Synopsis

Kye Verex is trapped.

Due to a fluke of genetics, the decisions of the galaxy’s elite, and a lack of finances, he’s stuck on his polluted and noxious home world indefinitely. And it’s slowly killing him.

Then his more fortunate sister returns one day, bringing the promise of salvation. Kelsey has always hoped to find the means to pull him out of his desperate cycle of survival, but it has taken years. Now, she has a plan, one that will cure his genetic condition and clear him for interstellar travel.

The catch?

He has to sign over his very existence – and a portion of his humanity – to Zylar Inc., the galaxy’s most prominent and notorious corporation, in exchange for the necessary treatment. Is his cure worth the cost?

Quick Review

A story of resilience and a rejection of some of the worst traits of humanity, Wraith and the Revolution is a surprisingly hopeful stand-alone novel, told with sincerity.

Full Review

Thanks to A.J. Calvin for providing me with a digital advanced reader copy of Wraith and the Revolution.

Calvin’s first foray into sci-fi is rife with brilliant ideas and fun characters, but it also contains some odd pacing. I enjoyed my time with this book—and it sticks the landing with a really satisfying epilogue—but I can’t help but shake that it could have been a tighter experience.

The story begins on Earth, which has become a desolate and irradiated waste. Kye’s sister has already escaped it, but his genetics prevent space travel. It’s a neat wrinkle, and the goal during this portion of the story is focused on getting Kye off-planet. His sister is eventually able to get him into a program with a massive corporation who can facilitate his escape. All he has to do is sign on the dotted line.

It takes a while, but this eventually brings us to a section where Kye is brought into the corporation, Zylar. We get to see him become accustomed to what lies outside of Earth and meet his new team. It’s a fun segment, but at times is a bit repetitive as Kye seems to struggle to understand all of the details of his agreement and his new life. Which, to be fair, is what I’d expect. However, we still haven’t hit the meat of the story yet. Calvin is still setting things up, and as a result this entire section becomes a kind of “training montage.”

We don’t hit the real story behind Wraith and the Revolution until over one third of the way through the book. To avoid spoilers, I’ll refrain from saying exactly what happens, but suffice it to say that the goals and stakes of this story take a dramatic turn toward the titular revolution.

I enjoyed each of these sections, but it’s clear that Calvin was rushing to reach that pivotal moment which leads into the revolution. I can understand why they didn’t want to let any of these important parts of Kye’s background go, but as a result I has some trouble getting invested in this first third of the book—even in some of the most important characters around Kye.

Things settle down at this point in the story. We’re still moving along quickly, but it’s no longer so jarring. It’s also in these latter two thirds of the book that a theme begins to emerge: having to both physically and emotionally rebuild oneself after different forms of trauma. Kye’s physical rebuilding comes after all of the damage caused to him on Earth, and his emotional rebuilding comes after he is taken prisoner later in the book. Calvin treats both kinds of trauma with the utmost sincerity, and uses the cyberpunk genre to talk about these things in an interesting way.

There are also themes of seeking out nature, and rejecting the way people are wont to urbanize or industrialize over it. This can come a little heavy-handed at times, but it too has a similar sincerity behind the message. It is also reinforced by the sci-fi genre, and a species of plant-based aliens that become increasingly present in Wraith and the Revolution, the Botanaari. They were a surprisingly delightful addition to this book—but to explain that would be to give away too much.

As we come to a close on Wraith and the Revolution, I am of two minds. On one hand, I didn’t love the final act’s antagonist. They are mentioned early in the book, but go away for so long that I completely forgot who they were. I’m not sure if they ever had a single line of dialogue? As a result, the final fight just felt a bit hollow, no matter how fun some of the action was. 

On the other hand, Calvin’s epilogue contains a long-promised moment, and wraps up the story in a really lovely ceremony. In contrast to the final fight that Kye endures, the epilogue feels incredibly important and ties together some of the book’s most common themes.

I recommend Wraith and the Revolution. There were times when I struggled with parts of it, but ultimately when I reflect upon the story at large I can’t help but think about what a fun adventure it was—not to mention all the little moments and decisions Calvin made to set this world and these characters apart. Kye’s resilience, the Botanaari’s culture, and some genuinely fun characters really elevated this book for me.