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?
Review:
Wraith and the Revolution is a standalone sci-fi with an emotional gut punch of a backstory. So let’s start at the beginning, or rather the end, if you will. For Earth has tumbled into the cycle of industrial wasteland we can all see happening around us. Humanity, mainly, has left for the stars, leaving behind those that can eek out a living sifting through electronic detritus and radioactive rubbish piles on the hunt for things to sell. Food comes down to tasteless cubes, munched on while the cancers eat away at your body.
You get the picture.
Against this backdrop we have Kye and Pablo, best friends forever, surviving day to day while seeking a way off their shit pile. This section of the book is introspective, and the drudgery of staying alive takes up much of the first third. This takes patience for the reader, with Kye’s struggles continuing when it emerges the only way off world is a complete body upgrade into a flesh and machine soldier.
The pay-off is worth it.
It has a purpose. Drawing you into real characters with depth who are then thrown in at the deep end into, well it says it in the title, into a revolution. But one at which they are at the crux and the action, intrigue and energy, take you on a roller-coaster ride of sci-fi promised by the title and that stunning cover. Kye is a full cybernetic badass, and Pablo’s circumstances position him at the centre of the revolt too. Once again, friends standing against whatever life throws at them.
AJ Calvin has crafted a story that has personal meaning to her, and it shines through. Be patient, the pay-off is coming and is all the more powerful for the depth given in those opening pages.
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