Thousands of years later, the altered humans seem to have settled on a more or less standard body type, a rather "demonic" form: scales, horns, bat wings, and a tail. They are called demons or goblins or malignos (a word which is both singular and plural). In recent times, the malignos have invaded from their underground strongholds and, after centuries of war, an unstable truce has been declared. Ritchie Pike, the narrator of Malignos, was a noted soldier in that war. But Pike has been exiled from his home, the Darkling Isle (what was Great Britain), to the Pilipinas, because his lover, Gala, is herself a malignos, though a traitor to her kind. Pike and Gala eke out a living. Pike is a sort of private investigator, often heading into the underground strongholds of the malignos with Gala's guidance. Gala is a whore, and Pike is serially unfaithful.

One of Pike's investigations goes bad and Gala is captured by her former family and "simplified" (given a drug which removes her intelligence). Guilt-stricken, Pike decides to travel under the Earth to the legendary malignos capitol, Pandemonium, located at the very centre of the Earth. This journey occupies the great bulk of the novel. It's very well described, as Pike encounters a variety of differing underground environments and features, as well as any number of grotesque characters. Naturally, he finds his way to Pandemonium eventually and discovers that he himself is not quite what he thought.

As I've said, the story is fast-moving and it's a very enjoyable read. On the negative side, a certain amount of the plot is driven by coincidence. Also, the characteristics of the altered future landscape, especially the rationale for it all, seem a bit arbitrary at times and quite a bit strained. Pike himself is something of a cliché as a character: only too world-weary, only too cynical, and generally such an unlikable individual that it's hard to understand what Gala sees in him. But these criticisms aside, the originality of the scenery and Calder's always fecund imagination make the story well worth the reading. This is by no means a masterpiece but it is a sound, different entertainment.