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Science fiction and fantasy with futuristic characteristics suffused with historical myth and magic illumine this ambitious debut novel. Young Stevienyosen Griffen, Stevie for short, has spent much of his life on his family’s spaceship, which is now in ruins. Ready to be crushed by a compactor as the story opens, the poignant end of the craft is symbolic of Stevie’s launch into a new chapter of his life. On the eve of his nineteenth birthday celebration, he embarks with his mother, Wendy, mentor, Glange, and Glange’s son and friend, Celebus, among others, on a flight to Staffiwoods, a land of tall, shimmering spiral trees and a red wine sky where young necromancers acquire their first scepters. The unusual galactic landscapes of the tale are made vivid through Lockwood’s strong descriptive prose, engaging characters, and lush imagination.
The fast-paced story often assumes a plaintive, yearning quality due to the numerous obstacles that crop up throughout the novel that often lead to disfigurement, destruction, and death. The hybrid combination of past and future times lends strength to the novel’s surreal, melancholy flavor. The novel has an ongoing video game-like quality that will appeal to young adults and the young at heart as well. At times, it can be difficult to discern where the story is headed, but the reading is pleasant and rewarding, so young adult fantasy readers will enjoy the adventure of being carried along by the current of the plot and subplots while deciphering the quests and conquests that are rife with mysterious strangers in hooded cloaks, powerful spells, magical attacks, and exotic creatures summoned by mage craft. The familiar fantasy tropes are made fresh again with the unique landscapes, personas, and predicaments presented to Stevie and his companions by this skillful new author.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review