Dead of Veridon | |||||
Tim Akers | |||||
Solaris, 368 pages | |||||
A review by Rich Horton
This novel opens with Jacob Burn taking an assignment to make a delivery to the zombie-like riverdwelling
Fehn. Things quickly -- and predictably -- go pear-shaped, as the delivery seems to precipitate a change
in the Fehn, who suddenly begin to invade Veridon in great numbers. Jacob and his "spider" friend Wilson
are on the run, quickly realizing that strange events have been in transit well before Jacob's trip to the
Fehn. The mystery involves a man named Ezekiel Crane, and the ancient people who may have built Veridon,
as well as Jacob's dying father and general uproar among the rulers of the city, include Jacob's old
enemy, the half-machine woman Angela Tomb. Jacob is soon thrust unwillingly back into a position of
some influence in his city, though he seems in many ways powerless and indeed clueless -- a fact of
which he is well aware.
The novel is very fast-moving, full of action, color, and invention. At times, it may be a bit too
full of all that -- some revelations come off a bit ad hoc, and as I noted about the previous book,
Jacob's preference to shoot his way out of any problematic situation can be a bit trying. But it is
fun, and it is interesting, and it sets a template for what could be an ongoing series in the noir
detective/action fashion, or what could still modulate into a tale of the transformation of Veridon,
and the growth of Jacob Burn... and I have to say I'm still not quite sure where Akers' intentions
lie. I'd say that Dead of Veridon falls pretty strongly on the action side of things -- successfully
enough, on its own terms.
Rich Horton is an eclectic reader in and out of the SF and fantasy genres. He's been reading SF since before the Golden Age (that is, since before he was 13). Born in Naperville, IL, he lives and works (as a Software Engineer for the proverbial Major Aerospace Company) in St. Louis area and is a regular contributor to Tangent. Stop by his website at http://www.sff.net/people/richard.horton. |
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