Intense and captivating; a pitch-perfect ending for a strong trilogy.
After narrowly surviving The Empress (2017), Nemesis is pulled back into imperial intrigue to stop a madman.
Rather than a traditional start (either a recap or where the previous left off), the book opens with Tyrus’ boyhood, when he makes a personally painful decision for the greater good, with ramifications that set him on the path that finds him, 15 years later, a mad tyrant declared to be a God-Emperor. Meanwhile, Nemesis, left by Neveni after Nemesis botched an assassination attempt on Tyrus, lives in hiding in a desolate mining colony with the only other surviving Diabolic, Anguish, who’s dying. As “Nemesis lives” has been taken up as a rallying cry by those opposing the tyrant, she loses anonymity and returns to Tyrus, who finds he misses her, in exchange for medical care for Anguish. But, unable to go along with Tyrus’ cruelty, Nemesis and Anguish must leverage every connection they have to enable Tyrus’ opponents to take him down. In doing so, they uncover some of the empire’s deepest secrets. The intrigue- and betrayal-packed plot never feels like twists for the sake of twists because character decisions are rooted in their complex, often contradictory, emotions. Nuanced social commentary and philosophical musings give thematic weight to a story grounded in a passionate, tragically antagonistic relationship. As appearance is easily and routinely altered via technology, the diversity focus is firmly on classism.
Intense and captivating; a pitch-perfect ending for a strong trilogy. (Science fiction. 13-adult)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-0995-8
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
Buckle up—fans of page-turning SF may find themselves binge-reading this novel in one butt-numbing marathon session.
Like a truck with no brakes speeding down a steep mountain road, Islington’s latest is an adrenaline-fueled SF thrill ride that follows a biomechanically enhanced assassin as he tries to understand his mysterious origins.
The chaotic opening scene gives readers a clear indication of what they’re in for: Contract killer Azure, attempting to complete a mission, is involved in a life-or-death battle with a multieyed biomachine called an Argos. “The thing’s bipedal but has six gorilla-like arms that end in half-metre-long claws,” he complains. After Azure barely dispatches the monster and kills his target, his AI assistant, Atti, informs him of his next job: protecting an elderly—and incredibly rich—woman living in a sprawling underground bunker in the middle of nowhere. “Old Woman,” as Azure calls her, isn’t forthcoming with personal details; all Azure can suss out is that she may be the target of a powerful organized crime syndicate—the same organization that employs him! Is Azure’s ultimate goal to save her or kill her? Although the worldbuilding could’ve been more comprehensive, Islington’s editing choices are brilliant—he strips away the insignificant narrative content to create a streamlined, action-packed adventure with seemingly one goal: to keep the reader furiously turning pages. The various mysteries—Azure’s murky beginnings, the tragic death of his best friend years earlier, Old Woman’s true identity, etc.—maintain the momentum and intensity. The takeaway here is the narrative potential of the characters as well as the plethora of subjects that could be explored more deeply, like immortality for the rich, cloning, and the potential to create bioengineered nightmares for “security.” Islington leaves the conclusion tantalizingly ambiguous. This novel could be the jumping-off point for a memorable series.
Buckle up—fans of page-turning SF may find themselves binge-reading this novel in one butt-numbing marathon session.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781668239247
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Saga/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lightweight, action-packed space adventure.
A diplomatic mission to a newly discovered human colony immediately goes pear-shaped for a Skyward Flight escort detachment when drone ships attack.
Supporting characters from the Skyward series take center stage in this spinoff trilogy opener that combines heavy military action with relationship drama. Still pining for his purple-skinned flight mate, Alanik, flightleader Arturo Mendez suddenly also finds himself in charge of persuading the long-isolated residents of Blightfall (who have “three genders—male, female, and agendered”) that the war with the Superiority is over after the diplomats he was escorting are killed in a sneak attack. Although many plot points don’t hold up to scrutiny, the story features lots of aerial dogfights, narrow escapes, struggles with a rogue AI, and even some gladiatorial arena action—more than enough to fill in the gaps between exchanges of banter, awkward boy-girl fumbling, and repeated efforts to teach an alien how to tell “your mother” jokes. Along with being diverse in both species and human race, the large ensemble cast features many adorable aliens, led by the cytonic hyperslug sidekicks that expedite the instantaneous travel of Arturo and his squad and are in essence talking puppies. Readers ought to be in turn dazzled by the cuteness, adrenalized by the fighting, and charmed to see Arturo and Alanik kiss at last. Schematic images of select structures and spacecraft between narrative sections add visual detail.
A lightweight, action-packed space adventure. (Science fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9780593707050
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
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