m the one who gives the orders!”—the book moves the reader from strange place to stranger place at a punchy pace.

Readers willing to jump down the rabbit hole with Amaya will not suffer from a lack of twists and surprises.