The physical setting is inserted deftly, creating a rich Sci-Fi background without wasting our time with extra description. The interesting part of the setting is the Fantasy-like magic, which is given to us in sketchy strokes, involving omens and eternal damnation, spaceships and wormholes and prehistoric space empires, but it is never fully explained. This is convenient, because if the reader doesn’t understand the limits of the magic, then the author is not accountable for keeping it under control. This unfortunately reduces the suspense, because there is less conflict between the characters and the limits of their powers.

However, there is plenty of other conflict to go around, because while the Good Guys are trying to find Neroy, he is sinking deeper into the criminal underworld of his present reality, giving the story a Pulp Fiction twist and a touch of wry humour. This droll element is reinforced by the cartoonish illustrations that definitely reduce the gravity of this section of the story arc.

Wild action scenes and clever scams intersect to keep up our interest, as Neroy digs deeper and deeper into his memory and his past. Then, near the end, a new character with a new plotline enters, and everything starts to come together. Maybe even a love interest. He gets enough answers to his questions that the episode comes to a satisfactory close, leaving the door open to the next installment.

I think the only difficulty with this novel is the fact that humour is a great reliever of tension, and this keeps the suspense at a moderate level.

A light, well-written Space Opera that is definitely worth the read.

Four Stars