Nadir A review by Andy McCann, editorofPlanet Magazine |
Review of Nadir by Andy McCann of Planet Magazine Nadir by William Alan Rieser ISBN 0-9745268-2-7 Available at Wordthunder Publications via wordthunder.com/books and all online booksellers; 224 pages; $10.36 at amazon.com Nadir begins with a mystery. A secret so ancient that even an all-powerful race of beings The Prail cannot solve it. Or maybe they will not solve it. For The Prail also fear what the answer to this secret may be. So once again they turn to their plenipotentiary, the former Ambassador from Earth, Langford Joh. Langford is like a detective, a philosopher, and a secret agent rolled into one. And he is no longer human. In fact, despite the enormous variety of creatures in this book, no humans will be found within its pages. To the reader, this fact soon won't matter, since the parade of bizarre characters and races such as the Byjeliocs, geometric beings who barter wisdom and subsist on square planes of processed light wafers called Khaline come alive as the plot moves headlong toward the final, surprising conclusion. At the heart of the story is a mythical, hidden planet lost in both time and space, and the race is on among a sweeping cast of characters, including space guilds, an extra-galactic emissary, and trans-dimensional beings with suspect motives, to be the first to find this legendary world and plumb its rumored riches and technological treasures. But such a strange and wonderful planet would not lack adequate defenses ... would it? Nadir might remind a reader of such classic sagas as "Star Trek", "Star Wars", and "Dune" and to be sure, there are elements of all those in this book. However, author William Alan Rieser invents his own unique universe, one that readers will hope he visits again and again, even if he himself is allegedly human! Now if only processed light wafers were available at my local supermarket ... Review by Andrew G. McCann, Editor Planet Magazine http://www.planetmag.com/ |
