Fabrick

October 14, 2013
In this wildly imaginative SF adventure, Post (Knuckleduster) introduces an eclectic group of unlikely allies, who work together to protect a dying city—and each other—from myriad dangers. When an attack devastates the city of Geyser, 19-year-old Clyde, who is strangely ignorant of the world around him, sets out to avenge his slain master. He quickly accumulates several odd companions, including the animal-like mercenary Flam, a patchwork “Stitcher” named Nevele, and the intelligent rodent collective known as Rohm. Their quest takes them into the depths of Geyser, where they make some monumental discoveries, leading them on a collision course with several warring factions. Post delivers one bizarre concept after another in this epic coming-of-age story, packing it full of action, intrigue, and surprise. Strong characterizations and an intriguing setting don’t quite offset the meandering storyline and several subplots that make this tale drag in places. However, the underlying charm of the strange and surprising ideas Post brings to the table does much to rectify these drawbacks—the sheer originality of the novel is its best asset. Ages 12–up.

September 15, 2013
Characters with distinctly oddball psychic powers or attributes save this other-planet odyssey from sinking under its own weight. Violent times have come to Geyser--a city perched high atop a towering geyser nozzle on the giant planet Gliese. When Clyde, a robotic, tuxedo-clad young man with hazy memories and the ability to "sponge" guilt from anyone's troubled conscience, sets out to track down his beloved master's killers, he finds the city wrecked and virtually empty. He gets help from several allies including Nevele, a sliced-up woman who literally keeps herself together with telekinetically controlled stitches, and a cultured hive mind, collectively named Rohm, made up of over 1,000 tiny "frisk mice." With them, Clyde travels through noirish ruins, deep into a mine and up the geyser's massive spout while surviving vicious attacks from oversized insects and a maniacal serial killer/hired assassin. Ultimately, he runs into dazzling revelations about both his true identity and the source of the strange powers dubbed "fabrick" that he and others display. It's a very long journey. As Post also shoves in several elaborately developed side plots that are left to be resolved, presumably, in sequels, it's also a wearisome one. Still, dogged readers will be rewarded with exotic locales aplenty, sometimes-grisly battles and a particularly colorful multispecies cast. An unwieldy setup volume, bearable for its baroque tweaks and twists. (Science fiction. 12-15)

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