Game of the Gods

June 25, 2018
Schiffman combines human drama with high-stakes political intrigue in a daring debut brought down only by its by-the-numbers setting. Max Cone is a high judge in the totalitarian Federacy, charged with approving or denying claims to Federacy citizenship. He longs to step out of the political limelight and spend time with his beloved family, but his dreams are shattered when the world is plunged into a catastrophic war and his wife and children are killed. Different nations vie to have Cone as their pawn, but he only wants to avenge his loved ones and keep the world he knows from utterly collapsing. To these ends, he joins with a band of outsiders, including a telepathic teenager, a mathematical genius, a religious fanatic, and a drug-addled former revolutionary. Schiffman’s novel falls prey to the typical trappings of post-apocalyptic fiction: the society is bureaucratic and totalitarian, and the descriptive passages are clunky. Where Schiffman’s work shines is in the character-driven drama and the well-developed band of misfits. Though there are some admirable twists and turns, the unoriginal premise hobbles an otherwise impressive work.

July 1, 2018

As a former military commander and longtime judge for the Federacy, Max Cone determines who can become a citizen. But he is only interested in getting out of the spotlight and putting politics behind him. Unfortunately, skirmishes among different factions put the planet on track for a catastrophic global war. With various nations vying to convince Max to fight for them, the only side he picks is his own after his wife and children are kidnapped. Assisted by a young girl with special powers, a mathematics ace, a religious fanatic, and a drug addict, Max must find his family and save the Federacy from total destruction. Clever plot twists and fast-paced action bring a bleak futuristic world to life, right before fractured contingents attempt to destroy it. The challenges and secrets Max and his team meet along the way only enhance the excitement of their journey. VERDICT Schiffman's absorbing sf adventure debut will satisfy all kinds of speculative readers.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

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